قراءة وثائقية جديدة لعمارة الأمير عبد الرحمن كتخدا بالجامع الأزهر THE ARCHITECTURAL UPGRADE OF EMIR ABD AL-RAHMAN KATKHUDA ON AL-AZHAR MOSQUE RECONSIDERED

The architecture carried out by the Emir Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda al-Qazdaghli at the Al-Azhar Mosque during the Ottoman era is one of the most important renovation and enlargement works that took place in Al-Azhar throughout its history. This paper focuses these works considering new archival data. The study presents, through documents and sources, a new interpretation of twenty-six architectural works carried out by Emir Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda at the Al-Azhar Mosque. Among which there are eleven located on the NW “bahari” side, including Bab al-Muzainin, and the reconstruction of the Taybersya medrese and the al-Wena’iya Zawiya. In addition to, fifteen architectural works located on the SE “qibli” side, comprising the Ottoman riwaq, the sebil, the mausoleum, the gates of al-Sa’ida, al-Shurba and al-Harameen, two minarets, and the riwaqs of al-Sa’ida, al-Haramen, and al-Takarneh. The study discusses the motives beyond the architectural works and renovations of Emir Abdul Rahman Katkhuda, and the challenges he faced to do. The paper analyses the stages of these architectural works; along with their date of foundation. The reading concludes that a simple version of the Bab al-Muzainin was existed in place of the new one reconstructed by Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda with the same name. Thus, he demolished the older Bab and rebuilt it with a new developed form as exists. The paper highlights the Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda’s works, and these works have merged with Al-Azhar Mosque. Finally, the study shows the competence of these additions and renovations with the jurisprudence context, and concludes explaining the decorative phenomena of that patron’s tomb.