DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.2872#0015
TOMBS IN THE SOUTHERN CEMETERY, CAIRO.
'spHIS view is taken among the groups of tombs and mosques given in a previous photograph.
The spectator is, in this instance, looking towards the south-west. On the left stand three
dome-covered tombs, of which the central and loftiest one is admirable as an example of the
best Cairo architecture. The whole proportions are in perfect harmony; and the skilful
transition from the square of the tomb-chamber to an octagon, on which rests the circle of the
drum of the dome, deserves especial remark. The walls are broken by recesses, which again
are brought to the outer plane at the top by the ornaments called pendentives, and the space between is
lightened by carefully-proportioned windows. The arrangement of the latter in small perpendicular apertures,
surmounted by circular lights, and that which occupies the centre of the space between the square and the
octagon, remind us of Gothic treatment of windows, as, indeed, does much in the art of the Arabs ; and
remind us too of the neglect which this art has received at the hands of architects in Europe, who study
Gothic without regarding the structures from which their favourite masters learnt so much. The moulding
at each angle affords an illustration of the skill with which the Arabs combined bold architectural features
with great delicacy and intricate ornaments—an effort never attempted in the much-praised Alhambra,
which, though beautiful in detail, is absolutely devoid of grandeur, or, indeed, of any but unsuccessful
attempts at general forms. And here we must remark that the only beauty of the Alhambra has been very
much exaggerated; we mean its ornament, which is far inferior to that found in Cairo buildings ; encumbered
with details, and without obvious purpose in the pattern ; mere stucco reproductions from a few moulds.
The art of Cairo, on the other hand, displays in its ornament a perfect adaptability to architectural forms ;
each pattern may be traced from its beginning to its end ; it is excellently carved, generally in stone, and
in no instance cast from moulds or " squeezes." Mr. Ruskin might revoke his condemnation of Arab art
which he avowedly founded on the Alhambra, if he were to study that of Cairo, for he believes that honest
men are not ashamed of contradicting themselves. But to recur to our description. The dome of this
beautiful building is nearly of the most perfect Arab shape—perhaps it is a little too much elongated towards
the point: its ornamentation should be compared with that of the domes of the Mosque of the Sultan Barkook,
in the Eastern Cemetery, which it closely resembles. Two other domes stand beside the central building.
That nearest to the spectator, and close to the one first described, is much older in character; the further
one, which is more distant, occupies a middle place between the others, in the time of its erection—at least
so we may judge from its style, though this is not always a sure guide in Cairo. Towards the middle of
the view is a small and picturesque tomb of later date; aud behind it, an old minaret, of which the mosque
formerly attached to it, lias disappeared. The old dome, yet further away, may have formed part of this
latter, but in a previous view it is seen to stand at some little distance from it. The minaret has lost its
top, probably in an earthquake; in style it agrees well with the dome, and both are of an early date, like
the nearest dome in the view. In the distance is a minaret of the Constantinople extinguisher-form. Many
of these exist in Cairo, all of recent date, that is to say, since the Turkish conquest of the country (a.d. 1517),
and almost within the last century and a half. They seem as foils to the old Arab minarets that contrast
well with their hard nakedness, though theij are better than the most recent examples of Turkish barbarism.
'spHIS view is taken among the groups of tombs and mosques given in a previous photograph.
The spectator is, in this instance, looking towards the south-west. On the left stand three
dome-covered tombs, of which the central and loftiest one is admirable as an example of the
best Cairo architecture. The whole proportions are in perfect harmony; and the skilful
transition from the square of the tomb-chamber to an octagon, on which rests the circle of the
drum of the dome, deserves especial remark. The walls are broken by recesses, which again
are brought to the outer plane at the top by the ornaments called pendentives, and the space between is
lightened by carefully-proportioned windows. The arrangement of the latter in small perpendicular apertures,
surmounted by circular lights, and that which occupies the centre of the space between the square and the
octagon, remind us of Gothic treatment of windows, as, indeed, does much in the art of the Arabs ; and
remind us too of the neglect which this art has received at the hands of architects in Europe, who study
Gothic without regarding the structures from which their favourite masters learnt so much. The moulding
at each angle affords an illustration of the skill with which the Arabs combined bold architectural features
with great delicacy and intricate ornaments—an effort never attempted in the much-praised Alhambra,
which, though beautiful in detail, is absolutely devoid of grandeur, or, indeed, of any but unsuccessful
attempts at general forms. And here we must remark that the only beauty of the Alhambra has been very
much exaggerated; we mean its ornament, which is far inferior to that found in Cairo buildings ; encumbered
with details, and without obvious purpose in the pattern ; mere stucco reproductions from a few moulds.
The art of Cairo, on the other hand, displays in its ornament a perfect adaptability to architectural forms ;
each pattern may be traced from its beginning to its end ; it is excellently carved, generally in stone, and
in no instance cast from moulds or " squeezes." Mr. Ruskin might revoke his condemnation of Arab art
which he avowedly founded on the Alhambra, if he were to study that of Cairo, for he believes that honest
men are not ashamed of contradicting themselves. But to recur to our description. The dome of this
beautiful building is nearly of the most perfect Arab shape—perhaps it is a little too much elongated towards
the point: its ornamentation should be compared with that of the domes of the Mosque of the Sultan Barkook,
in the Eastern Cemetery, which it closely resembles. Two other domes stand beside the central building.
That nearest to the spectator, and close to the one first described, is much older in character; the further
one, which is more distant, occupies a middle place between the others, in the time of its erection—at least
so we may judge from its style, though this is not always a sure guide in Cairo. Towards the middle of
the view is a small and picturesque tomb of later date; aud behind it, an old minaret, of which the mosque
formerly attached to it, lias disappeared. The old dome, yet further away, may have formed part of this
latter, but in a previous view it is seen to stand at some little distance from it. The minaret has lost its
top, probably in an earthquake; in style it agrees well with the dome, and both are of an early date, like
the nearest dome in the view. In the distance is a minaret of the Constantinople extinguisher-form. Many
of these exist in Cairo, all of recent date, that is to say, since the Turkish conquest of the country (a.d. 1517),
and almost within the last century and a half. They seem as foils to the old Arab minarets that contrast
well with their hard nakedness, though theij are better than the most recent examples of Turkish barbarism.