Gayer-Anderson Museum

The **Gayer-Anderson Museum**
	The Egyptian roof terrace of the Gayer-Anderson Museum
Location	Cairo, Egypt
Type	art museum

Last updated May 27, 2024

The Gayer-Anderson Museum is an art museum located in Cairo, Egypt. It is situated adjacent to the Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun in the Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood. The building takes its name from Major Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson Pasha, who resided in the house between 1935 and 1942 with special permission from the Egyptian Government. The museum is noted for being one of examples of 17th-century domestic architecture left in Cairo, and also for its collection of furniture, carpets, curio, and other objects.

Gayer-Anderson Pasha

Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1904 and was later transferred to the Egyptian Army in 1907. He was then promoted to become a Major in 1914 and during the same year, he became Assistant Adjutant-General for recruiting in the Egyptian Army. In 1919, he retired from the army to become the Senior Inspector in the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior, and he later became the Oriental Secretary to the British Residency in Cairo. He retired in 1924 but continued to live in Egypt, expanding his interests in Egyptology and Oriental Studies.^[1]

History

Bayt al-Kritliyya is considered to be one of the remarkable examples of Muslim domestic architecture in Cairo. It dates back to the Mamluk Period (1040 AH/1631 AD) and it was built by Hagg Mohamed Salem Galmam el- Gazzar.^[2] The museum consists of two houses built using the outer wall of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun as support. The larger house, located to the east (the outermost side in relation to the mosque) was built in 1632 AD (1041 AH) by Hajj Mohammad ibn al-Hajj Salem ibn Galman al-Gazzar.^[3] It later came into the possession of a wealthy Muslim woman from Crete, and the home became popularly known as Beit al-Kritliyya, or "House of the Cretan Woman."^[3] The second house, to the west (the innermost side in relation to the mosque) was built in 1540 AD (947 AH) by Abdel-Qader al-Haddad. It later became known as "Beit Amna bint Salim,"^[3] after its last owner. The two houses were joined by a bridge at the third floor level at an unknown point, and are both collectively known as Bayt al-Kritliyya.^{[ citation needed ]}

The construction of private homes against the outer wall of a mosque was common practice. In 1928 the Egyptian government began to clear the homes, many of which were in very poor condition, away from the mosque as part of a plan to make important Islamic monuments more accessible. The Committee for the Conservation of Arab Monuments objected to the demolition of Bayt al-Kritliyya, however, on the grounds that the home was well preserved. The home was kept intact, and repairs were made to the side walls to strengthen them after the neighboring houses were torn down.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1935, Major Gayer-Anderson, a retired collector and self-described Orientalist, was granted permission to reside in the house, which had just been restored. Gayer-Anderson oversaw the installation of electricity and plumbing,^[3] and the restoration of fountains, pavements, and other parts of the interior of the home. He populated the building with his personal collection of art, furnishings, and carpets, and he built a sailing boat he used to collect these antiques from all over Egypt, it was docked on the Nile not far from the house. In 1942, Gayer-Anderson was forced by ill health to leave Egypt, and he gave the contents of the house to the Egyptian government.^[3] King Farouk gave him the title of Pasha in return. Gayer-Anderson died in England in 1945, and is buried in Lavenham, Suffolk.^{[ citation needed ]}

The James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me was partially shot in the museum,^[4] in the ceremonial reception hall and the rooftop terrace.^[3]

Apartments

Subdivisions of a Mohamedan House (Haramlik and Salamlik)

The house is divided into two halves, the Haramlik, or the family residence, and the Salamlik, also known as the guest-house.^{[ citation needed ]}

The house has five main entrances; one for ladies, a sebil, an entrance through the garden and two doors of honour.^[5]

The Haramlik

Only the master and other family members such as the wives and children had access to this side of the house. Also, close friends were allowed.^[6]

The Courtyard

The courtyard's floor is made of marble and the windows of the Haramlik open onto it. A stairway leading to the Haramlik is also present in the courtyard. Other remarkable objects include the Bats’ Well, also known as Bier el- watawit and is about fifteen meters deep.^[7]

The Maq’ad or Loggia

The Maq’ad is a reception room, which in this case, is open air. There are brass bowls dating back to some time between the fourteenth and seventeenth century. Another common feature in Mamluk houses was the “Durkah”, a pathway from a door to another. It is where guests would put their shoes before reaching a divan.^[8]

Qa’a or Reception Room

This is the main apartment in the Haramlik. Marble tables are present. Fruits, flowers and drinks were also part of the tradition of this room. Also, there is a part of the “holy carpet”, also known as Kiswa, in green silk, and it was a gift given by Lewa Yehia Pasha.^[9]

