Hassan Fathy and Continuity in Islamic Arts and Architecture: The Birth of a New Modern

Illustration credits:

Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture: figs. 1, 2, 8, 11–15, 98, 99, 104, pls. 3–10, 12; Rare Books and Special Collections Library, American University in Cairo: figs. 3, 16, 18, 21, 24, 25, 28–31, 34–38, 40–42, 44–54, 56–60, 66, 72, 75, 77, 81, 82, 90, 93, 97, 100, 101, pls. 1, 2, 11, 13; Ahmad Hamid: figs. 4, 5, 6, 9, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 32, 33, 39, 43, 55, 61–64, 68–71, 73, 76, 78–80, 83–85, 89, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 102, 103; Ahmad El Leithy: fig. 7; Mamdouh Sakr: fig. 10; Essam Safey El Din: fig. 26; Hesham Labib: fig. 65; Adel al-Siwi: fig. 67; Thames & Hudson: fig. 74; Institut français d’archéologie orientale (IFAO): fig. 88.

First published in 2010 by

The American University in Cairo Press

113 Sharia Kasr el Aini, Cairo, Egypt

420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018

www.aucpress.com

Copyright © 2010 Ahmad Hamid

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Dar el Kutub No. 13822/09

eISBN: 978 977 416 341 8

Dar el Kutub Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hamid, Ahmad

Hassan Fathy and Continuity in Islamic Art and Architecture: The Birth of a New Modern / Ahmad Hamid.—Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2009

p.          cm.

ISBN: 978 977 416 341 8

1. Fathy, Hassan, 1900–1989 2. Architecture, Islamic—Egypt

3. Architects—Egypt 4. Muslim Architects—Egypt I. Title

720.92

1 2 3 4 5 6    15 14 13 12 11 10

Designed by Fatiha Bouzidi

To Truth seekers and lovers alike

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations

Foreword Axel Langer

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Hibernation of a Tradition

Fabricating the Opposition between the Traditional and the Modern

The Divorce between the Traditional and the Modern

2. The Institutionalization of Islamic Art and Architecture by the Aga Khan Foundation

Nineteenth-to Twentieth-Century Western Attitudes to Muslim Culture

Positive and Negative Influences of the Award on the Practice and Theory of Islamic Art and Architecture

Limited Understanding of Modernity, Westernization, and Technology

Absence of a Coherent Modern Muslim Worldview

Distorted Teaching of Architecture of the Muslim World

Effects on Contemporary Scholarly Thinking

3. Hassan Fathy: A Condenser of an Older Intelligence

Discernment and the Process of Decision Making

The Synthesis of the Delightful with the Functional

The Social Contract and the Muslim Architect

Modernity Neither Western nor Eastern

Critical Regionalism: The Birth of a New ‘Modern’

4. Toward a New Islamic Art and Architecture

Approaches to Continuity Today

Ephemeral Forms and Permanent Practices

Notes

Bibliography

Index

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figures

1. First Aga Khan Award Cycle, 1980.

2. National Commerical Bank, Jeddah, by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill.

3. Architectural plan of Sidi Krier house, by Hassan Fathy, 1971.

4. Sidi Krier house, 1971, by Hassan Fathy, 1971.

5. Sidi Krier house, 1971, by Hassan Fathy, 1971.

6. Open Buffet exhibit poster, 1998, by Salah Enani.

7. Ismaili Centre, Dubai, by Rami al-Dahan and Soheir Farid, 2007.

8. Book cover of Aga Khan awards publication, 1990.

9. Ahmad Hassanein Pasha Mausoleum, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

10. Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, by Abdel Wahed El-Wakil.

