Description
The Sabil-Kuttab was built to achieve the maximum available visibility in Al-Muizz Lideenillah street. This was achieved through building it with three freely standing sides.
The building consists of two main parts. The southern part is two stories high and contains the Sabil and the Kuttab from which it derives its name. The northern part is not registered and is being used now as living apartments.
The Sabil-Kuttab was built using the Mamluk style which continued to overwhelm all the styles of such buildings even after the Ottoman conquest in 1553.
The building is open on three sides and consists of grey and white stones inlaid with marble reliefs. There are also, tiles with embedded pillars at its corners.
The entrance of the Sabil has artistic writings which are verses from the Quran about "Ahl Al-Kahf". This is commonly seen in the Katkhuda's buildings.
The Kuttab is located on the second floor and is composed of five marbled columns holding the painted roof. The windows are wooden and have beautiful artistic design. This type of window is called "Mashrabeyya" which is characteristic of almost all Islamic Cairo's buildings. The door and the cupboards are wooden and are carved and painted.
The structure sits on a triangular site formed by the splitting of Al-Muizz Lideenillah Street into two branches. It serves as a visual focus for the termination of this major spine, especially to those approaching it from the monuments of the Qalawunids in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area.
The three sides of the building (northern, southern and western) are symmetrical, accurately identical, and all equal in length. Each contains all the interface to hold half the circular based on two columns of marble. In the middle of the half-circular structure is a big opening that contains the cups for people to drink. The opening is covered by a uniquely designed copper mesh with holes allowing the passage of the cups in between the holes.
The entrance of the Sabil leads to a small corridor with three doors. The first door, on the right leads to the water storing tank; the second door, on the left leads to a room with openings from which the people can drink (the Sabil); the third door, opposite to the entrance, leads to the stairs of the Kuttab. The horizontal dimensions of the Sabil room are 4.0 x 3.5 meters.
The kuttab room is present in the second floor and it has the same dimensions as the Sabil room with three windows each called mashrabeyya.
Read more about this topic: Sabil-Kuttab Of Katkhuda
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