Service Room

This room is well known for its dresses and cupboards; which were designed by Anderson Pasha and were modeled after Turkish examples.^[10]

The Khazna or Safe- Room

The Khazna was placed between the men's and women's apartments and it was where coffee was being made. Nowadays, it is used to display miniature Persian paintings.^[11]

The Harem

This is a very large room and is supported by four columns. Also, there are windows on all four sides of the room.^{[ citation needed ]}

There are some Persian cupboards from a palace in Teheran and each cupboard holds a different collection.^[12]

A Secret Chamber or Makhba

It is placed above the magic well and was used as a hiding place for people or objects, if they were breaking the law or trying to escape.^[12]

The Main Stairs

Stairways were not a familiar feature in Islamic architecture. In fact, they were only used in houses. On the main stair walls, a series of Persian Kashan, also known as velvet prayer-hangings, are hung.^[13]

Reading and Writing Rooms

The Reading room was quite small and had a window-seat. It has shelves, inspired by Islamic designs. The walls are decorated with Chinese Flower paintings on rice paper.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Writing Room now serves as an office for the museum’s curator but it also serves as a study room. It could be used by people looking for travel books specifically. For that reason, the room is furnished with long tables and benches. Also, the walls have pictures and ancient examples of Egyptian drawings and writings.^[14]

The Roof Garden

Bayt al-Kritliyya’s flat roof has been turned into a roof garden, and is enclosed with mashrabias. These designs are of Coptic origin and they reflect Christian symbols such as the cross. This is considered to be quite rare since the only other examples of Christian mashrabias are found in the Coptic Museum, as well as in some ancient houses in Old Cairo.^[15]

The Persian Room

Persian Room CairoGayerPersianRoom.jpg — Persian Room

The objects present in this room are from the later Persian or Shah Abbas period, except for the bed, which originates from Egypt, and a replica of an Egyptian couch with bulls feet.^[16]

The Byzantine or Bridge Room

This is a bridge which links the Haramlik to the Salamlik. However, it is nowadays used to portray the few Christian objects present in the house.^[17]

The Ancient Egyptian Room

Originally, this was Gayer Anderson Pasha’s study room and it still contains some Ancient Egyptian objects. Some of the objects worth noticing include Egypt’s map, engraved on an ostrich egg, a black and gold mummy case, dating back to the eighteenth century BC and a bronze Ancient Egyptian cat, with gold earrings.^[18]

Mohamed Ali Room CairoGayerMohammadAliRoom.jpg — Mohamed Ali Room

The Mohamed Ali Room

This is an Ottoman apartment with green and gold decorated walls. All objects and furniture present in the room are from the Rococo period. A piece of furniture worth noting would be the throne chair, which dates back to one of the earlier Khedives, maybe Ismail Pasha. Also, two portraits and a mechanical singing bird in a cage are present in this room. The singing bird is a Harem toy from Istanbul, and was brought by the founder’s brother.^[19]

Damascus Room CairoGayerDamascusRoom.jpg — Damascus Room

The Damascus Room

This late seventeenth century room was built by the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Monuments in 1937 and was brought from Damascus by Gayer- Anderson Pasha. The whole room is made of wood, reflecting great beauty and charm. On three sides of the room are three windows (edit), while on the fourth, is the cupboard doors. The ceiling is also worthy of notice as it is inscribed with a poem, which is praising the Prophet. Other remarkable objects in this room include a collection of different colored and designed candlesticks, spread around the room.^[20]

Legends of the house

A number of legends are associated with the Bayt al-Kritliyya, and the sailing Boat(dahabeya)named La Marée, which were collected by Gayer-Anderson and, published as Legends of the House of the Cretan Woman (see sources).^{[ citation needed ]}

Among the legends are:

The house was built on the remnants of an ancient mountain called Gebel Yashkur, the "Hill of Thanksgiving." It is believed that this is where Noah's Ark came to rest after the Deluge ^[21] described in both the Bible and Qur'an, and that the last of the floodwater was drained through the well in the courtyard of the house; this legend inspired him to build a sailing boat on the Nile in front of the house in old Cairo to which he gave a French name ( La Marée ) meaning "the tide"
Moses was spoken to by God on this spot;^[21]
The house and the Dahabeya ( La Marée )" his own sailing Boat on the Nile " were protected by a shaykh, Haroun al-Husseini, who is buried under one of the corners of the house.

