Mosque trenches after conservation
- Description:
- Mosque trenches after conservation
- Physical Description:
- 10 Photographs and color slides
- Author:
- Vincent, Robert, Saunders, Shari, and Dobrowolski, Jaroslow
- Date Created:
- 1998-1999
- Collection:
- Al-Salih Tala'i Drainage System Project
- Location:
- Historic Cairo
- Time Period:
- Fatimid Dynasty
- Topic:
- Al-Salih Tala'i Mosque and Islamic architecture
- Cultural Object:
- Trenches, Trenches, and Trenches
- Fieldwork activities:
- trenches, trenches, and trenches
- Genre:
- color photographs
- Creative Commons License:
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
- Rights Statement:
- Users must agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the CC BY NC SA license before using ARCE materials and must provide the following credit line: "Reproduction courtesy of the American Research Center in Egypt, Inc. (ARCE). This project was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)."
- Project History:
- Groundwater has adversely affected the trenches of the mosque of Al-Salih Tala'i for several decades, impacting the structural integrity of the mosque's ancient walls. Under the auspices of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Dr. Kamal Hefny conducted a feasibility study and field investigations in order to assess the groundwater conditions in the Al Salih Tala’i Mosque, evaluate the proficiency of a previously proposed project for dewatering and installation of a new tile drain system for Al-Salih Tala'i, and assess its potential impacts on the mosque’s foundation. Dr. Hefny also conducted further inspections and studies to evaluate the installation of newer tile drains for Al-Salih Tala'i and the improvement of the surrounding area sewage system. The feasibility study and the field investigations were made possible with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (formerly the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities)
- Funding Agency:
- The feasibility study and the field investigations for assessing the groundwater conditions in the Al Salih Tala’i Mosque were made possible with funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Grant No. 263-0000-G-00-3089-00 and administered by the Egyptian Antiquities Conservation Project (EAP) of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE).
- Abstract:
- The enhancement of the sewerage system was critically necessary for the mosque of Al-Salih Tala’i and its adjacent vicinity. The trenches surrounding the mosque were saturated with elevated groundwater levels, which were caused by leaking sewage. The feasibility study and investigative research conducted by Dr. Kamal Hefny regarding the water and wastewater challenges affecting the mosque and surrounding areas culminated in the implementation of a groundwater drainage system project aimed at improving accessibility to the lower level, specifically the trenches of the mosque and the shops lying within. This measure was regarded as a crucial step in the preservation and safeguarding of this significant historic mosque, as it hindered further deterioration of the mosque's masonry.