“In the Presence of the Maqam”: A Research Project to Document the Memory of the Mariout Lake Region
The French Cultural Institute in Alexandria organized an evening event entitled “In the Presence of the Maqam,” which presented the results of a scientific research project documenting the shrines and maqams in the Lake Mariout area. The project was carried out by the French Center for Alexandrian Studies in collaboration with photographer Samar Bayoumi and with the support of the British Barakat Trust.
The project was based on a cartographic study conducted by Dr. Ismail Awad, tracing the development of the maqamat from the maps of the French campaign in 1801 to satellite images in 2024, with the aim of highlighting a heritage of spiritual and historical value dating back to the 14th century, which is in danger of disappearing, as well as highlighting its influence on the identity of the region and its inhabitants.
Forgotten Heritage: The Maqamat of Lake Mariout
The evening began with a lecture entitled “Forgotten Heritage: The Maqamat of Lake Mariout,” moderated by Dr. Giuseppe Cisseri. It was presented by Dr. Ismail Awad, a surveyor, cartographer, and geographic information systems engineer. He spoke about the project’s aim to study the maqamat from a heritage perspective. He also discussed the differences he observed during his inspection of the maqamat in the area and his meetings with local residents.
Awad explained that the most notable differences were between the eastern and western regions. He noted that the eastern region has been influenced by developments over the last 200 years. The architectural style of its maqamat is similar to those in the Delta and Cairo, with green and blue colors predominating. The western region, on the other hand, has a predominantly Bedouin character. Colors associated with the desert, such as yellow and white, were used, reflecting the influence of countries such as Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco.
At the end of his presentation, Ismail Awad pointed to three main points he hopes to achieve: First, to continue collecting and documenting field data from the remaining mausoleums in collaboration with archaeologists, historians, and architects. The second is to try to access the archives of the Ministry of Endowments and the General Sheikhdom of Sufi Orders. The last is to consider creating a Facebook page for the project with the aim of interacting with anyone who can add photos, videos, or documents related to any of the shrines in the Lake Mariout area.
Documenting shrines and mausoleums in the Lake Mariout area
Dr. Ismail Awad said in a special statement to Bab Masr – Bahri that the idea for the project began during his doctoral studies in France in 2020. He noticed a large number of shrines in the Lake Mariout area on French campaign maps. Then on Egyptian survey maps dating back to 1801. Despite the development of the area on the maps over the years, the mausoleums still exist in the area.
He continued: “I worked on a previous project with the Alexandria Center in 2013 as a surveyor and cartographer within the project to search for archaeological sites in the western and southwestern areas of Lake Mariout. During our research, we found that the maqamat were located in the middle of the archaeological areas. In 2022, we decided to search for these maqamat and discovered a close connection between their locations and the archaeological sites below them, because the prevailing idea behind building a maqam was to place it in a visible location as a form of honor for the person to whom it was dedicated.”
Awad added, “I thought about conducting a research project on the shrines from a heritage perspective, and this place includes parts of the governorates of Alexandria, Al-Beheira, and Matrouh. These are the natural boundaries of the ancient Lake Mariout, so we are not bound by the administrative boundaries of a specific governorate. I applied for a grant from a British charity dedicated to Islamic art worldwide, called Barakat Trust, to carry out this project. The aim was to visit and document the maqamat in this rural area, which does not receive enough attention, and how there are 175 maqamat that I saw on satellite images that no one knows anything about.”
He continued: “I received the grant for one year, and today we are presenting the results of the project. We visited 113 maqamat and were able to document 108 of them with certainty. However, we were unable to find some of the sites that were visible on the maps.”
The maqamat of the Abu Latiya family
Regarding the most notable situations faced by the team during the implementation of the project, Dr. Ismail Awad said, “I was most affected by the shrines of the Abu Latia family. We found 12 shrines for one family in one place in the Ras al-Tera area southeast of Lake Mariout, which is geographically part of the Beheira governorate. It started with Sidi Omar Abu Latia, who had ten children. Maqams were built for only five of them, based on visions in dreams. We also found a maqam for his wife, her parents, and three of his grandchildren.“
He added: ”During our conversation with the family’s grandchildren, they admitted that they did not build any maqams. These shrines were built by the locals and those who had visions instructing them to build a shrine for a specific person in their name. On the other hand, there are many shrines for people whom the locals considered righteous or Azharis who taught people. It is not a requirement that they be sheikhs or have special powers.
In the Presence of the Maqam
The lecture was followed by the opening of a photo exhibition entitled “In the Presence of the Maqam,” organized by Samar Bayoumi and Ismail Awad. The exhibition was attended by the Consul General of France in Alexandria, Lena Blan, and Thomas Fouchier, Director of the French Center for Alexandrian Studies. The exhibition included many photos of maqams in the old Mariout Lake area.
At the end of the lecture, photographer Samar Bayoumi spoke about the important role played by the local community in gathering information. She expressed her delight at working with them, saying that they gave the project a spiritual dimension through their different stories and beliefs about these maqamat and their dignity.
Differences between shrines in the area
Bayoumi added that there are differences in how each shrine in the area is treated, depending on its type. If someone from the same family talks about the shrine, they speak of it as if it were a god. There are those who take care of the shrine, keeping it clean and closed, while other shrines have been neglected and left open.
She said that a large percentage of those we met during the project were completely convinced of the sanctity of these shrines. Others did not believe in this idea, but as a team, we started the project believing that these were myths, and we still do. However, during the project, I found such strong belief in the shrines and their sanctity among some people that I hesitated for a moment. Then I returned to my original conviction.“
Samar concluded her remarks by saying, ”As for the recurring question of whether belief in the maqamat is linked to a particular social class, I have not found this to be the case at all. There are lawyers and teachers, educated individuals who are well-informed and strongly believe in what we might call legends.”
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