Unit No5
Al-Husayni Family Enclosure
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Coordinates of the main entrance |
30.045597N - 31.273372E |
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Attribution |
Al-Husayni Family Enclosure |
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Higri (AH)Dates as given in the Inscription |
Before 1323 |
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Miladi (AD)Dates as given in the Inscription |
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Inscription Contemporary with the building? |
Yes |
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Multiple date(s) In the inscription? |
Yes |
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Assumed Date |
Before 1323 AH |
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Based on |
(the earliest date written on cenotaph) |
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Original Use |
Funerary enclosure |
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Current Use |
Funerary enclosure |
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Overall condition |
Fair |
Features of unit 5
| Present | Count | Material | Comments (see description for details) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free standing structure | No | |||
| Walled enclosure | Yes | Ashlar/ rubble stone | ||
| Rooms by the perimeter wall | Yes | 2 | Not visible (plastered) | Two rooms and an open-fronted sitting area |
| Freestanding structure(s) in enclousure | No | |||
| Dome over the tomb chamber | No | |||
| Neo-Mamluk architectural decoration | No | |||
| Garden layout | Yes | 1 | ||
| Sabil(s) | No | |||
| Wall fountain(s) | No | |||
| Canopy on columns / pillars | No | |||
| Carved marble cenotaph(s) | Yes | 4 | 4 | |
| Decorated limestone tomb-markers | Yes | 5 | ||
| Decorated gateway | No | |||
| Decorative door-leaves | No | 2 | Steel/wood | Newly installed 2 steel leaves, previously 1 wooden leaf, 3 undecorated wooden leaves |
| Decorative window grilles | Yes | 2 | Iron | |
| Decorative shutters | No | Two remaining undecorated shutters | ||
| Painted ceiling(s) | No | |||
| Decorative paving(s) | No |
Unusual or unique features
• The garden layout including the cenotaphs and tomb markers takes up more than half of the funerary enclosure plot area.
Description (The direction towards Mecca (Qibla) is described as eastern and other directions are named accordingly)
Al-Husseni Family is a garden-layout walled enclosure. The main undecorated arched gate with modern steel door-leaves is located on the southern (right) end of the southern side and placed in a section of the wall higher than the rest of the perimeter wall. A similar gate, now unused, is placed on the opposite side, in the northern end of the north-eastern wall. The spacious courtyard includes four richly decorated marble cenotaphs and five limestone tomb markers, where the oldest tomb marker dates back to 1323 Hijri. The doorway leads into a paved unshaded pathway, giving access to an open-fronted seating area by the southern perimeter wall, shaded by a timber roof supported on two slender wooden pillars, and two rooms accessible from the courtyard that are located in the south-western corner of the enclosure.
Condition of preservation
The overall structural condition of the enclosure is fair. However, some of the marble cenotaphs are seriously damaged, with some parts missing and with hasty unprofessional attempts at repair with cement. Most of the window shutters are missing, with only two remaining.
Information abut the founder, family history, etc.
In the past, the enclosure was built over a larger area before the donation of a part of the plot to the al-Azhar foundation by the family. (According to a phone interview with a family member of the owners.)
Currently, the lot is occupied by a primary school operated by al-Azhar University.
The date 1323 on the marble cenotaph translates to AD 1905.
- Field recording by
- Amr Abotawila and Nur Atiya
- Date recorded
- August 18, 2022
- Data entered by
- Yusuf Yassir
- Date entered
- May 19, 2024