Sultan Qaytbay is an architectural complex built by Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay in Cairo’s Northern Cemetery, in 1474. One of the most beautiful and accomplished monuments of late Egyptian Mamluk architecture, and is pictured on the Egyptian one-pound note. However, what only remains today is the mosque, as well as a maq’ad, a smaller mosque and mausoleum for Qaytbay’s sons.

Driving into the Qaytbay area, what at first seems like just another side road suddenly takes you straight into the City of the Dead. Within a few minutes, the Qaytbay Mosque pops up on your left hand side and an adjacent central square marks the heart of this historic neighbourhood.

Some people live and work amongst the dead. It seems pale, unlively despite the diverse range of workshops owned by old men who work silently inside their workshops, and underprivileged children playing football with their bare feet. This complex is scattered with visual presentations that convey to the authentic identity belonging to the Mamluke era. The mix of decorative dome with distinct carved patterns form an overall aesthetically appealing visual but that needs more recognition and appreciation.

We decided to project this patterns on the ground where people can actually see and interact with, by designing a set of three stools that can be placed other or scattered in the area. Each stool has a conformed patter that is carved in using this negative space to reflect it with light on surfaces. We came up with the concept pf projection and reflection to highlight these abandoned patterns adding a modernistic and simplified touch which build a bridge between the old and new, oriental and modern. 

All three stools share the same structural form, with a variation in dimensions to fit different requirements and create a dynamic feel to the whole “Trapezoid” shape viewed from the top, as well as the use of the same continuum pattern. We produced the stools in metal, since it’s a sustainable, durable, hard material the finished with different coatings that can be placed outdoors for public use.