Medium and Message in the Monumental Epigraphy of Medieval Cairo

Abstract

We have in Cairo an unbroken sequence of inscriptions on major and minor religious monuments from the 9th century onwards. The size of this corpus enables us to discuss a wide variety of topics, and in particular the ways in which religious monuments advertised their presence through the medium of writing, an art form that has been regarded as the most intrinsically Islamic of them all. Areas that could be analyzed include the visual aesthetics of texts, their relative lengths, the sizes of the scripts used, issues of legibility or the lack of it, and the make-up and design of the inscriptions from their textual contents to the non-literary uses that they served. Leaving behind a building for fellow Muslims after one’s death was one of the surest ways to earn spiritual benefit, and the inscriptions on them announced the munificence of the patron, proclaiming his name and titles, and ensuring that the endowments he set up for the building would be honored. Attention could be drawn to them in various ways, through their size, through repetition, and through the care taken with their calligraphy and with intrinsic or surrounding decorative details. However, a large number of inscriptions high up on buildings, even if brightly colored, but always have been difficult if not impossible to read. Most of these are of God’s word, the Quran, and had another purpose, that of sanctifying the building on which they were placed. Most foundation inscriptions were meant to be read and were accordingly placed in locations which made this easier. Inscriptions were an essential component of religious monuments in Medieval Cairo. They could convey information in many ways, directly by their content, indirectly as indicators of prestige and even as assurances that God’s word was being proclaimed from on high.