11. Nubian Museum Aswan, by Mahmoud El Hakim.

12. Tuwaiq Palace, Riyadh, by Frei Otto, OHO joint venture, 1985.

13. Hilltop restaurant, al-Azhar Park, Cairo, 2004, by Rami al-Dahan and Soheir Farid.

14. Lakeside café, al-Azhar Park, Cairo, 2004, by Serge Santelli.

15. Volumetric compositions, Iran and Uzbekistan.

16. Aziza Hanem Hassanein House, 1949, by Hassan Fathy.

17. Villa Zeinab Hanem Mourad Heshmat, Cairo, 1938, by Hassan Fathy.

18. Plan, Nile Festival Village, Luxor, 1977, by Hassan Fathy.

19. Sketch and notes, Hassan Fathy.

20. New Gourna housing project, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

21. Mona Abd El-Nasser and Ashraf Marawan House Plan, Giza, 1975, by Hassan Fathy.

22. Mit Rihan House, Cairo, 1982, by Hassan Fathy.

23. New Gourna housing project, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

24. Hoda Abd El-Nasser and Hatem Sadek House, 1981, by Hassan Fathy.

25. VIP house, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, 1974, by Hassan Fathy.

26. Competition entry for municipality premises, Khartoum, 1962, by Hassan Fathy.

27. New Bariz housing project, Kharga Oasis, 1967, by Hassan Fathy.

28. Nasser memorial and mausoleum, Cairo, 1971, by Hassan Fathy.

29. Nasser memorial and mausoleum, Cairo, 1971, by Hassan Fathy.

30. Sadat Rest House, Garf Hussein, Egypt, 1981, by Hassan Fathy.

31. Tuson Abu Gabal house, Giza, 1947, by Hassan Fathy.

32. Tuson Abu Gabal house, Giza, 1947, by Hassan Fathy.

33. Tuson Abu Gabal house, Giza, 1947, by Hassan Fathy.

34. VIP house, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, 1974, by Hassan Fathy.

35. Hygiene Center plan, New Gourna village, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

36. Prince Nasser al-Sabah house, Kuwait, 1978, by Hassan Fathy.

37. Ambassador of Nigeria to Egypt residence, Niger, 1960, by Hassan Fathy.

38. Ali Bey Fathy flat, Egypt, 1960, by Hassan Fathy.

39. Prince Sadruddin Khan apartment in Manzil Ali Effendi, 16–17th Century, Cairo, 1978, by Hassan Fathy.

40. Public Services Center, Tunis, 1978, by Hassan Fathy.

41. Princess Shahnaz House, Luxor, 1970, by Hassan Fathy.

42. Tahir al-‘Umari Bey villa, Fayoum, Egypt, 1978, by Hassan Fathy.

43. Arcades in New Gourna mosque, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

44. Murad Ghalib house, Giza, 1971, by Hassan Fathy.

45. VIP house, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, 1974, by Hassan Fathy.

46. Suq al-Silah, Cairo, 1970, by Hassan Fathy.

47. Suq al-Silah, Cairo, 1970, by Hassan Fathy.

48. Jeddah duplex housing, 1970, by Hassan Fathy.

49. Al-Rabi‘ project, al-Khalifa, Egypt, 1963, by Hassan Fathy.

50. Iraq housing program, 1958, by Hassan Fathy.

51. Iraq housing program, 1958, by Hassan Fathy.

52. Iraq housing program, 1958, by Hassan Fathy.

53. Iraq housing program, 1958, by Hassan Fathy.

54. Fouad Reyad house, Egypt, 1967, by Hassan Fathy.

55. Sketches, no date, by Hassan Fathy.

56. Nile Festival village project, Luxor, 1977, by Hassan Fathy.

57. Mosque for project in Korangi, Pakistan, 1950, by Hassan Fathy.

58. Ambulance station, Manshiyat al-Qanatir, Egypt, 1942, by Hassan Fathy.

