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A monumental portal of striped stone with a honeycomb hood, studded bronze doors and a lantern hanging in its recess, beneath a crescent moon.
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Old Cairo Nights

Ablaq Portal

No. 14 of 20 · free · 300 dpi

What you seeA monumental portal of striped stone with a honeycomb hood, studded bronze doors and a lantern hanging in its recess, beneath a crescent moon.

What it meansMamluk portals in Cairo framed their doors with ablaq, alternating light and dark stone, and crowned them with muqarnas, carved stalactite vaulting.

Where it worksA bold, welcoming piece for an entrance hall.

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2:3 · 7200 × 10800 px4×6 · 8×12 · 12×18 · 16×24 · 20×30 · 24×36 in
3:4 · 5400 × 7200 px6×8 · 9×12 · 12×16 · 18×24 in
4:5 · 7200 × 9000 px4×5 · 8×10 · 16×20 · 24×30 in
11:14 · 3300 × 4200 px11×14 in
A-series · 7023 × 9933 pxA5 · A4 · A3 · A2 · A1

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More from Old Cairo Nights

All 20 prints
The top of a minaret with its open pavilion and ribbed cap rises from below into a deep night sky beside a thin crescent moon.CrescentNo. 15
A tall recessed bay in a stone wall with a pointed keel arch, holding two arched windows and a round window above, all filled with coloured glass set in white plaster in patterns of eight-point stars.QamariyyaNo. 16
Dozens of lanterns, some six-sided, some round and pierced, some shaped like stars, hang at different heights and glow in a warm shop.Lantern MarketNo. 17
A tall dusky-pink house with shuttered windows, two wooden balconies and a lantern by the door stands between neighbours under a small moon, a cat on one sill.Night FacadeNo. 18
A stepped lane climbs between painted walls with lamps and potted plants, under an arch towards a lit door and a minaret at the top.Medina StepsNo. 19
A paved mosque courtyard at night, with a domed ablution fountain in front of a lantern-lit arcade, a great dome and a minaret behind.Mosque CourtyardNo. 20
A narrow lane between tall painted houses with wooden balconies and lit windows, strung with lanterns, leading to a striped gateway beneath a minaret and a carved stone dome under a full moon.The LaneNo. 1
A tall pale minaret with two balconies and an open pavilion topped by a bulb rises over a dark city, beside a crescent moon.Mamluk MinaretNo. 2

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