HomeSultan Hassan Mosque & Madrasa | Islamic Cairo
Although it stands in the shadow of the Citadel, Sultan Hassan’s Madrassa-Mosque still manages to make a strong impression. The building is a massive example of Mamluk architecture, constructed during the 14th century reign of a sultan who was famous for his extravagant spending.
Sultan Hassan Mosque | Sultan Hassan Information
Opened: 1359 AD
Architectural style: Islamic architecture
Function: Mosque
Affiliation: Islam
Father: Sultan Al Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawun
The Sultan Hassan Mosque is one of the most Islamic world’s valuable monument. As the giza Pyramids is the stunning of Ancient Pharaonic Egypt, Sultan Hassan Mosque is the one for ancient Islamic Egypt. It was founded by Sultan Hassan, son of the great Mamluk Sultan Al Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawun.
Sultan Hassan is not only famous for its size though. The mosque is noted as the most stylistically coherent of any of Cairo’s monumental mosques—a huge and prototypical example of architectural style of its day. The interior is beautifully decorated and the effect of its huge central court and imposing verticality is impressive.
The mosque was designed in the madrassa style, rather than as a congregational mosque. For this reason it is laid out in a cruciform pattern with a liwan (teaching areas) on each of the four walls of the inner courtyard for each of the 4 main schools of Sunni Islamic theology—Hanafi, Malaki, Hanbali, and Shafi’i. The building also included housing for up to 500 students, as well as the teachers and staff required to run a school on this size.
The Sultan Hassan Mosque is one of the most Islamic world’s valuable monument. As the giza Pyramids is the stunning of Ancient Pharaonic Egypt, Sultan Hassan Mosque is the one for ancient Islamic Egypt. It was founded by Sultan Hassan, son of the great Mamluk Sultan Al Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawun.
Sultan Hassan is not only famous for its size though. The mosque is noted as the most stylistically coherent of any of Cairo’s monumental mosques—a huge and prototypical example of architectural style of its day. The interior is beautifully decorated and the effect of its huge central court and imposing verticality is impressive.
The mosque was designed in the madrassa style, rather than as a congregational mosque. For this reason it is laid out in a cruciform pattern with a liwan (teaching areas) on each of the four walls of the inner courtyard for each of the 4 main schools of Sunni Islamic theology—Hanafi, Malaki, Hanbali, and Shafi’i. The building also included housing for up to 500 students, as well as the teachers and staff required to run a school on this size.
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Plan Your TripIn addition to the main courtyard, Sultan Hassan also constructed a mausoleum for himself behind the largest of the liwan, which is situated in the direction of prayer, or qibla. The mausoleum features an impressive dome and is beautifully decorated. Placing the mausoleum in the direction of prayer was unusual and controversial configuration since the worshippers were then forced to pray in the direction of the sultan’s body, as well as Mecca; however, the mausoleum remains empty because Sultan Hassan was assassinated before it could be complete.
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