Ibn+Tulun+Mosque

 Ibn Tulun Mosque
__Overview: __ The Ibn Tulun Mosque was built in 879 AD by the founder of Egypt’s Tulunid Dynasty (868-905 AD,) Ahmed Ibn Tulun. It was completed on Mount Yashkur in a settlement named al-Qata’I, which is about 2km away from the old community of Fustat. Ahmad Ibn Tulun was the son of a Turkish slave of Mongol origin owned by the Caliph Al Ma’mun. He became governor of Egypt after his stepfather was awarded that position. It took three years for the mosque to be constructed as it was made from mudbrick. It was the third mosque to be built in what is now Cairo and at 26,318 square meters in size, is the third largest mosque in the world. It is also the oldest mosque that has survived in a fairly original form. The Ibn Tulun mosque reflects all the characteristic features of Abbasid art within the realm of architecture, and was obviously influenced, particularly with regards to the minaret, the great rectangular piers with engaged corner columns, the decorative motif and other features by the famous Samarra mosque in present day Iraq. It is unique because of the ziyadas, the narrow enclosed wings that surround the mosque on three sides (all but the qibla side.) These small outer courtyards were an extension to insure privacy and separate the sanctified place from the public place. The minaret, with its only remaining original element being the square base, communicates with the mosque by way of a passage. Its second story is cylindrical which is in tern surmounted by later Mamluk restorations in stone. The original minaret was built of brick. This is Cairo's only minaret with a spiraling external staircase and the overall structure is unique in Egypt. Another thing that is important about this mosque is fountain (sahn,) which was a later addition by Sultan Ladjin.

__Location: __ Ibn Tulun founded a new royal city on an outcrop of rock called Jabal Yashkur near the Muqattam range to the northeast of al-Fustat. According to some sources Ahmed Ibn Tulun had to clear a Jewish and Christian cemetery in order to build the mosque in the place he wanted. There are many legends attached to Jabal Yashkur: it was believed that Noah's ark had landed here after the flood, and that here God had spoken to Moses and Moses had confronted Pharaoh's magicians.

__Importance throughout history: __ In 905, when the Abbasids regained control, the mosque served as the new congregational mosque, replacing the Mosque of 'Amr ibn al aas, which was too small to accommodate the troops of Ibn Tulun. During the Fatimid era, the mosque was used for ceremonies during Ramadan. Unfortunately it was greatly damaged when used as a shelter for pilgrims from North Africa to the Hijaz in the 12th c.

__Restorations: __ The most famous of the restorations were done by Sultan Lajin because had been one of the accomplices in the assassination of Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil ibn Qalawun, and while hiding in the deserted mosque, he vowed to restore it should he escape. When he did, he made sure that the mosque was restore to its original beauty. The present off-center, spiral stone minaret with a mabkhara finial (the ribbed helmet carried on an open octagonal structure) is a rebuilding by Sultan Lajin in 1296.

__Architecture: __ The mosque is a rare architectural expression of the cultural hegemony of Samarra. It is built entirely of well-fired red brick faced in carved stucco; it has ziyadas and a roof supported by arcades on piers. The Andalusian influence is also manifested in the use of double-arched, horseshoe windows on the shaft of the minaret. This influence is accounted for by the resettlement in Egypt of Andalusian Muslim refugees who were driven out of their homeland by the Christian Reconquista (1212-1260).

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