Water architecture and its relationship to Islamic architecture,
Water architecture is the architecture that is related to water, in which the pharaohs excelled,
using ships since they traveled for trade, wars and tourism.
It included all services and entertainment, and was one of the forms of mobile water architecture.
As for the fixed architecture, it was represented in dams, arches and bridges,
and although it withstands the violence of the water behind it, it has small seas and is centered on the land.
At the beginning of the last century, oil was discovered, so the construction of platforms and naval bases was started,
but they are small and non-touristic.
Until he started thinking of using it in tourism businesses such as airports, hotels or water museums, to attract more tourists globally.
To contribute to increasing the cash flow in addition to making a change in the visual image of the city.
Water structures and their relationship to religious architecture
Islamic architecture is the one that was built by the able people, seeking God’s face,
earning His reward and hoping for His forgiveness.
And since the Islamic religion is a religion of purity, its rituals depended mainly on water,
which made Muslims keen on building these facilities, of which wonderful examples remained in Islamic monuments.
Among the most important of these facilities are ponds, bathrooms, wells, arches, watering cans,
animal yards, and water storage ponds.
The buildings that testified to the greatness of Muslims and their love for spending in charitable causes and works that benefit people.
Feel the Islamic water installations
It was among the most famous fountains and fountains in the Islamic world,
the fountains of Sultan Qaytbay in Jerusalem, Cairo and the Hejaz,
the fountains of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Cairo and the fountains of Sultan Ahmed in Istanbul, Turkey.
As for the most famous fountains that are found in the Hijaz, they are those built by His Majesty King “Abdul-Aziz Al Saud”, may God have mercy on him,
on the pilgrims’ road between Mecca and Jeddah.
In Syria, there is the Mezzeh Square Sabil, and the Ishtaktimar Sabil, located in front of the Sakakini Mosque in Aleppo,
which was built of carved stone, and it still retains the date of its founding by Sultan Ishtikatmar in the year 773 AH (1371 AD).
It was customary to build a book over the sabil to teach children, and the fountains were supplied with water through cisterns that were built at the bottom of the sabil.
Water structures and their relationship to religious architecture
Among the other facilities that have a close relationship with water, are the bathrooms,
which are considered among the important buildings in the various Islamic eras.
This is due to its importance in purification and hygiene, and it was taken into account in its planning that it was designed to allow the one
who is taking a bath to move gradually from the hot weather to the cold weather so as not to be harmed.
Among the most famous baths that still exist and the oldest of them is Hammam al-Sarh and Hammam Qasir Omar,
which are located in the desert of eastern Jordan, where the history of their establishment dates back to the Umayyad period.
In Cairo, there are the most famous baths, some of which date back to the Mamluk era.
Examples include the Beshtak bath and the Sultan Al-Muayyad bath.
And in Syria, there is Bath Bazza, which is located in the city of Aleppo.
The well of Ramla is also one of the most famous water monuments in Islamic antiquities,
after the Nilometer in Cairo. It was built by the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid,
whose name is still engraved on the inscription of its foundation dated in 172 AH, 788 AD.
The well was dug under the surface of the earth and its walls were clad with stones covered with a layer of mortar.
The well also has strong retaining walls extending from east to west, and others extending from north to south.
As for Youssef’s well, it is one of the water monuments dating back to the era of the Ayyubids.
It is located in the Citadel of the Mountain, which was built by Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi in Cairo.
Water architecture and its relationship to Islamic architecture
The well was drilled in the rock with a depth of more than 80 m,
and was supervised by Minister Bahaa El Din Qaraqosh, and the water was extracted from the depth of the well in two stages.
The Nilometer is also one of the most famous water monuments in Islamic monuments,
and it is located on Al-Rawda Island in Cairo.
Where the scale is generally considered one of the architectural buildings closely related to the civilization of Egypt,
as it was used to determine the water levels in the Nile River,
due to its direct relationship with the seasons of agriculture and the collection of the tax.
Water architecture and its relationship to Islamic architecture
The Nilometer was built by order of the Abbasid Caliph “Al-Mutawakkil ala Allah” in 247 AH, 861 AD, and it is considered the third scale in Egypt in the Islamic era.
Al-Qanatir is also one of the buildings related to water facilities,
as it received great care from the Muslims.
Losing these buildings required large expenditures, as they were built with the purpose of carrying water from remote places and delivering it to areas that lack water.
The arches of Ahmed Ibn Tulun are among the most famous and oldest of these arches built in Islamic antiquities,
which were built in the Basateen area of Cairo in the third century AH, ninth century AD.
The Caliph Yaqoub al-Mansur al-Muwahhid also built aqueducts in the Far Maghreb that extended to more than twelve miles to carry water to the city of Ribat al-Fath.
Among the arches, also famous for their structural and engineering art, are the arches “Muhammad Ali” in al-Qanatir al-Khairiya.
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