Bab Zuweila - Cairo

Bab Zuweila is one of the three remaining gates within the walls of Old Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Also known as Gate of the Mutawalli in the Ottoman era, it is sometimes known as Bab Zuweila. It is considered one of the city's landmarks, and it is the last southern gateway from the walls of Fatimid architecture in Cairo from 11-12 centuries.

Its name comes from Bab, meaning "Bab," and Zuwaila, which is the name of an ethnic group from the town of Zuweila in Fasani, from which recruits were recruited into the Fatimid army.

Architectural Engineering

Cairo was established in 969 as the royal city of the Fatimid dynasty. In 1092, during the reign of Vizier Badr al-Jamali, a second wall was built around Cairo. Bab Zuweila was the southern gate to this wall. It has two towers (minarets) that can be accessed by climbing steep. In earlier times, they were used to monitor enemy forces in the surrounding countryside. Currently, they offer one of the best views of the old city of Cairo.
 

the use

The temple also contains a famous platform where executions are sometimes carried out, and it is from here that the Sultan noticed the beginning of the Hajj, which is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

The criminals' severed heads were displayed on the gate wall. On September 24, 1604, the head of the murdered ruler Ibrahim Pasha, appointed by the Sultan, was shown here. In 1811, the heads of the Mamelukes severed on stilts were erected here after the castle massacre.

Mamluk era

In 1260, the Mongol leader Hulagu tried to attack Egypt, after he had succeeded in forcing the surrender of Damascus. Hulagu sent six messengers to Kutuz in Cairo, demanding his surrender.

Qutuz responded by killing six envoys, hanging their heads at Bab Zuweila. Then he cooperated with the Mamluk comrade Baybars to protect Islam from the Mongol threat. Their combined forces, perhaps 20,000 men, marched north to oppose the Mongol army led by Kitbuk. The clash between Mamluk and Mughal armies became known as the Battle of Ain Jalut and ended with the victory of the Mamluks. The battle was fundamental for the region, as it was the first time that the Mongols had been defeated. It was a turning point in expanding their empire and effectively establishing their western borders, which confirmed that the Mamluks were the dominant power in the Middle East and the beginning of the end of the Mughal presence in the region.

Al-Moayad Mosque

To the west of Bab Zuweila there was a cell where Sheikh Al-Mahmoudi was once held. While still a prisoner, he promised to release him one day, and would destroy the dungeons and build a mosque in his place. In the end, he was released and became the Sultan of all Egypt under the name Al-Moayad. And according to his word, he demolished the old dungeon and built a new mosque on the site in 1415 - the Sultan Al-Muayyad Mosque.
 

The last Mamluk sultans, Toman Bey, was also executed at the beginning of the Ottoman rule of Egypt
 

The Bab Zuweila Gate has survived from 1092 to the present day. The layers added during different periods are usually different. “Read the wall” is to visually identify these differences. Sudden changes in the wall, such as the sudden use of different materials, different sizes or types of stone, different mortars or different materials, are visual elements among the many who make up the language of "reading walls".

excavation

Excavations carried out during the restoration work have added an understanding of the gate and its surroundings. Here is a list of the discoveries that have been made:
The floor and ramp were originally laid out using reused Pharaonic blocks from 1092
Al-Kamil (1218-1238) added the pavement of the street on which his horse slid down the original slope.
The remains of two-century shops and a drinking bowl for animals dating from 1092-1415.