Sultan Hassan Mosque & Madrassa - Cairo
Mosque and Madrassa of Sultan Hassan is located very close to the Cairo Citadel. There is a plaque on the wall which shows the date of construction of this mosque by Sultan Hassan in 1356, he was was the son of Sultan al-Nasir. Sultan Hassan was murdered in 1361 but construction of this mosque wasn’t completed till 1363.
One noticeable thing about the entrance is the height of the portal is emphasized by the spiral cut pilasters, as well as by the vertical panels on each side of the porch. After entering the door, to the left is a huge skylight which was created to bring natural light to the covered corridor of the mosque.
The courtyard of this mosque centers on a domed ablutions fountain, this fountain is surrounded by the four iwans. Ablution is part of the cleaning ritual before can say his/her prayer. Each of the four iwans represents one school of Sunni Islam, consisting of Shafii, Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali.
To the right of the minbar in this room is a bronze door, exquisitely decorated with radiating stars in gold and silver, which leads into the mausoleum of Sultan Hassan. The mehrab of the mosque is decorated with soft-hued marble inlay and a band of Kufic script. This mosque is huge in size and it measures 150m in length and covering an area of 7,906 sq m. Its walls rise to 36m and its tallest minaret to 68m.
