Tarabay al-Sharify, Cairo Egypt

Located on the southern edge of historic Cairo near the old city gate of Bab al-Wazir, the sixteenth-century Tarabay al-Sharify Complex is an extraordinary ensemble of late Mamluk architecture featuring high-quality stone carving, polychrome marble, and gypsum decoration.

The complex, dominated by the mausoleum of the Emir Tarabay, was erected in 1503. Attached to the mausoleum is a madrassa, now partially ruined. A sabil-kuttab, which once provided the citizens of the area with a supply of fresh water, occupies both sides of the street.

Like so many monuments in historic Cairo, however, the Tarabay al-Sharify Complex has deteriorated as a result of a decline in the local socio-economic environment and a lack of maintenance. This damage was compounded by the 1992 earthquake, which caused serious cracking in the madrassa and sabil-kuttab that required shoring up with temporary supports.

The old city gate of Bab al-Wazir is still used by automobile traffic and rising asphalt paving has buried several meters of the buildings. Loss of parts of the roof and stone deterioration also endanger the building.

The Tarabay al-Sharify Complex, however, has the potential to become a focal point of an area that has witnessed revitalization in recent years with the renovation of Al-Azhar Park and the restoration of the nearby mosques of Sultan Sha’aban and Khayer Bek, projects underwritten by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) with support from WMF.

A restored complex could serve as a vital functional and social link between the park and the Bab al-Wazir district, subject of a comprehensive urban revitalization scheme led by AKTC.

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