Unit No81
Dr ‘Aziza Hasan ‘Ali
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Coordinates of the main entrance |
30.038667N - 31.271186E |
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Attribution |
Dr ‘Aziza Hasan ‘Ali |
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Higri (AH)Dates as given in the Inscription |
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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 |
First half of the 20th century |
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Based on |
(bases on stylistic features) |
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Original Use |
Funerary enclosure |
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Current Use |
Residential and funerary enclosure |
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Overall condition |
Fair |
Features of unit 81
| Present | Count | Material | Comments (see description for details) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free standing structure | No | |||
| Walled enclosure | Yes | 1 | stone | |
| Rooms by the perimeter wall | Yes | 3 | stone | Two apartments |
| Freestanding structure(s) in enclousure | No | |||
| Dome over the tomb chamber | No | |||
| Neo-Mamluk architectural decoration | No | |||
| Garden layout | No | |||
| Sabil(s) | No | |||
| Wall fountain(s) | No | |||
| Canopy on columns / pillars | No | |||
| Carved marble cenotaph(s) | No | One undecorated marble cenotaph | ||
| Decorated limestone tomb-markers | No | |||
| Decorated gateway | Yes | 1 | stone | Main gate |
| Decorative door-leaves | Yes | 2 | Wood/iron | |
| Decorative window grilles | No | |||
| Decorative shutters | No | |||
| Painted ceiling(s) | No | |||
| Decorative paving(s) | No |
Description (The direction towards Mecca (Qibla) is described as eastern and other directions are named accordingly)
The funerary enclosure occupies a small quadrilateral lot measuring approximately 12 x 12-16 metres, with western, southern, and eastern walls meeting at right angles, and the northern wall oblique. The south-western corner is chamfered. The lot faces streets on the southern, western, and northern sides, and borders on neighbouring funerary enclosure to the east. A single-storey building occupies the southern side of the lot, and the remaining northern part is an empty open courtyard. The main entrance is placed in the western side of the southern façade and opens on a simple hallway leading to the courtyard, with rooms on both sides. A secondary entrance in the western wall leads directly to the courtyard. The corners, gates, and cornice are built of ashlar stone masonry, other walls are constructed of rubble stone and plastered. The decoration is modest and limited. The entrance door is flanked with flat pilaster-like projections between which a muqarnas frieze of three tiers is placed. This section is slightly taller than the rest of the façade and topped with simple stone fleur-de-lys crenellation. The rectangular entrance door is covered with a flat arch of decoratively jogged voissoirs, and above it a recess resembling placements for inscription panels in Mamluk-period buildings. The lintel and inscription recess are framed in simple (not knotted) moulding. There is no relieving arch over the lintel, which is unusual. The portal is the only element of the building in neo-Mamluk style. The two panelled leaves of the entrance door feature decorative grilles of wrought iron of Art Nouveau-inspired patterns. Windows are plain, fitted with simple louvre shutters.
In the inscription recess over the door a modern marble panel is crudely mounted, with an incised inscription stating that the funerary enclosure belongs to the family of Dr ‘Aziza Hasan ‘Ali, without a date.

Condition of preservation
The unit is lived in and received basic maintenance. The interiors have recently been repainted. Lower parts of external walls have been covered with Portland cement, apparently in an attempt to repair damage from rising damp.
- Field recording by
- Mohammad Esam, Esraa al-Mahdi-edited by Jaroslaw Dobrowolski
- Date recorded
- August 14, 2023
- Data entered by
- Yusuf Yassir
- Date entered
- May 23, 2024