Neo-Mamluk architecture

[1][2][3] The idea of a Neo-Mamluk construction style was contemplated in the early 19th century after the invasion of Napoleon, which brought with it a systematic documentation of Egyptian historical monuments (later published as the Description de l'Égypte).

[4] Muhammad Ali, the new ruler of Egypt (r. 1805–1848) who gained autonomy from the Ottoman Empire, hired French architect Pascal Coste as his chief engineer from 1818 to 1827 and commissioned him to design his new mosque in the Citadel of Cairo.

[11] It was also an indirect expression of the beginnings of modern Egyptian nationalism,[11][14][13] spurred by the political developments of the 19th century during which Muhammad Ali and his dynastic successors sought to establish Egypt's de facto independence from the Ottoman Empire.

[14] The Mamluk Sultanate was a period of political dominance and prosperity in the history of Egypt and the surrounding region, thus its architectural style was a logical choice for revival in this context.

[11] Another factor was the awareness, by both local Egyptians and new European settlers alike, that the traditional Mamluk style of building and the craftsmanship associated with it were disappearing and thus in need of preservation.

[11][13] The Neo-Mamluk style that emerged in the late 19th century was pioneered in part by Egyptian architect Husayn Fahmi Pasha, who was commissioned by Princess Hoshiyar to design the al-Rifa'i Mosque in 1869 (though not completed until 1911).

The ministry's construction and restoration projects were particularly numerous from 1884 to 1913, when it was able to operate independently from the British colonial administration, and especially during the reign of Abbas Hilmi (r. 1892–1914).

[18] Historic Mamluk architecture was characterized by creative floor plans that adapted to local urban environments while simultaneously seeking to dominate them visually.

[21] Many of the buildings designed in the 1890s and 1900s, when the Ministry of Awqaf was at its most active, are particularly strict in their historicism and reflect a closer knowledge of the historical Mamluk style by comparison with earlier attempts at Islamic or Arab-style revivalism.

[21] Many apartment buildings of the era also incorporated Neo-Mamluk elements in their façades, especially in the new or emerging suburbs of Cairo such as Shubra, Abbasia, Garden City, and Heliopolis.