"Narrative Summit" Releases 2025 Recommendations to Cement Egypt's Position as a Global Tourism Destination    Egypt, S.Arabia step up trade ties through coordination council talks    Egypt reviews progress on $200m World Bank-funded waste management hub    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    SCZONE, Tokyo Metropolitan Government sign MoU on green hydrogen cooperation    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



BOOK REVIEW: Entering the faith of architecture
Published in Daily News Egypt on 18 - 07 - 2007

Recent book studies the religious dimension of architecture
Walking through the narrow streets of Zamalek or Garden City, I often stop for a moment, taken aback by the architectural detail of an old building. The contrast between the delicate detail of the arched entrances, the balcony balustrades, or the decorated facades of the old architects compared to the straight no-nonsense lines of the newer building, allows one a glimpse of the romance in architectural history.
"Enter in Peace, a recently published photographic book release by the American University in Cairo Press, focuses on one aspect of Cairo's architectural past: doorways. Author Ahmed Abdel-Gawad chronicles - in surprising detail - the doors and entrances to Cairo's old neighborhoods.
"In Cairo, Abdel-Gawad writes in his introduction, "doors are an integral part of the entrances of both religious structures, such as mosques, khanqahs, and tikiyas, and secular buildings such as public baths, street fountains, khans, hospital, schools, and residential buildings.
Aside from the photographic examples Abdel-Gawad includes in his book, his thesis is interesting. He explains the role faith plays in architecture. Sunna, he points out, guides Muslims in all aspects of their lives, including architecture; from the construction of buildings to the type of decoration they feature.
"In traditional urban Islamic societies, building and their doorways reflect both a utilitarian and a spiritual vision, and Cairo doorways of the 19th and 20th centuries are clear examples of this synthesis, he writes.
"Doorways have long held special significance in Muslim societies, where homes are entered with the greeting al-salam alaykum (peace be upon you). Years ago it was customary in Egypt to inscribe on doorways lintels (a beam or stone supporting the weight above the door) the Qur'anic inscription, 'Enter in peace.'
This photographic book is unique in so many aspects. As the author points out, rather than focusing on the building details of Khedive Ismail's Cairo - as most architectural historians are apt to do - he tackles the doorways of 19th- and early 20th-century homes of the middle class in the older neighborhoods of the city.
Moreover, Abdel-Gawad is a professor in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Cairo University and holds a degree in philosophy, neither of which makes him a typical candidate to write a book on architectural history.
The American University in Cairo Press has released a series of photographic books this year, but they seem to have abandoned their requirement for outstanding photography - which turns out to be the most disappointing aspect of the book.
Page after page of drab, gray photographs fail to grab the reader's attention. It takes considerable effort to discern the intricate details of the doorways. Given that the publishers felt the topic deserved a book, it seems contradictory that the subjects of the photographs were not given due attention. Rather than cataloguing over 160 photographs, this would have been a good time to chose quality over quantity.
It's a shame really. Abdel-Gawad's passion for his subject is evident in the details he uncovers. He includes descriptive comments on the houses' original owners and dates of construction, which must have been the result of extensive research, digging through archives of tax records and historical documents.
While an architectural enthusiast might flip through the pages of the book, pausing briefly to scan the captions of the photographs, it will hold be of more interest to architectural and design students. The prose reads more like a college lecture, which might be a consequence of the author's position as a university professor. He does not ease the reader into the subject, but rather begins as if it were a continuation in a series of lectures on architectural history. Again, it's a departure from AUC Press' recent publications.
While it is surprising that doorways could garner someone's interest and efforts, it does provide a photographic record of Cairo's vanishing architectural history. The intricate stucco crowning doorways survive only as shadows of their former selves on dilapidated buildings. Entrances of buildings and apartments no longer carry the same architectural significance as their predecessors. Today's doorways feature brass name plaques or ceramic tiles featuring verses from the Quran.
While we can't hold on to the past in any tangible way, Abdel-Gawad's documentation of Cairo's doorways allows us to hold on to the spirit of the city's fading architectural heritage.
Enter in Peace: The Doorways of Cairo Homes 1872-1950By Ahmed Abdel-GawadThe American University in Cairo Press, 2007
Available at local bookshops.


Clic here to read the story from its source.