The Sultan's fountain
Subtitle: an imperial story of Cairo, Istanbul, and Amsterdam
By: Agnieszka Dobrowolska, Jarosław Dobrowolski
Contributors: Dobrowolski, Jarosław; Nederlands-Vlaams Instituut in Cairo
Edition: A Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo ed.
Publisher: American University in Cairo
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Cairo; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 182
ISBN-13: 9789774165238
Subjects: Conservation and restoration; Description and travel; Drinking fountains; Islamic art; Islamic architecture; Delftware
Notes: The small sabil-kuttab (a charitable foundation particular to Cairo that combines a public water dispensary with a Quranic school) built in 1760 opposite the venerated Sayida Zeinab Mosque is almost unique in Cairo: it is one of only two dedicated by a reigning Ottoman sultan, and - astonishingly - it is decorated inside with blue-and-white tiles from Amsterdam depicting happy scenes from the Dutch countryside.  Why did the sultan, Mustafa III, cloistered in his Istanbul palace, decide to build a sabil in Cairo?  Why did he choose this site for it?  How did it come to be adorned with Dutch tiles?  What were the connections between Cairo, Istanbul, and Amsterdam in the middle of the eighteenth century?  The authors answer these questions and many more in this entertaining and beautifully illustrated history of an extraordinary building, describing also the recent conservation efforts to preserve it for posterity. - Inside front cover.