Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque is the second oldest mosque in Egypt after Amr Ibn Al As mosque. It is one of the most important landmarks of Islamic Cairo and is considered an architectural masterpiece that expresses the greatness of Islamic architecture.
The mosque is located on Jebal Yashkur in Al-Saliba Street in al-Qata’I city. Also, it is located besides Gayer Anderson Museum or Bayt Al-Kritliyya. It is the largest mosque in Egypt, as it was built on an area of 6 and a half acres.
Who is Ahmed Ibn Tulun?
Ahmed Ibn Tulun was born in 835 AD, came to Egypt as a ruler during the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. Ahmad Ibn Tulun built this mosque to confirm his independence as a ruler from the Abbasid caliphate. Its construction began in 269 AH / 876 AD and was completed in 266 AH / 879 AD.
Ahmed Ibn Tulun is the founder of the first independent state in Egypt during the Islamic period, as he started the Tulunid dynasty and established al-Qata’I city to be his administrative capital.
Architectural design of this mosque:
Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque is the only remaining building from al-Qata’I city. It is said that Ahmed Ibn Tulun told his engineers when building this mosque: I want a mosque if Cairo burns or sinks; it does not burn and sink.
The architectural design of this mosque is the traditional plan of the congregational mosques, where the mosque consists of:
1- Four riwaqs and the largest of them is the qibla riwaq. In the middle of the qibla wall, there is the main mihrab. Also, there is a bench of the amount, which is a wide seat made of marble columns used to deliver the imam’s words to the worshipers during prayer.
2-An open courtyard in the center of the mosque. It is square, and its sides are 92 meters long. This courtyard contains a water fountain topped by a dome supported by marble columns. It was used by worshipers in ablution.
3- The most important landmark in the mosque is the minaret. This minaret takes the shape of a spiral, which is built on the same design as the minaret of the Abbasid Mosque in Samra in Iraq. The minaret of Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque is characterized by stairs that can be climbed to see all the traces of Al-Saliba Street.
4- The mosque is characterized by its windows made of Al plaster and designed in geometric shapes, as no two windows are alike.
5- The mosque is surrounded from the outside by increases on 3 sides to prevent street noise from reaching the mosque.
