This set of studies begins with (1) a hyperlocal focus on Historic Cairo’s Khalifa District, before (2) zooming out to a comparison between Cairene and Damascene ritual practices in commemorating Imam Husayn, and then (3) finishing with an Egyptian website compiling and highlighting multiple aspects of Egyptian architecture, past and present.
1. Athar Lina Initiative. Al-Khalifa. Cairo: Atharlina, 2020-2026.
The website is dedicated to Historic Cairo’s Khalifa District, which is home to iconic landmarks such as the Cairo Citadel, Ibn Tulun Mosque, and the Sultan Hasan Mosque, as well as the Gayer-Anderson Museum located in two Ottoman houses. Additionally, it showcases Cairo’s distinctive historic cemetery of al-Qarafa, also known as al-Imam, after the Imam al-Shafi’i Mausoleum.
The website serves as a platform to present the outcomes of Athar Lina’s extensive research on the history and heritage sites of al-Khalifa, a municipality that encompasses some 140 monuments. It offers insights into the academic and oral history of the area and its monuments and Athar Lina’s conservation projects, as well as unveiling the district’s hidden traditional crafts and lesser-known attractions. The website also features a dedicated page for games and puzzles for children. The Athar Lina Initiative has been actively involved in the al-Khalifa area since 2012, concentrating its efforts on three neighbourhoods: al-Khalifa Street, al-Hattaba, and al-Imam al-Shafi’i Cemetery.
2. Pierre-Jean Luizard. Damascus and Cairo: Two Heads of Husayn for Two Kinds of Worship, Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies (13), March 2020, pp. 50-55.
This short and very readable article begins by describing the events of the Battle of Karbala in Iraq and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn in 680. It then goes on to point out the differences in the veneration of the Imam, highlighting the unique worship practices observed in Damascus, Syria and in Cairo, Egypt. It compares Ithnaʿashari Shiʿi rituals and practices of mourning and commemoration of Imam Husayn in Damascus between pilgrims coming from different regions and nationalities, with Sunni visitation practices and mawlid (birthday) and other festive commemorations at the Imam al-Husayn Mosque in Cairo. Both large-scale events, while the pilgrimage to Damascus is a manifestation of grief, the commemorations in Cairo are characterised by joy, dhikrLit. ‘the act of reminding’; ‘remembrance’. The Qur’an exhorts individuals to remember God: ‘Oh ye who believe! Remember (udhkurū) God with much remembrance (dhikran kathīran)’ (Q. 33:41). Dhikr designates a…, vibrant lights, and fireworks.
3. Egypt Architecture Online. 2001
A comprehensive, even if seemingly work-in-progress, website dedicated to Egyptian architects, planners, and enthusiasts of Egyptian art and architecture. It highlights the country’s significant contributions to the field of architecture, showcasing a wide range of disciplines, from archaeology and ancient Egyptian architecture to urban design and planning as well as the architecture of Islamic Egypt and modern Egypt. It also profiles Egyptian architects as well as public and private universities and other research institutions in Egypt in the field and categorises different cities in the country. Finally, it offers access to scholarly papers, articles, books, theses, and software relevant to the subject.
CRediTs
Sorbon Mavlonazarov (Data Curation, Writing – Original Draft); Fayaz S Alibhai (Writing – Review & Editing) for Ismaili Heritage, The Institute of Ismaili Studies © 2015-2026.
Ismaili Heritage uses the CRediT author statement.
About
Ismaili Heritage (IH) is a tripartite collaboration between IIS (London), the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (Geneva), and the Department of Jamati Institutions (Lisbon). It aims to document, protect, conserve, and celebrate the built and associated tangible heritage of the global Shia Ismaili Muslims.
