Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan-Cairo

The Hassan-Sultan Mosque in Cairo was once the largest mosque in the world. It was built between 1356 and 1363. Its builder was Al-Nasir Al-Hasan, who ruled Egypt twice as Sultan twice (1347 to 1351 and 1354 to 1361). The ruler became known for his literacy, which he acquired when he was in captivity between his two governments. The mosque was assigned four madrasas - an Islamic educational institution - which reflected Hasan’s interest in learning. The building features a range of architectural features. The 65 × 150 meter floor plan is also unusual. Next to it is the Al-Rifai Mosque.
According to Al-Maqrizi, the historian, construction began in 1356. Contemporary documents prove that much of the building was completed as early as 1360. In 1361, however, the minaret that was built above the main gate collapsed. This led to the death of many people and was interpreted as a bad sign for the sultan. And he was indeed killed 33 days later. The building was never actually completed, although construction work continued. The sultan's body was not buried here. The construction is said to have cost more than a million dinars and the mosque was thus considered the most expensive building in medieval Cairo. The inscription engraved on the building shows Muhammed Ibn Biylik Al-Muhsini as the construction manager. He is also known from other sources and was a significant emir. The significance and importance of the building is supported by the fact that he was able to immortalize himself in an inscription.

The building stands on the site of a palace that was built only thirty years earlier and demolished. However, the foundation and building materials of this palace were probably used to build the mosque. The building block consists of the actual mosque, the sultan’s mausoleum, and four madrasas. The main entrance to the building complex is to the northeast. The monumental gate is 38 m high and richly decorated. From here, a madrasa can be used to get to the core of the facility. It is a courtyard with an iwan on all four sides - the important room in Islamic buildings. There is a well in the middle of the yard. The walls of the Iwans are richly covered with marble. There are madrasas in the area between the Iwanas, which always have their own yard and cells for students. The northeast and southwest facades of the core building always consist of six high booths, each with six windows. This gives the building a straight modern look. The southwest facade is 150 meters long. To the south is the largest iwan, which is also the largest iwan in Cairo. There is a ribbon on the three walls with a monumental inscription. Behind it is the mausoleum. It is a square building open on three sides, crowned by a dome and consisting only of a large hall. Although the building is most free-standing, each exterior wall has only two double glazed windows and a round breakthrough, so the mausoleum is obscured. The dome is made of wood and with a diameter of 21 meters in Cairo is the largest of this material. The whole hall is 30 meters high. The dome was reconstructed in 1671. In 1616, Pietro della Valle described the original dome as egg-shaped, with an upward-pointing apex. The building has two minarets that line the mausoleum, the northern one collapsed in 1659 and replaced in 1671/72 by the smaller one today. The original minaret once consisted of two turrets built on a single tower.

Sultan Hasan has ordered that in Egypt and Syria the income of the various farms be used to maintain the complex of buildings and, above all, the madrasas. They had 200 students, 340 employees and 506 university students. There were 48 muezzin and two preachers in the mosque, but otherwise the rule was only about one preacher. The madrassas taught the four law schools of Islam, but also medicine and astronomy. The mosque is located on the edge of the medieval town, close to the citadel. Thus, the building was also of strategic importance and was used several times by the insurgents as a fortress.