Fig. 1 Inscriptions adorning a mashrabiyya to commemorate restoration activities carried out in 1912 by its owner Muhammad Amin. Fig. 2 Suffa with gassad wa rohayn colonettes. Images courtesy of the NADIM Foundation
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marble as if two people are embracing, giving it the name gassad wa rohayn, meaning one body and two souls (Fig. 2). Producing it requires excellent craftsmanship, aesthetic appreciation, and design stamina. A closer look at the work done to salvage Bayt al-Suhaymi and resuscitate it is highly pertinent in this context. Bayt al-Suhaymi is located in Historic Cairo on al-Darb al-Asfar Alley, off al-Mu‘iz Street in Gamaliyya. The architecture of Bayt al-Suhaymi is indicative of several historical and architectural periods. It has undergone several building phases as well as major modifications and restorations over time. Though the current iteration of the building is less than 370 years old, the site on which it stands dates back to the establishment of al-Qahirah (Cairo) by the Fatimid Dynasty (969–1171 CE). Excavations in the courts and gardens of the house reveal Fatimid-era substructures such as the manhar (slaughterhouse). Several historical
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