Ribat al-Qadi Yahya
Cairo, Egypt
This is the last of three monuments that this amir-judge left in Cairo. The attractive outer façade is distinguished by a trilobed portal, sabil-kuttab, and mashrabiya window. The inscription identifies the building as a ribat, or hospice, in which the poor could find shelter There are not many of them in Cairo, because their functions were absorbed by the zawiyas by the end of the fifteenth century. Just inside the entrance on the left, stairs lead to the upstairs rooms. Otherwise the plan is that of a small congregatioal mosque. A double arcade sets off the sanctuary, and there is a domed area over the mihrab. The minbar is very fine: the inlay is delicate and in some places tinted green, which gives it additional interest. The blazon of the pen box, the emblem of the dawadar, or executive secretary, appear on it. The mosque was restored by the Comite in 1905, and again in 2000 by the Ministry of Culture.

Source:

Williams, Caroline. 2002. Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 133.
Location
Habbaniyya, Bayn al-Nahdayn, Cairo, Egypt
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1452/856 AH
Style Periods
1250-1517
Variant Names
al-Qadi Yahya Ribat
Variant
Ribat wa-Sabil-Kuttab al-Qadi Yahya
Variant
Building Usages
military