59. Hammam, Maadi, Egypt, 1945, by Hassan Fathy.

60. Police and fire station, New Valley, Egypt, 1965, by Hassan Fathy.

61. Mit Rihan House, Cairo, 1980, by Hassan Fathy.

62. Mit Rihan House, Cairo, 1980, by Hassan Fathy.

63. Bus stop study for Bariz village project, Egypt, 1965, by Hassan Fathy.

64. Sketches, Survey of former Nubia, 1962–63, by Hassan Fathy.

65. Kafr El-Gouna tourist village, Hurghada, Egypt, 1992, by Rami al-Dahan, Soheir Farid, and Ahmed Hamdy.

66. Ministry of Tourism, sample seaside housing units, 1967, by Hassan Fathy.

67. Species Homo Occidentalis: Phylum Tourist , by Adel al-Siwi, 2007.

68. Steineberger hotel, Hurghada, Egypt, 1990, by Michael Graves.

69. Akil Sami house, Dahshur, Egypt, 1978, by Hassan Fathy.

70. New Gourna housing project, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

71. New Gourna housing project, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

72. Mut touristic village, Egypt, 1984, by Hassan Fathy.

73. Bariz village, New Valley, Egypt, 1965, by Hassan Fathy.

74. Planning of the old bazaar, Aleppo, 15–16th Century.

75. Gourna theater, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

76. Akil Sami house, Dahshur, Egypt, 1978, by Hassan Fathy.

77. Masterplan, Bariz village, New Valley Egypt, 1965, by Hassan Fathy.

78. New Gourna housing project, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

79. New Gourna housing project, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

80. Ablution posture studies plan, no date, by Hassan Fathy.

81. IFAO archaeological dighouse, Luxor, 1970, by Hassan Fathy.

82. Draft plan of Shahira Mehrez apartment penthouse, Cairo, 1967, by Hassan Fathy.

83. Shahira Mehrez apartment penthouse, Cairo, 1967, by Hassan Fathy.

84. Shahira Mehrez apartment penthouse, Cairo, 1967, by Hassan Fathy.

85. Shahira Mehrez apartment penthouse, Cairo, 1967, by Hassan Fathy.

86. Qa‘a configurations in Islamic Houses.

87. Qa‘a configurations in Islamic Houses.

88. Musafirkhana palace, al-Gamaliya, Cairo, 1779–88.

89. Akil Sami house, Dahshur, Egypt, 1978, by Hassan Fathy.

90. New Gourna village, boys’ primary school, Luxor, 1946, by Hassan Fathy.

91. Emir Qanibay Akhur madrasa, mausoleum, and sabil , Bab al-Wazir, Cairo, 1503–1504.

92. Mit Rehan house, Egypt, 1962, by Hassan Fathy.

93. Church and culture and health center, 1950, by Hassan Fathy.

94. Culture and health center, Qena, Egypt, 1950, by Hassan Fathy.

95. Culture and health center, Qena, Egypt, 1950, by Hassan Fathy.

96. Culture and health center, Qena, Egypt, 1950, by Hassan Fathy.

97. Studio for Sultan El Rayes, Beirut, 1968, by Hassan Fathy.

98. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1982–84, by Henning Larsen.

99. Rome mosque, 1984, by Paolo Portoghesi.

100. Carr House, Liopesi, Greece, 1964, by Hassan Fathy.

101. Shri Zaher Ahmed villa, Hyderabad, India, 1963, by Hassan Fathy.

102. Stoppelaere house, Luxor, 1950, by Hassan Fathy.

103. Stoppelaere house, Luxor, 1950, by Hassan Fathy.

104. Convertible umbrellas, Prophet’s Holy Mosque, Madina, Saudi Arabia, 1998, by Bodo Rasch.

Plates (all plates are by Hassan Fathy)

