Masjid al-Sultan Hasan
Cairo, Egypt

The Complex of Sultan Hasan was built between 1356 and 1363, and included a madrasa, congregational mosque, and mausoleum. The free-standing complex, which had a monumental domed mausoleum flanked by minarets, only one of which survives, is located in a prominent position below the Citadel, toward which the monumental portal is oriented. The muqarnas-hood portal occupies the entire length of the façade. The height of the exterior walls and the arrangement of the windows give the facades a strongly vertical emphasis.


The four iwan arrangement of the madrasas takes up the center of the plan, with an ablutions fountain in the center of the courtyard and the four madrasas accommodated in the corners of the plan. The qibla iwan is significantly larger than the remaining three, which are also monumental in size and scale. Rather than integrating the students' cells into the central space, the cells were arranged along the street facades and their windows comprise an integral part of the architecture of the facades.


Sources:


Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture in Cairo. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1989.


Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.


Meinecke, Michael. Die Mamlukische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (648/1250 bis 923/1517). Glückstadt: Verlag J. J. Augustin, 1992.

Location
Shari' al-Qal'ah, Cairo, Egypt
Images & Videos
Documents
Associated Names
Events
1356-1362/757-764 AH
Style Periods
1250-1517
Variant Names
Sultan al-Nasir Hasan Funerary Complex
Variant
Masjid wa-Madrasat wa-Darih al-Sultan Hasan
Variant
Building Usages
funerary
religious