File:The story of Cairo (1906) (14781893282).jpg

Identifier: storyofcairo00stan (find matches)
Title: The story of Cairo
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Stanley Lane-Poole
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Publisher: J. M. Dent
Contributing Library: Gumberg Library, Duquesne University
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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medresa, thoughstill a college, gradually usurped the position of thegami or congregational mosque. Friday prayers wereheld in the medresa, since few new gamis were erected—the most important were those of Muayyad, Bars-Bey and Ezbek—and the court and the easterntransept (sanctuary or chancel) were enlarged, whilstthe side transepts became smaller, and even dwindledto mere recesses. Probably the reduction of the sidetransepts was due in some measure to the fact that onlytwo of the four orthodox schools, the Shafiy and theHanafy, had any great following in Egypt, and therewas thus no necessity for the retention of the originalplan of four separate lecture halls. The result is thatwe find under the Circassian Sultans that a compromisehas been made between the garni and the medresa,and the form of the latter has been modified to suitthe requirements of the former. This modifiedmedresa form is almost universal in the Circassianperiod of architecture, and the salient features—the250
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251 The Dome Builders enlargement of the sanctuary and the diminishing ofthe side transepts—is particularly conspicuous in themedresa of Kagmas.^ Even to the end, when the Ottoman conquest wasobviously at hand, the Circassian mamluks retained muchof their vigour and all their aesthetic powers. Thereare few more interesting figures in their line than theold sultan el-Ghury, called to the throne in 1501,after four incompetent rulers in as many years hadsucceeded Kait-Bey. He was a man of bold decisionand boundless energy. He restored order in the anarchyof Cairo, levied ten months taxes at a stroke to re-plenish his treasury ; taxed water-wheels, boats, camels,Jews, Christians, servants, every possible source; in-creased the customs-dues, confiscated vast estates andlevied enormous death-duties. Having restored therevenue, and earned an evil name for extortion, heproceeded to spend it on great public works. Canals,roads, fortifications on the coast, the strengthening ofthe Citadel of

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