He is said to have blinded three men who attempted to rob the house, who stumbled around the house for three days and nights until they were finally caught;

The well in the house is said to possess miraculous qualities - for example, a lover gazing into the water would see the face of his or her sweetheart instead of his/her own reflection.^{[ citation needed ]}

Visitor information

The museum is run by the Supreme Council of Antiquities.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Gayer-Anderson Museum is located adjacent to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun off of 'Abd al-Magid al-Labban (Al-Salbiyya) Street in Sayyida Zeinab, Cairo. It is most conveniently reached by taxi. The nearest station on the Cairo Metro, the Sayyida Zeinab station, is approximately 1 km to the west.^{[ citation needed ]}

As of January 2020, entrance fees were E£60 for foreign adults, E£30 for foreign students, and E£10 for Egyptian nationals. A camera ticket costs an additional E£50.^{[ citation needed ]}

Gallery

Related Research Articles

Al-Rifa'i Mosque is located in Citadel Square, adjacent to the Cairo Citadel. Its name is derived from the Ali Abu Shubbak who is buried in the mosque. Now, it is also the royal mausoleum of Muhammad Ali's family. The building is located opposite the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, which dates from around 1361, and was architecturally conceived as a complement to the older structure as part of a vast campaign by the 19th century rulers of Egypt to both associate themselves with the perceived glory of earlier periods in Egypt's Islamic history and modernize the city.

Islamic Cairo, or Medieval Cairo, officially Historic Cairo, refers mostly to the areas of Cairo, Egypt, that were built from the Muslim conquest in 641 CE until the city's modern expansion in the 19th century during Khedive Ismail's rule, namely: the central parts within the old walled city, the historic cemeteries, the area around the Citadel of Cairo, parts of Bulaq, and Old Cairo which dates back to Roman times and includes major Coptic Christian monuments.

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is located in Cairo, Egypt. It is one of the oldest mosques in Egypt as well as the whole of Africa surviving in its full original form, and is the largest mosque in Cairo in terms of land area. It is built around an open square courtyard which allows natural light to travel through. Ibn Tulun Mosque features ancient architecture styles of Egypt, its decorations being created from carved stucco and wood. This mosque is a popular tourist attraction.

The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th century until the construction of Abdeen Palace in the 19th century. Its location on a promontory of the Mokattam hills near the center of Cairo commands a strategic position overlooking the city and dominating its skyline. When it was constructed it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time. It is now a preserved historic site, including mosques and museums.

The Tulunids, were a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic origin who were the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt, as well as much of Syria, since the Ptolemaic dynasty. They were independent from 868, when they broke away from the central authority of the Abbasid Caliphate, to 905, when the Abbasids restored the Tulunid domains to their control.

Al-Qaṭāʾi was the short-lived Tulunid capital of Egypt, founded by Ahmad ibn Tulun in the year 868 CE. Al-Qata'i was located immediately to the northeast of the previous capital, al-Askar, which in turn was adjacent to the settlement of Fustat. All three settlements were later incorporated into the city of Cairo, founded by the Fatimids in 969 CE. The city was razed in the early 10th century CE, and the only surviving structure is the Mosque of Ibn Tulun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Cairo</span> Historic area in Cairo, Egypt

Old Cairo is a historic area in Cairo, Egypt, which includes the site of a Roman-era fortress, the Christian settlement of Coptic Cairo, and the Muslim-era settlements pre-dating the founding of Cairo proper in 969 AD. It is part of what is referred to as Historic Cairo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The City of the Dead, or Cairo Necropolis, also referred to as theQarafa, is a series of vast Islamic-era necropolises and cemeteries in Cairo, Egypt. They extend to the north and to the south of the Cairo Citadel, below the Mokattam Hills and outside the historic city walls, covering an area roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) long. They are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of "Historic Cairo".

Al-Muizz li-Din Allah al-Fatimi Street, or al-Muizz Street for short, is a major north-to-south street in the walled city of historic Cairo, Egypt. It is one of Cairo's oldest streets as it dates back to the foundation of the city by the Fatimid dynasty in the 10th century, under their fourth caliph, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah . Historically, it was the most important artery of the city and was often referred to as the Qasaba. It constituted the main axis of the city's economic zones where its souqs (markets) were concentrated. The street's prestige also attracted the construction of many monumental religious and charitable buildings commissioned by Egypt's rulers and elites, making it a dense repository of historic Islamic architecture in Cairo. This is especially evident in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area, which is lined with some of the most important monuments of Islamic Cairo.

