Mausoleum of Imam Shafi (Allah show mercy on him)

This is the mausoleum (in Cairo) of Imam Shafi,

the founder of one of the four rites of Sunni

Islam who died in 820 CE. The cenotaph was put

here by Salahuddin Ayyubi and the mausoleum

by his brother’s wife, who is also buried here.

(more to follow)

References: Cairo – Cardogan guides

The Imam al-Shafi'i was the founder of one of the

four rites of Sunni Islam1, and is considered to be

one of the great Muslim saints, although no such

institution was provided for by the Quran. He was

a descendant of the Prophet's uncle, Abu Talib,

and came to Egypt in the 9th century.

He died in 820 AD and was interred on his side

facing Mecca in the Lesser Qarafa of the Southern

Cemetery. The mausoleum, with a wooden dome

over the grave, was erected in 1211 by al-Malik

al-Kamil, whose grave, along with his mother's, is

also under this dome and only a few steps away

from the Imam's. Adjacent to the Iman's

cenotaph is that of Sayyid Muhammad 'abd al-

Hakam. It is the first officially sponsored

mausoleum to be built for a Sunni theologian

after the eviction of the Isma'ili Fatimids from

Egypt in 1171.

It is also the largest detached mausoleum in

Egypt. Paradoxically, the Fatimid practice of

building domed mausoleum for 'Alid saints as a

means of promoting their Shi'i agenda and

gathering popular support for the Fatimid imams

was adopted by the same leaders who eradicated

all signs of Shi'ism in Egypt. In fact, this

mausoleum is regarded as the symbol of the

triumph of orthodoxy over heterodoxy.

The Ayyubids, who inherited the Seljuq and

Zengid legacy of endorsing Sunnism and

abolishing all signs of heterodoxy, particularly the

Isma'ili doctrine of the Fatimids, used the

institution of the madrasa to propagate and

disseminate the Sunni law and teachings. It was

Saladin who founded the first madrasa , dedicated

to the Shafi'i rite near the tomb of its founder,

Imam al-Shafi'i. This was a center of a

successful missionary effort, which is still

predominant in South Arabia, Bahrayn, the Malay

Archipelago and East Africa.

Therefore, its historical and religious significance

is perhaps even more interesting then its

architecture. Since the medieval ages, it has been

considered to be one of the most holy shrines in

Cairo , and is regarded as a source of healing

emanations from the Iman's blessing (baraka).

Hence, visitors flock to this site from all over the

Muslim world to recite prayers while

circumambulating the cenotaph of the great legal

doctor, while the sick congregate here either to be

cured, or to die at this holy site. Every year a a

well known moulid , or religious fair, is held here

on the Iman's anniversary.

The dome of this mausoleum with its muqarnas 2

squinches 3, which is visible from afar, dates from

the restoration of 'Ali Bey al Kabir in 1772. Like

the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, it is made of

two wooden shells covered with lead. We do not

know how closely the present dome corresponds

to the shape of the original. Jutting from its peak

is a famous metal boat which is supposed to hold

grain for birds, although little seems to go into it

these days. Also from the restoration of 'Ali Bey al

Kabir are the painted inscriptions of the interior

as well as the painted decoration of the walls.

The exterior has a number of Fatimid period

architectural elements, including step crenellation,

interlaced strapwork 4 frieze on the cornice5 , blind

arches with ribbed hoods, separating rosettes6

and lozenges7 . One of the window (or door)

recesses is roofed by a ceiling comprising

octagonal coffers 8 dating from the construction of

al-Kamil (1211) and is believed to be the first of

its kind in Egypt.

The second rectangular, receding story of the

exterior, behind which is the transitional zone of

the dome, is adorned with keel-arched niches

crowned with fluted shell-hoods. The "post and

panel" parapet at the summit of the lower part of

the exterior, also dating from 1211, displays

interlaced geometrical patterns which are

analogous to those employed above late Fatimid

prayer niches. Each of the posts is adorned with

one of two designs carved in stucco. The first is a

Maghribi or Andalusian pattern consisting of Kufic

on an arabesque background; the second is a

floral arabesque pattern. Earlier restorations by

Sultan Qaybay including the addition of the

marble dada (along with an earlier dome), and to

'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda is attributed the

polychrome pavement in the entrance vestibule.

The interior of the tomb is colorful and airy, with

its mixture of different period styles. The original

entrance to the tomb is on the north wall,

recognizable by the coffered ceiling above the bay

leading to the carved door. Around 1178-9, a

magnificent piece of Islamic woodwork made of

teak and imported from India, ordered by Salah

al-Din and carved by 'Ubayd al-Najjar ibn Ma'ali,

was placed over the grave of the Imam. Today it

rests beyond a sandalwood latticework screen

that dates from 1911. In the Ayyubid period the

marble column marked the position of the Iman's

head, while the green baize bulb representing the

turban was added much later in 1892.

At the left corner of the mausoleum is a small

mihrab which was added in the eighteenth

century, when it was discovered that the main

triple-arched mihrab did not give the true

orientation to Mecca.

1. The principal form of Islam in Egypt

2. An ornamental arrangement of multi-tiered

niches on domes, squinches or portals also

sometimes called stalactites.

3. A structure, such as a section of vaulting or

corbeling, set diagonally across the interior angle

between two walls to provide a transition from a

square to a polygonal or more nearly circular

base on which to construct a dome.

4. Interlacing straplike bands, often used in low

relief on ceilings, screens, and panels.

5. A horizontal projection that crowns or

completes a building or wall.

6. A painted, carved, or sculptured ornament

having a circular arrangement of parts radiating

out from the center and suggesting the petals of

a rose.

7. A figure with four equal sides, having two acute

and two obtuse angles; a rhomb.

8. Decorative sunken panels.

Source : www.touregypt.net