Bab al-Futuh

Bab al-Futuh, by Louis-François Cassas, 1785

Bab al Futuh (Conquest Gate) is one of three remaining gates in the walls of the Old City of Cairo, Egypt. It was finished in the year 1087 and faces north. It stands at the northern end of Muizz Street. The other two remaining gates are Bab al-Nasr (Victory Gate) in the North and Bab Zuwayla (Gate of Zuwayla) in the south.[1]

The gate was part of fortification built by Commander/Vizier Badr al-Jamali of Fatimid Imam/caliph Mustansir. Its rounded towers were a stronger defense than the square towers of Bab al-Nasr (another Old City gate, just to the east). They had shafts for pouring boiling water or burning oil on attackers, and arrow slits. The gate is covered in vegetal and geometric motifs.

References

  1. ↑ Rabbat, Nasser (1995). The Citadel of Cairo: A New Interpretation of Royal Mameluk Architecture. Leiden ; New York ; Köln Brill. p. 13.

See also

Coordinates: 30°3′19.90″N 31°15′48.32″E / 30.0555278°N 31.2634222°E / 30.0555278; 31.2634222

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