An Ottoman Sabil with Dutch Tiles in Cairo

On January 17 the Sabil-Kuttab of the Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III was inagurated after extensive architectural conservation. The 18th century building was part of a network of charitable fountains where the public can access clear drinking water free of charge. This particular sabil is unique because its interior is decorated with nearly 2000 blue Dutch tiles showing scenes of Dutch countryside. The sabil is located across from the mosque of Cairo’s patron saint, Sayeda Zainab. The building is evidence of relations between the Netherlands and Egypt, or at least a Dutch trader and an Ottoman Cairene. The architect behind the project is Agnieszka Dobrowolska who was also responsible for the beautiful restoration of the Muhammad Ali Sabil on Mueiz Street.

The Sabil–Kuttab, a building combining a public water dispensary with a Quranic school, was erected in 1758–60 in the name of the Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III in the Sayida Zeinab district in Cairo. In 2008–2009, it was conserved through a project financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Egypt, affiliated with the Netherlands–Flemish Institute in Cairo, and carried out in cooperation with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Read more, here.

The architect wrote about the restoration project:

The Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, with funding from the Local Cultural Fund of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, carried out in 2008-2009 a conservation project to preserve this unusual example of cultural exchange between Egypt and the Netherlands. An experienced team of conservators directed by the architect Agnieszka Dobrowolska and working in cooperation with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities treated every part of the building, on which time had taken a heavy toll. The multicolor marble and carved limestone of the facades, painted and carved wooden ceilings and other decorative woodwork, elaborate cast bronze window grilles, marble mosaic pavements and wall-lining, and the Dutch wall tiles were all cleaned, consolidated, and protected throughout the building, and structural deficiencies were addressed. Read the full text, here.

AUC press published a book, The Sultan’s Fountain: An Imperial Story of Cairo, Istanbul, and Amsterdam, documenting the history of the building, its builder, and the restoration process.