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HANDS ON Traditional Crafts at The City of the Dead in Cairo
Tomb of Amir Nasrallah (Kuz al-‘Asal) (No.88), ca A.D.1441 / 845 A.H.

The Amir’s nickname, literally meaning ‘pot of honey’, refers to a type of melon. It was not unusual for the Mamluks to have monikers referring to edible items, such as Amir Tashtimur ‘green chickpeas’, whose mausoleum is not far away. Nasrallah was a civilian amir who died during the reign of Sultan Gaqmaq, during whose long reign many fine buildings were erected in Cairo.

 

The tomb is small, and its stone-carving is not very distinguished compared to the nearby masterpieces in the Qaitbey area of the cemetery, although it is of fine proportions and its dome has a fine profile typical of the middle- and late-Mamluk periods.

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