Mosque of Ibn Tulun

　　The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is a renowned Islamic mosque in Egypt and a masterpiece of early Islamic architecture. Located on a highland south of Yashkar Hill in Cairo’s Old City, it was built between 876 and 879 AD at a cost of 120,000 dinars (gold coins). It was commissioned by Ahmad ibn Tulun, founder of the Tulunid Dynasty, who ruled Egypt at that time. As an ancient mosque with a long history, it has collapsed multiple times and was restored by successive dynasties, resulting in its current form.

　　The Mosque of Ibn Tulun features a serrated wall structure that is intricately designed and imposing in appearance, resembling more of a fortress than a temple. At its center is an open-air courtyard measuring 92 meters in length and 91 meters in width, roughly square in shape. In the courtyard stands a 1297-built “qubba” (dome structure) topped with an octagonal gilded dome. The courtyard is enclosed by brick pillars inside, while the exterior is surrounded by tall walls. On the north, west, and south sides, there are three parallel walls aligned with the inner courtyard walls, with the northern and southern walls each 162 meters long and the western wall 161 meters long. The prayer hall is supported by brick pillars painted white and adorned with various geometric patterns. The wooden friezes around the interior of the hall are inscribed with Quranic verses in Kufic script. The eastern side of the hall faces the qibla (direction of Mecca) and includes five arched mihrab niches, with the largest central niche built in 1298 by Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Nasir al-Din Muhammad bin Qalawun. This semi-circular recessed niche is hollow, inlaid with glass and colored metalwork, and features the full Arabic text of the Shahada (Islamic declaration of faith) in Kufic script.

　　On the western side of the mosque is the minaret, which consists of four tiers and was designed in imitation of the spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq. The top of the minaret features a small dome, and its square brick columns and pointed arches are particularly striking. The exterior has a spiral staircase along the tower wall leading to the top — this is the only minaret in Egypt with an external spiral staircase.

　　Mosque of Ibn Tulun Reason to visit: The only mosque in Egypt with an external spiral staircase on its minaret Continent: Africa Country/Region: Egypt Province/State: Cairo Governorate City: Cairo