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Concepts
Burji Mamluk: The name given to the second Mamluk period in which most of the rulers were of Circassian origin (1382-1517). It derives from the place of residence of the first Circassian Mamluks: the towers (abraj) of the Citadel of Cairo.
`Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun: (1332-1406) One of the most original medieval thinkers, and the real founder of history as more than a collection of events, dates, names, and narratives. The first part of his general history book, called al-Muqaddima (the Introduction) presents an unprecedented deep and thourough analysis of the organization of human societies seen from the perspective of an Islamic culture.
Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi: A student of Ibn Khaldun, he composed the most complete corpus of data on medieval Cairo's topography and toponymy: al Mawa`iz wa-l-I`tibar bi-Dhikr al-Khitat wa-l-Athar . In it, he records with loving care each and every street and important structure in Cairo and produces their description and the history of everything connected with them.
Qa`a-Mosque Type: Probably a development borrowed from residential architecture. This mosque type is composed of a qa`a, which normally had two iwans facing each other on the main axis.
Sabil-Kuttab: A charitable structure composed of a sabil (drinking fountain) on the ground floor, and a kuttab (Qur'anic school for boys) on top, which was usually a room open on all sides.
Dar al-Wikala: Used primarily in Egypt, the house of procuration or agency, where trading takes place. It functioned as the urban inn, the guarded storehouse, and the trading installation for wholesale, retail, and export.
Rab`: Or apartment building usually formed of rows of duplexes, in which the first floor contained the services and the qa`a and the second had smaller living spaces. It became common in Mamluk Cairo, probably as a result of urban conjestion. It sometimes complemented the wikala, in the form of separate residences in the upper floors.
Maq`ad: Usually translated as loggia, but in the Mamluk context it is a specific loggia with an arcaded opening used as a reception space.
Monuments
