Sultan Hassan Mosque

Despite standing in the shadow of the Citadel, Sultan Hassan’s Madrasa Mosque still makes a strong impression. The building is a colossal example of Mamluk architecture, built during the reign of his 14th-century Sultan, noted for his extravagant spending. The sheer size of the building was spectacular at the time, but even modern visitors will be amazed by its beautiful and imposing architecture. Named after his famous mosque in old Cairo, Sultan Hassan commissioned Prince Muhammad ibn Beybrik al-Muhasani in 1361 to oversee the construction of his mosque and madrasah. Construction work lasted four years when it was nearly completed before Sultan Hassan disappeared. He is said to have been killed.

This work was completed by one of his assistants, Bashir Al-Ghamdar. The mosque was known as Souq al-Khail or Horse Market. The mosque was built of stone and some brick parts were covered with stone.

Sultan Hassan Take over the role of egypt twice, the first time was in 1347 AD, when he was only 13 years old. The second one was in 1356 AD when he end the authority of princes and high officials that’s why they revolted against him and got attacked by the army. It’s said he escaped and hide in old Cairo, before he was found and imprisoned. He was never seen again since!  He had 10 sons and 6 daughters.

The Sultan Hassan Mosque is one of the most Islamic world’s valuable monument. As the giza Pyramids is the stunning of Ancient Pharaonic Egypt, Sultan Hassan Mosque is the one for ancient Islamic Egypt. It was founded by Sultan Hassan, son of the great Mamluk Sultan Al Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawun. 
Sultan Hassan is not only famous for its size though. The mosque is noted as the most stylistically coherent of any of Cairo’s monumental mosques—a huge and prototypical example of architectural style of its day. The interior is beautifully decorated and the effect of its huge central court and imposing verticality is impressive.

The mosque was designed in the madrassa style, rather than as a congregational mosque. For this reason it is laid out in a cruciform pattern with a liwan (teaching areas) on each of the four walls of the inner courtyard for each of the 4 main schools of Sunni Islamic theology—Hanafi, Malaki, Hanbali, and Shafi’i. The building also included housing for up to 500 students, as well as the teachers and staff required to run a school on this size.

The Sultan Hassan Mosque is one of the most valuable monuments in the Islamic world. The Sultan Hassan Mosque is to ancient Islamic his Egypt, just as the Giza Pyramids are to the ancient Pharaoh’s Egyptian imposing. It was founded by Sultan Hassan, son of the great Mamluk Sultan al-Nasser Mohamed ibn Qalaun. But Sultan Hassan is not just famous for his size. The mosque is considered the most stylistically consistent of all of Cairo’s monumental mosques. This is a huge and archetypal example of the architectural style of the time. The interior is beautifully decorated and impresses with a huge courtyard and striking verticality effects.

The mosque designe

The mosque was designed in a madrasah style rather than a congregational mosque. For this reason, it is laid out in a cross-shaped pattern with a liwan (educational area) on each of his four walls of the courtyard for each of his four major Sunni Muslim denominations of Hanafi, Malaki, Hanbali and Shafi’i. I’m here. The building also contained accommodation for up to 500 students, as well as the teachers and staff necessary to run a school of this size. In addition to the main courtyard, Sultan Hassan also built a mausoleum for himself behind the largest Liwan facing the direction of prayer or Qibla. The mausoleum has an impressive dome and is beautifully decorated. Placing the mausoleum in the direction of prayer was an unusual and controversial arrangement as it forced believers to pray towards the Sultan’s body and toward Mecca. However, the mausoleum remains empty because Sultan Hassan was assassinated before it was completed.

you can visit Sultan Hassan Mosque during your Cairo Tour with Al Sahel Travel