This architectural conservation project was carried out through the American Research Center in Egypt with funding from USAID, European Union, and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Cairo. When the building was constructed in 1820 to dispense free drinking water, its style was a complete novelty in Cairo. By the late 1990s it was on the verge of collapse. The adjoining and similarly affected mosque of Sam Ibn Nuh fell down in 1999. The architectural conservation of the sabil was comprehensive, from the underground cistern, carved marble and gilded bronze grilles of the facades, to the wooden dome with paintings inside. It involved structural reinforcement including micro-piling, fine conservation of various fabrics, and adaptive re-use for the installation of a permanent interpretative and educational exhibition.
A guidebook has been published in English and Arabic.
1998-2004, Al-Aqqadin area in Historic Cairo.
Project Director and designer of the exhibition:
Agnieszka Dobrowolska.
