The Sulayman Pasha Mosque is set apart by its central dome paneled with green-glazed tiles and a slender, pencil-shaped minaret. Located within the northern enclosure of the Citadel, it was completed in fifteen twenty-eight by Sulayman…
Grand Mosques of Cairo
This walk traces Cairo's most spectacular historic mosques, starting high at the Citadel and descending ancient Saliba Street to the unique spiral minaret of Ibn Tulun.
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1. Sulayman Pasha Mosque
2. Mosque of Muhammad Ali
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali is defined by its two slender, eighty-four-meter-tall minarets that rise above the Citadel of Cairo. Built between eighteen thirty and eighteen forty-eight, the structure is faced with alabaster on its lower…
3. Al-Rifa'i Mosque
The Al-Rifa'i Mosque is identified by its massive stone facade and twin minarets that mirror the medieval architecture of the neighboring Sultan Hassan Mosque across Citadel Square. While it appears to belong to an older era, this…
4. Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan rises from Salah al-Din Square with limestone walls that climb like cliffs toward the sky, dwarfing the surrounding streets. This monumental complex, which stretches one hundred fifty meters in length,…
5. Mosque of Qanibay al-Rammah
The Mosque of Qanibay al-Rammah is identifiable by its double-headed minaret, a rare feature that departs from the standard single-bulb design found on most Cairo landmarks. Built between fifteen oh three and fifteen oh four during the…
6. Mosque Taghri Bardi
The Mosque of Taghri Bardi on Saliba Street is easily identified by a brick dome decorated with a distinct lozenge-like pattern of stucco. Completed in fourteen forty during the Mamluk Sultanate, this compact funerary complex includes a…
7. Madrasa of Sarghatmish
The Madrasa of Sarghatmish is defined by its bulbous, elongated brick dome, a silhouette inspired by the architecture of Samarkand. Completed in thirteen fifty-six, the structure stands against the northeastern wall of the Mosque of Ibn…
8. Mosque of Ibn Tulun
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is distinguished by its vast, open courtyard and a singular spiral minaret that rises above the surrounding neighborhood. Completed in eight seventy-nine, it was commissioned by Ahmad ibn Tulun, a ruler who sought…
9. Gayer-Anderson Museum
The Gayer-Anderson Museum is marked by its ornate wooden mashrabiya screens that overlook the neighborhood from the ancient exterior walls of the Ibn Tulun Mosque. This complex is made of two separate residences from the sixteenth and…