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14th
Century
10
- The Reign of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad (1293-1341)
| The Madrasa of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad: (1295-1303) Adjacent to the complex of Qalawun, this four-iwan madrasa is famous for its portal, a spoil of war from a Gothic church in Acre, its square minaret which is totally covered with stucco decoration, and its Persianized stucco-decorated mihrab. | ||
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The Gothic Portal of the Madrasa, which was taken from a church in Crusader Acre. | |
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Street-facing facade of the minaret with elaborate stucco decorationand an inscription showing the name and titles of al-Nasir Muhammad. | |
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Mihrab in the Prayer Iwan of the Madrasa, surmounted by an elaborately decorated arch. | |
| The Madrasa-Qubba-Khanqah of Amirs Salar and Sanjar: (1304-5) Tucked in a bent of a major thoroughfare, this double-domed complex dominate the approach from the mosque of Ibn Tulun. It has the tombs of two amirs and a madrasa-khanqah next to them. | ||
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Main facade of the complex showing the imposing minaret and the two unequal domes of Amirs Salar and Sanjar. | |
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Interior view of the dome of Amir Salar showing the muqarnased transitional zone. | |
| The Mosque of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad at the Citadel: (1318 and 1335) The main mosque at the Citadel, this hypostyle structure is distinguished by the arrangement of alternate courses of red and black stone in its arches and niches, and by its two unusual minarets which may have been a direct import from Ilkhanid Iran. | ||
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Madrasa of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad plan | |
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View from the northwest of the mosque showing the two minarets and revealing the military character of the structure. | |
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Restored main mihrab showing the 14th century marble mosaic development. | |
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A side portico of the mosque showing the variety of reused columns. | |
| The Great Iwan at the Citadel: Rebuilt twice by al-Nasir Muhammad, in 1315 and 1334, on the site of earlier iwans, it served as the formal audience hall. It consisted of a huge basilical space made of rows of reused granite columns, was opened on three sides, and was covered with a dome coated with greenish faience. | ||
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Dar al-`Adl as represented by Robert Hay in his Illustrations of Cairo (1840). | |
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View of the interior of the great iwan (Dar al-'Adl al-Nasiriyya) from the Description de l'Egypte (ca. 1801) | |
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An 18th century print of the western facade of the citadel showing the great iwan in the center. | |
| The Khanqah-Qubba of Princess Tughay: (1348) One of the earliest structures in the Northern Qarafa, this ruined structure is the tomb of the favorite wife of al-Nasir Muhammad and the mother of his favorite son Anuk. It shows many eastern influences in its decoration.
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Main facade of the Khanqah from the courtyard showing the mausoleum on the right of the iwan. | |
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Stucco medallion on the curved surface of the iwan wall, perhaps of the pattern called Bukhariyya by the sources. | |
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Interior view of the muqarnased dome, with an inscription band in a ring at the dome's center. | |
| Al-Nasir Muhammad: (1293-1341 with two interruptions) the most important of the Mamluk sultans. Cairo more than doubled in size during his long reign. He dug a new canal (al-khalij al-Nasiri), and developed with his amirs the areas around it and along the new shore of the receding Nile. He also monumentalized the Citadel and redefined its relationship to the city by surrounding it with new urban areas to the south, east, and west. | ||
| Khanqah: Establishment for sufis which usually contains a mosque, quarters for a number of sufis, and a meeting hall where the hudur (act of devotion) is performed. | ||
| Waqf: Endowment deed. In the Mamluk period, amirs and dignitaries endowed charitable structures both for pious reasons and as a means to preserve some of the wealth given them by the state in the form of iqta`, which would otherwise be taken from them. | ||
Forward to the Late 14th Century