Religious Values and Restoration in Historic Cairo

Nyhet

The Iḥyāʾ of al-Jāmiʿ al-Anwar

Inbunden, Engelska, 2025

Av Aliasger Najam Madraswala

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This book offers the first in-depth study of the 1980 restoration of al-Jāmiʿ al-Anwar—also known as the Mosque of al-Ḥākim bi Amr Allāh—by the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. Long portrayed by experts as having breached international conservation norms, the restoration project is reexamined here through primary sources, interviews, and archival research, and viewed through the lens of the community’s religious values. The book introduces iḥyāʾ—“bringing to life”—as a distinct Islamic philosophy of conservation, showing how sacred architecture is maintained not only as heritage but as living religious space. Challenging dominant narratives in heritage discourse, this book highlights the intersection of faith, identity, and conservation, offering valuable insights for scholars and practitioners working with religious communities and sacred sites.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2025-11-14
Mått148 x 210 x 14 mm
Vikt331 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieHeritage Studies in the Muslim World
Antal sidor14
FörlagSpringer Nature Switzerland AG
ISBN9783032071460

Tillhör följande kategorier

Kulturvetenskap inom Samhalle och politik
Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion
Islam inom Filosofi och religion

Aliasger Najam is a researcher specializing in Islamic architectural conservation, with a particular focus on the intersection of religious values and heritage practices. He completed his PhD at Oxford Brookes University, where his thesis examined the restoration of al-Jāmiʿ al-Anwar. As an educator and administrator at Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community's seminary in Mumbai, he leads research initiatives related to Islamic architectural studies and manuscript preservation. His work in textual emendation of Arabic manuscripts has informed his approach to understanding historical conservation practices, while his role as an architectural conservation consultant for projects in Cairo has provided practical insights into contemporary challenges in Islamic heritage preservation. He has presented his research at academic conferences including the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS) and the World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES)

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Masjid or museum: conservation in pre-modern Egypt.- Chapter 3: Al-Anwar as global heritage.- Chapter 4: Beyond monuments: sacred values in the iḥyāʾ of al-Anwar.- Chapter 5: Archival voices: reconstructing a restoration.- Chapter 6: Al-Anwar’s legacy: community, conservation and Cairo.- Chapter 7: Conclusions: Iḥyāʾ, authenticity and the future of Islamic values in conservation.