This oil drawing shows a niche in the qāʿa of the House of Sheikh al-ʿAbbasi al-Mahdi in Cairo. Two round arched windows open in the lower part of the wall onto a garden. Above, there is a large rectangular stucco and glass window with star ornamentation in blue and yellow. Elaborate decorative elements ornate the walls and the ceiling. A diwan covered with textiles stands in the niche, another one is visible on the left side.

Mounted on wooden panel, unframed.

The Swiss painter Rudolf Durheim (1811–1895) had travelled to Cairo in 1848 and probably remained there for several years. In these years he painted besides general views of Cairo and its buildings and landscapes, also the interior of the house of Sheikh al-ʿAbbasi al-Mahdi (IG_49, IG_60). The so-called ‘House of the Mufti’ refers to a qāʿa (reception room) of a residence in Cairo owned by the grand mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Muhammad al-ʿAbbasi al-Mahdi (1827–1897) between 1847 and 1886. The qāʿa was installed by 1704/1705 at the latest, as indicated by an inscription recording the year 1116 AH / 1704/5 CE formerly on a column there (Herz, 1913, 120). The room was located on the ground floor, measured 10 × 31m, and was flanked on each side by three niches. The ‘House of the Mufti’ became a popular painting subject for artists travelling to Egypt during the 19th century. James Wild (1814–1892) had painted it in 1847, Theodor Zeerleder (1820–1868) in 1848, and Durheim in 1848–1849. The slightly younger architect Zeerleder was like Durheim from Berne, but, as far as it is known, they did not know each other.

The large rectangular window shows a pattern of blue and yellow eight-pointed stars. The same window had been drawn by James Wild in 1847 (IG_436).