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Mausoleum of Yunes El-Dawadar
Cultural heritage promoter - Promoteur du patrimoine culturelName of the Promoter: NETHERLANDS-FLEMISH INSTITUTE IN CAIRO Project category - categorie de projetMedium: from € 25.000 to € 100.000 - max 18 months Summary of the proposed project - Resume du projet proposeThe aim of the project is to document, investigate, diagnose and conserve the Mausoleum of Yunes El-Dawadar. The conservation of the mausoleum will also have a socio-economic impact on the local community. The mausoleum is a part of a complex that is presently in a ruinous state. No information is available on the rest of the complex. The mausoleum itself is neglected for quite a long time. The proposed project will carry out a full architectural, photographic and historical documentation of the site. It will also carry out investigation to understand the properties of materials used in the building. Another aim of the investigations will be to diagnose conservation problems and determine the symptoms and causes of deterioration. Historical and archaeological investigations will also be carried out in order to understand the building from artistic, architectural and urban points of view. Besides library and desk research this will involve clearing the rubble from the site. A minimum intervention approach is adopted by the conservation team. The aim is to put a halt to the deterioration process in the site. This will require partial restoration works, such as installing windows and doors, re-plastering interiors and re-installing a roof to the room adjacent to the domed room. Works on the roof will include water-proofing, slopes, water shoots: all necessary measures to protect the building from weathering will be carried out. A full assessment of the structural stability will be done and monitoring of cracks and other deformations and weak points will be carried out. The intervention to stabilize the building will be limited to the necessary minimum. Minimum fine conservation interventions will be carried out for the decorative elements of the building, mainly the stone dome and main facade, the stalactites in the interior and the mihrab. The scaffolding will be the major cost of these works in order to cope with the vertical nature of the building. Presentation of the site will include lighting, fencing and signage. A booklet will be published to inform the public of the significance of the monument and of the works carried out. Academic publications will report on the whole project upon its completion. Location of the heritage - Localisation du patrimoineCountry: Egypt Description of the heritage - Description du patrimoineThe mausoleum of Yunes El-Dawadar is an impressive monument. The proportions of the dome are unique, as it is possibly the slimmest dome known in Islamic Architecture. This makes the proportions of the dome almost similar to the proportions of a minaret. The founder, Yunes, became the executive secretary (dawadar) of the Mamluk sultan Barquq. He was killed near Damascus in a power conflict in the year 1388 AD / 791 AH, but he was not buried in his own mausoleum. Yunes El-Dawadar was highly respected throughout his life and was also loved by the poor because of his charitable deeds. He built a great Khan near Gaza at a place that carries his name until today: Khan Yunes. The mausoleum of Yunes El-Dawadar is built in Bab al-Wadaa street near the location of the old gate of Bab al-Wadaa (the gate of the farewell), which led from the city to the cemetery, whence the name of the gate and the street. The gate doesn’t exist today, but its location is mentioned by historians to be near the mausoleum of Yunes El-Dawadar. The location of the monument is, therefore, of great significance as it is the first mausoleum that was built outside the gate of the city. The monument used to be an important landmark on the funerary processions from Cairo to the Easter cemetery since its construction. The mausoleum is part of a complex that is presently in a ruinous state. No information is available about the rest of the complex and the mausoleum itself has been neglected for a long time. The building has one façade on Bab al-Wadaa Street and it is surrounded on two sides by the cemetery. Its southern façade is adjacent to a row of houses that go back probably to the beginning of the twentieth century. These houses are in a poor condition. The building is constructed of lime stone. The dome is ribbed with stalactites at the start of each rib. There is a room adjacent to the domed room, the ceiling of which is missing. The whole building is elevated on a platform that rises more than two meters above the level of the street. It is not clear if this is because of the natural shape of the rocky ground, or that there may be rooms under the present platform. Threats to the heritage - Exposition aux risques du patrimoineConservation problems are mainly caused by neglect of the monument for many years. There are apparent flakings of the ribbed stone dome from the outside. There are cracks in the walls perpendicular to the façade of the building. And there is cement plastering in the interiors that has been done probably by the locals when they used the monument for their celebrations. The mihrab niche is plastered, but it is obvious that there is an intricate marble Mamluk mihrab under the plaster. The dilapidation and neglect that the Mausoleum is suffering from, subjects the building to dangers. As a deserted property, the place is abused by unlawful activities. The grounds of the Mausoleum have been used as a garbage dump whenever the garbage collection system failed. Also the deterioration of the roofing materials meant that rain was infiltrating the roof and the top of the walls, threatening the structural stability of the building. Full description of the benefits a potential investor may receive by financing your initiative
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