Religious Values and Restoration in Historic Cairo
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-032-07146-0 (ISBN)
This book offers the first in-depth study of the 1980 restoration of al-Jami al-Anwar also known as the Mosque of al-Hakim bi Amr Allah 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 ihya 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.
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-Jami 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 ihya of al-Anwar.- Chapter 5: Archival voices: reconstructing a restoration.- Chapter 6: Al-Anwar s legacy: community, conservation and Cairo.- Chapter 7: Conclusions: Ihya , authenticity and the future of Islamic values in conservation.
| Erscheinungsdatum | 16.11.2025 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Heritage Studies in the Muslim World |
| Zusatzinfo | CL, 14 p. 11 illus. |
| Verlagsort | Cham |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 148 x 210 mm |
| Themenwelt | Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Religionsgeschichte |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Islam | |
| Sozialwissenschaften | |
| Schlagworte | conservation • Cultural Politics • Dawoodi Bohra • Ihya • Iḥyāʾ • Islamic heritage • restoration • sacred architecture |
| ISBN-10 | 3-032-07146-1 / 3032071461 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-3-032-07146-0 / 9783032071460 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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