A sabil was a small public kiosk that commoners in the street could get fresh water from for free. It is an islamic urban structure that was popular and was built a lot as a way for rulers to give back to the poor and to show their piety to the public. A lot of sabils were built by the Mamluks in Egypt and even after the end of the Mamluk’s rule sabils continued to be built.

Sabil Umm Abbas (Sabil of Abbas’s Mother) is a sabil that was built by Bamba Qadin, the mother of Abbas Helmy I, who was the Wali of Egypt. This sabil is located on the intersection of al-Siyufiya street with al-Rukbiya and al-Saliba streets. The sabil has an octagonal shape and has an octagonal dome on top of it. The sabil is covered in marble and has beautiful decorations of baroque and rococo style. This sabil was made for handing out water to people walking in the streets, as well as providing water to nearby houses that couldn’t afford to buy water. The sabil also had a kuttab (elementary school) attached to it, in which children were taught by teachers employed by Bamba Qadin herself.