Archaeologists working in Historic Cairo have discovered the remains of a major Mamluk-era water distribution system and a centuries-old mosque near the Citadel of Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi.
The discoveries were made by a joint Egyptian-French archaeological mission led by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology (IFAO). The excavation is part of a long-term project to document and study the historic places surrounding Cairo’s famous citadel, one of the most important landmarks of the Islamic world.
Of the most striking findings are two large wells that are connected to what the researchers described as a sophisticated hydraulic network that once supplied water to the citadel and nearby districts.
The system relied on waterwheels and stone channels associated with the historic Aqueduct of Cairo, an engineering structure that was used to transport water across the medieval town of Cairo and other architectural structures that served to transport water on waterwheels and stone channels, said an archaeologist.
Excavations also revealed water system-specific service facilities including pathways used by animals for powering the waterwheels, storage spaces and water basins connected to the larger distribution network.
Researchers say the findings help us to see the advanced engineering and urban planning methods used during the Mamluk period, when Cairo was one of the leading political and cultural centres of the Islamic world.
“One of the results of this project is that the complex water management systems that sustained the citadel and surrounding neighbourhoods for centuries are now revealed,” officials involved in the work said.
The mission also uncovered important religious remains in Cairo’s historic Hattaba district, where archaeologists uncovered part of a Mamluk-era mosque buried under later layers of urban development.
Among the surviving architectural elements were the mosque’s mihrab— the prayer niche that marks the direction of Mecca from there— and part of the qibla wall, the stone flooring and parts of the mosque itself.
Several Islamic-era burials were also found near mosque burials, suggesting that the site has served at different times of its history as well as in the past religious and funerary functions.
Archaeologists found many other artefacts that have evidence of everyday life in historic Cairo as well as for the period for centuries.
The finds included pottery vessels believed to have been used in water-lifting operations, Mamluk and Ottoman-era coins, jewellery, seals and domestic objects dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Experts say the collection reflects the long and continuous occupation of the area and provides valuable information about trade, craftsmanship and social life during the Islamic era.
Cairo’s historic site (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is home to some of the world’s greatest examples of medieval Islamic architecture. The Saladin Citadel area under construction has been a subject of archaeological interest, which is central to the history of Egypt in the military, political and religious arena.
The citadel was a seat of government and a fortified centre of power for almost 700 years, built in the 12th century by Sultan صلاح الدين الأيوبي, known in the West as Saladin.
Archaeologists believe that the newly discovered findings could help in elucidating the role played by the citadel and surrounding districts during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods (water supply and urban structure).
The project team said documentation and conservation work is continuing at the site and further discoveries are expected to be made as investigations proceed.
Researchers hope this will preserve some of the neglected history of Cairo and also provide new evidence of the city’s development during one of its most influential periods.
Header Image Credit : MENA
Sources : State Information Service
