The “Green” Sanctuary of Amasis (An Ancient Egyptian Spolium in Medieval Cairo)

Vol.11,No.1(2020)

Břetislav Vachala

https://doi.org/10.5817/AI2020-1-51

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Abstract
Among the important buildings of medieval Cairo, where old Egyptian spolia are found, belong the mosque and khanqah with the tomb of Seif al-Din Shyakhu al-Umari, the most influential Emir during the rule of Sultan al-Nasir Hasan (1347–1351, 1354–1361). Of special importance is the spolium found above the entrance to the Shaykhuʼs khanqah. It is a shaped monolithic stone block (286 x 77 x 57 cm) which has secondarily been used as a lintel (figs. 1–3). Its material is siltstone from the quarries in Wadi Hammamat. The origin of the block is confirmed by written accounts of medieval Arabic men of letters, historians and geographers, especially Abd al-Latif (1162–1231), al-Qalqashandi (1355–1418) and al-Maqrizi (1364–1442). It originates from the well-known Green Sanctuary in Memphis, which broke during its transportation to Cairo, and its high-quality green stone was re-used for the building of the Shaykhuʼs khanqah. This event took place just after 1350, while the khanqah was completed in 1355. The block in question comes from the upper frontal part of the sanctuary (naos in Greek) which is proven by the pronounced corvetto cornice in combination with the torus roll (fig. 4). Cut in sunk relief into the flat surface below the torus roll is a hieroglyphic inscription (fig. 5) in one horizontal line (height 10 cm), carefully carved along the entire length (286 cm) from the right to the left, which contains the royal titulary of Amasis (Ahmose II); this dates the Green Sanctuary to the times of his rule (569–526 BCE). The name of the ruling king (Khenemibre Ahmose Saneith) had been purposely obliterated in the cartouches in the text; this can be related to the Persian king Cambyses who invaded Egypt in 525 BCE. The block from Amasisʼ Green Sanctuary (dedicated to Onuris?) in Memphis was re-used approximately 1900 years later as a lintel above the entrance to the Shaykhuʼs khanqah. Apart from the purely practical reason of recycling an easily available and already shaped block of good quality stone there was another reason, based on traditional popular faith in the magic powers of ancient non-decorative, and especially decorative and inscribed stone blocks. These spolia used as lintels or thresholds in prominent places by entrances to medieval (and early post-medieval) Islamic sacral and profane buildings held apotropaic and ptotective powers. Their purpose was to protect the building from the influence of evil powers such as storms, torrential rain, earthquake, Nile floods or epidemics, and to bar entrance to mice, rats, snakes, scorpions, flies, mosquitoes and birds. This protection naturally extended to the buildingʼs numerous visitors and inhabitants.

Keywords:
the Green Sanctuary (naos) in Memphis; Amasis (Ahmose II); the khanqah of Emir Shaykhu; ancient Egyptian spolia; apotropaia
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