On the west side of the Midan Mohammed Ali is the Sultan Hasan Mosque, built in 1356-63, perhaps by a Syrian architect, for the Mameluke Sultan Hasan el-Nasir. Situated on a shelving rock below the Citadel, it is perhaps the finest example of Arab-Egyptian architecture. The exterior, with its large areas of stone, is reminiscent of an ancient Egyptian temple.
The facades are crowned by a boldly projecting stalactitic cornice, the pinnacles of which have been restored. The wide wall surfaces are relieved by blind niches and twin round arched windows. The mausoleum which projects from the southeast front is roofed with 180ft/ 55m high dome of Arab-Turkish type (rebuilt in 18th C.). The massive main doorway at the north corner is almost 85ft/26m high; and the minaret at the south corner is the tallest in Cairo (267ft/81.5m). The ground plan is in the form of an irregular Pentagon covering an area of 9,450 sq yd/7,900 sq. m, into which the crucifer shape of the original medrese has bee very skillfully incorporated.
To the right of the pulpit is a bronze door with gold and silver inlays. The iron door to the left of the pulpit leads into the Sultan's Mausoleum, a square domed chamber measuring 69ft/21m each way and 92ft/28m in height. The stalactitic pendentives of the original dome still survive. In the center of the chamber is the simple sarcophagus.
Of the once sumptuous furnishings there remain only the dikka (a podium for the assistant officiants), the pulpit and the chains for the many hanging lamps; the lamps themselves are now in the Museum of Islamic Art.
The four liwans, with lofty barrel roofs, are all used as prayer rooms; the teaching rooms are in the four small medreses. The principal liwan has a carved stucco frieze in Kufic lettering on a background of intricate arabesques.
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Columns at the Sultan Hasan Mosque in Cairo.
Interior view of the Sultan Hasan Mosque in Cairo.
Ornate detail at the Mosque of Sultan Hasan in Cairo.
