Mosque of Ibn Tulun

Mosque of Ibn Tulun

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is a famous Islamic mosque in Egypt and a representative work of early Islamic architecture. Situated on the highlands of Yashkar Mountain in Old Cairo, it was constructed between 876 and 879 AD, with a cost of 120,000 dinars (gold coins). It was built by Ahmad ibn Tulun, the founder of the Tulunid Dynasty that then controlled Egypt. As an ancient mosque with a long history, it has collapsed multiple times and been restored by successive dynasties, resulting in its current form.

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun features a crenellated wall structure that is both intricate and imposing, resembling a fortress more than a typical mosque. At its center lies an open courtyard measuring 92 meters in length and 91 meters in width, roughly square in shape. Within the courtyard stands a single "qubba" (dome) built in 1297, topped with an octagonal gilded dome. The courtyard is enclosed by brick pillars on the inside and high walls on the outside. On the north, west, and south sides, there are three walls parallel to the inner courtyard walls, with the north and south walls each stretching 162 meters and the west wall 161 meters. The prayer hall is supported by brick columns painted white and adorned with various geometric patterns. The wooden friezes around the interior are inscribed with Quranic verses in Kufic script. The eastern side of the hall, which faces the qibla, features five arched mihrab niches, the largest of which was built in 1298 by Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad of the Mamluk Dynasty. This semi-circular, hollow niche is inlaid with glass and colored metalwork, and bears the full text of the Shahada (Islamic declaration of faith) in Arabic Kufic script.

On the western side of the mosque stands the minaret, which has four tiers and was designed in imitation of the spiral minaret of the Samarra Mosque in Iraq. The top of the minaret is crowned with a small dome, and its square brick pillars and pointed arches are particularly striking. Outside the minaret, a spiral staircase winds up along the outer wall, allowing visitors to climb to the top — this is the only minaret in Egypt with an external spiral staircase.

Mosque of Ibn Tulun

Must-visit reason: The only mosque in Egypt with an external spiral staircase minaret

Continent where the attraction is located: Africa【Africa】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Egypt[Egypt]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Cairo Governorate [Cairo Governorate]

City where the attraction is located: Cairo [Cairo]