1. Ahmed Hassanein Pasha Mausoleum, gouache, 1946.

2. Estanha primary School, gouache, 1945.

3. New Gourna housing, plan/elevation with Hathor, gouache, 1946.

4. Mosque of New Gourna, pastel chalk and pencil, 1945.

5. Private farmhouses overlooking Lake Qarun, Fayoum, gouache, 1940–45.

6. Private farmhouses overlooking Lake Qarun, Fayoum, gouache, 1940–45.

7. Hassanein Bey Abdil Razik house, Bani Mazar, Egypt, gouache, 1943.

8. Private farmhouses overlooking Lake Qarun, Fayoum, gouache, 1940–45.

9. Private country house on Lake Qarun, Fayoum, gouache.

10. Study for back entrance of Ismail Abd al-Razik villa, Abu Gerg, Egypt, 1941, watercolor.

11. Ismail Abd al-Razik villa, Abu Gerg, Egypt, gouache, 1941.

12. Hamdi Seif al-Nasr elevation, Egypt, gouache, 1942.

13. Eastern Nile elevation of Monastirli House, Giza, gouache, 1950.

FOREWORD

Axel Langer

Curator, Near-Eastern Islamic art

at the Rietberg Museum, Zurich

It was Josef Frank, an Austro-Swedish architect, who, in 1931, the very year in which an exhibition in New York declared modern architecture to be ‘international,’¹ dismissed Walter Gropius’ dictum that a building should work like a machine simply by saying beware of phrases!² For Frank, a machine was a means not an aim in itself; hence a modern house meant more than mere functionality. Rather, it should embrace all aspects of life, answer our needs, respect our feelings, keep the human scale, and exist in harmony with the people who live in it. In this respect, Josef Frank and Hassan Fathy had some central points in common, as they shared the same critical attitude. Both looked behind the sleek surfaces and the internationally propagated— and acclaimed—symbols of modernity and questioned their self-assured appearance. Although their houses look very different they embody a similar feeling of humanity and freedom. The way, however, these architects had to go in order to develop an ‘alternative modernity,’ or an ‘alternative to modernity’ (which is the case with Fathy) was different. Whereas Frank looked to the Far East for inspiration, Fathy delved into his own history and found in the traditional Islamic architecture the principles that informed his own buildings. It is not surprising that both architects were re-discovered at a time when modernity fell into crisis; but unlike Frank whose impact was limited to Austria, Fathy’s work is again widely discussed because many of his criteria, such as sustainability, ecology, and the handling of resources have not lost their importance.

In this respect, it is appropriate that Ahmad Hamid should begin Hassan Fathy and Continuity in Islamic Architecture with a critical analysis of modernity and two pivotal questions: whether or not modernity and Islamic architecture are incompatible, and if not, what Islamic architecture is today. The arguments he develops provide a well-balanced answer, beginning with the fact that Islamic culture contributed to the evolution of modern architecture even if this is often (and purposely) ignored today. By studying a selection of prize-winning projects of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and re-evaluating Fathy’s legacy, he formulates a range of criteria that serve as guidelines, thus avoiding the obvious trap of manifesting too strict a notion of what Islamic architecture must be. That ‘Islamic’ is more than a label that characterizes traditional forms of Muslim architecture up to the early twentieth century is demonstrated by examining the meaning of ‘novelty’ and ‘change’—two aspects of modernity—in Islamic religious thought. Hamid makes clear that modernity is not at all antithetical to Islam, as Fathy believed, if traditions are not suppressed but integrated as an unfailing source of new developments, for "nothing is created ex nihilo." Here, the author raises an issue that is widely and fervently debated in the Islamic world as well as in the west, but thanks to his circumspect argumentation he avoids all popular pitfalls. Moreover, his explanations inspire further observations.

One such observation deals indirectly with the architectural shortcomings of so-called globalization. Due to international contests, architects from all over the world get the opportunity to implement their own ideas wherever they can build. This is not, in itself, negative but in many cases these architects lack a sense of the needs of a given local population. Not thoroughly informed by their clients, they often disregard evolved urban settings, architectural traditions, as well as social and economic conditions. What they plan may work well in New York, London, or Barcelona where they come from, but it stands out as a foreign object in Milan, Istanbul, or Cairo. As with stores of international brands that look the same be it in Tokyo, Dubai, or Frankfurt, the flaneur observing these buildings is confronted with the same narrow choice of forms, materials, and aesthetics, which produce the same feelings wherever he is. It is hardly surprising that tourists mainly visit historical city centers, with their lively and colorful mixture of old houses and traditional shops, and very rarely approach modern areas with their separate quarters for shopping, dwelling, offices, and industry. The latter have little to offer that differs from what they already know in one form or the other. They sense a feeling of ubiquity and sameness and at the same time an absence of history and a paucity of traditions. Of course, this is seen from a western point of view, but it is the same experience that Hamid alludes to when he throws a critical glance on modernity in search of the birth of a modern Islamic architecture.