The Aqmar Mosque, was built in Cairo, Egypt, as a neighborhood mosque by the Fatimid vizier al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi in 1125-6 CE. The mosque is situated on what was once the main avenue and ceremonial heart of Cairo, known today as al-Mu'izz Street, in the immediate neighborhood of the former Fatimid caliphal palaces. The mosque is an important monument of Fatimid architecture and of historic Cairo due to the exceptional decoration of its exterior façade and the innovative design of its floor plan.

Saliba Street, is one of the old main streets in Islamic Cairo, Egypt. It runs from the Cairo Citadel in the north to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in the south. The street is the site of many old buildings, including schools, mosques, hospitals, and mausoleums. Saliba Street is the location of the largest mosque in Cairo, Ibn Tulun Mosque, which is one of the few remaining Abbasid Mosques found in Cairo after the burning of the Fustat.

The Cultural Park for Children is a public park in Sayeda Zeinab, Cairo, Egypt. The park was completed in 1990 on 2.5 acres (0.010 km²) of land owned by the Ministry of Culture (Egypt). In the late 1970s, the Ministry of Culture designated architect Abdelhalim Ibrahim Abdelhalim to develop a set of cultural facilities for children on the historical site of the el-Hud el-Marsoud Garden. The park's construction began in June 1983 and concluded in November 1990.

The Fatimid architecture that developed in the Fatimid Caliphate (909–1167 CE) of North Africa combined elements of eastern and western architecture, drawing on Abbasid architecture, Byzantine, Ancient Egyptian, Coptic architecture and North African traditions; it bridged early Islamic styles and the medieval architecture of the Mamluks of Egypt, introducing many innovations.

Abbasid architecture developed in the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 1227, primarily in its heartland of Mesopotamia . The great changes of the Abbasid era can be characterized as at the same time political, geo-political and cultural. The Abbasid period starts with the destruction of the Umayyad ruling family and its replacement by the Abbasids, and the position of power is shifted to the Mesopotamian area. As a result there was a corresponding displacement of the influence of classical and Byzantine artistic and cultural standards in favor of local Mesopotamian models as well as Persian. The Abbasids evolved distinctive styles of their own, particularly in decoration. This occurred mainly during the period corresponding with their power and prosperity between 750 and 932.

Sayyida Nafisa, the full name As-Sayyidah Nafīsah bint Amīr al-Muʾminīn Al-Ḥasan al-Anwar ibn Zayd al-Ablaj ibn Al-Hasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib al-ʿAlawiyyah al-Ḥasaniyyah, was a female descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and a scholar and teacher of Islam. Having taught Sunni Imam Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi'i, she is the best known female scholar of hadith in Egypt.

Al-Sayeda Zainab Mosque is a historic mosque in Cairo, Egypt, and constitutes one of the most important and biggest mosques in the history of Egypt. The name is an honor to Sayyidah Zaynab bint Ali, one of the daughters of Ali, fourth Caliph and first Shi'ite Imam, and his first wife Fatimah, daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The al-Sayyida Nafisa Mosque is a mosque in al-Sayyida Nafisa district, a section of the larger historic necropolis called al-Qarafa in Cairo, Egypt. It is built to commemorate Sayyida Nafisa, an Islamic saint and member of the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. She was the great-granddaughter of Hasan, one of the Prophet Muhammad's two grandsons. The mosque contains her mausoleum, also known as a mashhad. Along with the necropolis around it, the mosque is listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic Cairo.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cairo:

The Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya, sometimes referred to as the Mausoleum or Tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya, is a 12th-century Islamic religious shrine and mosque in Cairo, Egypt. It was erected in 1133 CE as a memorial to Ruqayya bint Ali, a member of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's family. It is also notable as one of the few and most important Fatimid-era mausoleums preserved in Cairo today.

References

↑ Greg (1946). p. V.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 1.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "A walk around the Gayer Anderson Museum". Daily News Egypt. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
↑ "Gayer-Anderson Museum". Supreme Council of Antiquities Museums. Archived from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 4.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 5.
↑ Greg (1946). pp. 5–6.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 7.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 8.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 9.
↑ Greg (1946). pp. 9–10.
1 2 Greg (1946). p. 11.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 13.
↑ Greg (1946). pp. 13–14.
↑ Greg (1946). pp. 14–15.
↑ Greg (1946). pp. 15–16.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 16.
↑ Greg (1946). p. 18.
↑ Greg (1946). pp. 19–20.
↑ Greg (1946). pp. 22–23.
1 2 Greg (1946). p. 2.

Works cited

Greg, Ro-ert (1946). A Guide of the Gayer-Anderson Pasha Museum: Bayt El-Kredlea, Ibn Tulun, Cairo. Cairo: Government Press.

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Germany United States