Project to preserve, display Cairo's historic gates at Al Ablaq Palace
Egypt, History, 4/4/2002

The preservation of architectural heritage is a persisting need to keep the nation's identity for generations to come. Since Egypt abounds in monuments, pertaining to a variety of civilisations the preservation task becomes too heavy to be shouldered by the state alone.

Several Arab and foreign bodies contribute to the excavation and restoration of archaeological items whether by expertise or funds.

Within endeavours to preserve Cairene antiquities, most of which are Islamic, the Arab Social and Economic Development Fund is financing a project to register and restore Cairo's historic doors and gates to be displayed at Al Ablaq Palace at the Saladin Citadel, which will itself undergo thorough restoration and be equipped to house the doors. The project is implemented by means of a million dollar grant.

Many of the doors of historic buildings, especially in Fatimid Cairo, have turned into a gathering place and a shelter for vendors as well as buyers because most of these doors are found in popular marketplaces. The first items of a building to be affected by pollution and the misuse of the public is naturally the outside walls and doors.

The restoration of Al Ablaq Palace is bound to reveal much of the beauty of Memluk architecture, enrich the Citadel area and will also accentuate its outstanding cultural and tourist role. In fact Salah Eddin had left his stamp on the face of Cairo when he constructed the Citadel, one of the gorgeous Islamic monuments.

The Citadel area was enlarged through the years, each age leaving its stamp in the form of fortresses, mosques and towers starting from the Ayubids until the age of Mohamed Ali passing by the Memluks and the Ottomans.

The Citadel is actually considered an open museum for subsequent Islamic epochs.

The project involves a survey of doors with a detailed account of materials used and ways of fixing them.The next step will be cleaning and treating the doors then mending the dilapidated parts using materials so similar to original materials.

After restoration the doors are to be sketched in details and photographed as well.

Replicas of these doors are to be made so that some of them would be placed at the monuments instead of the original.

The final step, however, will be the restoration of Al Ablaq Palace which is comprised of huge vaults. The vaults are currently nothing but remains of the Memluk palace.

The palace, which lies south of Mohamed Ali Mosque dates back to l3l4 AD. The vaults will be prepared for a display purpose not only exhibiting the doors but relevant items such as the handles. A restoration lab will be established in the place for periodical maintenance and for other doors to be added to the repertoire.

Under the project a data basewill be made available to serve visitors and specialists.

Assistant Director of the project Dr. Adham Saad Nadim said that many countries tend to keep original doors at museums and fix replicas in the original monuments in order to preserve such antique items from environmental factors such as underground water or the rise of street level, which usually turns the entrance of the monument to a garbage dump.

The daily use of these doors , said Mr Nadim has exposed them to damage and decay and turned them dirty. When modern items were added as hooks and handles they devalued the door and at times spoiled it. Moreover, said Nadim there was also the likelihood of stealing some items of the door as handles or copper and bronze plates stating the name of the owner and date of establishment.

Nadim referred to a similar experiment undertaken by the Arab Antiquities Preservation Committee which dismantled the main door of Persbai Mosque to be displayed at the Islamic Museum and fixed a replica in its place.

The Islamic Museum now includes a number of original antique doors as that of Al Azhar Mosque, a door of Al Saleh Mosque, another from the Mausoleum of Emam Shafie that dates back to the l3th century and another one belonging to Al Hanafi Mosque of the l8th century AD.

The projected museum will be another asset added to similar specialised museums existing in the Citadel area namely The Police Museum, The Military Museum , The Royal Vehicles Museum and Al Gawhara Museum.

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