Another observation concerns the return to regionalism as a logical remedy against a faceless modernity. Nevertheless, this has its own drawbacks, as the author demonstrates, and he clearly warns against the use of architectural forms for decorative purposes alone. How easily do they become mere shells, devoid of any meaning. Fathy was well aware of this, as was Frank, who reprimanded his colleagues for resorting to a plethora of motifs taken arbitrarily from a pattern book, which were considered appropriate because they reflected, in their eyes, an Austrian style proper.³ We now know the danger of this overestimation of nationalistic symbols. On the other hand, materiality, as it does not lend itself so easily to a single-minded interpretation, works differently. When one is asked to name the typical materials and colors that characterize, for instance, Isfahan, Bologna, or Paris, the answer is turquoise tilework for the Iranian, red brick for the Italian, and yellowish-white sandstone for the French city. Of course, these are historical materials and there have always been other materials and colors used at the same time, but they define to a large extent the appearance and atmosphere of these cities; they lend them unity (not uniformity); and make them recognizable. They play the role of a melodic element in music that emerges over and over again, binding together the whole composition. Today, as traditional forms of construction are supplanted by concrete or steel structures and curtain walls, such material indications are worth considering. It is not least the materiality that allows a new construction to blend harmoniously into the fabric of a city, a village, or a landscape. The same holds true for the handling of surfaces, and here Islamic culture enjoys an enviable advantage over the west because the principles of ornamentation are not yet forgotten. It is this art that defines the visual culture of Islam more than anything else. The innate beauty of geometric patterns will never lose their appeal, and their mathematical laws make them more than appropriate for modern use.

Although this book primarily addresses an Islamic public, its ideas and thoughts are not confined to one audience alone. Hamid’s contemplations tackle many problems that go beyond the boundaries of defined cultural regions. Since we all have experienced the deficits of modern architecture, his conclusions are stimulating for Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I embarked upon the writing of this book, mentally at least, quite some time ago, from the moment of my first, incidental argument with Hassan Fathy. With time, my ideas, though scattered and foggy, arose spontaneously, perhaps in an unknowing attempt on my part to set aside his iconic status and place him firmly within a long and venerable architectural tradition. This was a painful endeavor not least because of the reverence and affection with which I held my great mentor in the eight years of my apprenticeship with him leading up to 1985. Like a touchstone, Fathy left me remorseful about some things and joyful about others, but I was never the same after meeting him, and did not know where to go next. I felt deserted: I had to reconstruct everything on a blank slate, at immense cost and suffering. Listening to my complaints, a close friend told me that I had to write a book and it was then that the seed for this book was sown.

There were other sources of inspiration, however. In the late 1970s and early 1980s I attended courses on Islamic art and architecture taught by professors George Scanlon and Bernard O’Kane at the American University in Cairo (AUC). These triggered in me a great respect for Islam’s universalist culture and aesthetics, away from the boundaries of the nation-state. This bit of ‘History’ helped sift and organize my thoughts and orientation during a period of immense personal turmoil. I would particularly like to thank Professor Bernard O’Kane for his unrelenting support during 2006 and 2007, when I was carrying out the research for this book. I would also like to express my gratitude to the late Mrs. Leslie Wilkins, who was to become Bibliographer for Law of the Islamic World at Harvard Law School. In 1995, Mrs Wilkins entrusted me with organizing the dusty though valuable documents that were to form the Hassan Fathy Archives of the AUC’s Special Collections and Rare Books Library six years after Fathy’s passing in 1989. This was an important undertaking for me, one that re-kindled, from a distance,