Older Cairo
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www.gdecooman.fr - Photographe à Lille - portfolio, stages photo, mariages, naissance / bébé, évènements
www.gdecooman.fr - Photographe à Lille - portfolio, stages photo, mariages, naissance / bébé, évènements
The Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque, or more formally, the Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun Mosque, is a mosque located in the Citadel of Cairo, Egypt. Completed in 1318 CE, the mosque was built by the Mamluk sultan Al-Nasr Muhammad as the royal mosque of the Citadel, where the sultans of Cairo performed their Friday prayers. The mosque is located across the street from the courtyard access to the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. The Sultan also built a religious complex in the center of the city, adjacent to the one by his father Qalawun.
Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad was one of the sons of Sultan Qalawun (d. 1290). He was reportedly short, had a lame foot, and a cataract in one eye as well. However, he still managed to rally the support of his people because he was smart and energetic. He also managed to remain on good terms with other countries. The historical chronicler Ibn Batuta says that he was of “noble character and great virtue”.
Though surprisingly popular, al-Nasir did not keep control of his city throughout his life. Much of that has to do with him becoming sultan as a nine-year-old. Because the city was ripe with power mongers, his tutor, Kitbuqa sent him away to grow up and come home when he was better able to deal with the responsibility of ruling a country. Kitbuqa was killed shortly thereafter and was succeeded by a short succession of other rulers. Finally Lagin, an advisor loyal to the sultan took control and informed the young sultan he had nothing to fear and could return to Cairo. Nasir was usurped one additional time during his rule. Only after being reinstated a second time did Nasir begin working on his massive construction projects.
At the time, rulers of Cairo would support the city by sponsoring massive building projects which brought them prestige and created jobs. Al-Nasir’s claim to fame was building up the Citadel area that the Mamluk Empire ruled from. The Citadel resided aside from the more day-to-day people’s market place. Al-Nasir wiped out the library and audience halls of his predecessor and sponsored the building of a grand palace, aqueduct, and mosque for his own personal use in their place.
This is another of the statues at the former palace that is now the Cairo Marriott Hotel.
The palace was commissioned by the Egyptian ruler, the Khedive Ismail, and was designed by architect Karl von Diebitsch to host French Emperor Napoleon III and his wife, the Empress Eugénie, during the celebration of the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869. At the Khedive's request, the architect designed it to resemble the Versailles Palace.
In 1880, the palace was seized by Ismail's creditors and was eventually leased to the Compagnie Internationale des Grands Hotels, which turned it into "The Ghezireh Palace Hotel" in October 1894.
During World War I, the hotel served as a second Australian hospital to cope with the large number of casualties from the Battle of Gallipoli.
In 1919, The Ghezireh Palace Hotel was sold to Syrian businessman Habib Lotfallah, who converted it into a private residence.
The palace was nationalized in 1952 and eventually converted back to a hotel, reopening in 1962 as the Omar Khayyam Hotel.
In the late 1970s, two large towers were added and the entire hotel was completely rebuilt. President Hosni Mubarak presided over the grand reopening in 1982 as the Cairo Marriott Hotel.
I lived across the street from the hotel for many years as a child, and often played with my friends in its extensive gardens. Later, it became a favorite place to take my dates for dinner.