Dictionary of islamic architecture

appadana
A method of construction whereby a flat roof rests
directly on columns (i.e. without intervening arches).
al-Aqmar Mosque
Small Fatimid mosque in Cairo noted for its design and
the decoration of the façade.
The mosque is known as al-Aqmar, ‘the moonlit’, and
was founded by Ma
mun al-Bata
ihi, vizier of the
Fatimid caliph al-Amir in 1125. The building consists
of a small 10-metre square courtyard surrounded by
an arcade one bay deep on three sides and three bays
deep on the qibla side. Most of the building is made
from brick except for the front which faces the main
street which is faced in dressed stone.
Anjar

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Plan of Umayyad city, Anjar, Lebanon (after Creswell)
al-Aqmar Mosque

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Architecturally the most important feature of the
building is the way the façade is set at a different angle
from the rest of the mosque to reconcile the need of
having the mosque correctly oriented towards Mecca
and the façade facing onto the main street. This is the
first mosque in Cairo to adopt this arrangement which
became common in later mosques. The façade is
further emphasized by its decoration and design. It
consists of a projecting entrance in the centre flanked
by two large niches (only one of these is now visible).
The hood of each niche is composed of radiating flutes
with a central medallion. The projecting portal consists
of a central doorway also with a fluted hood. Either
side of the doorway are two smaller niches each with
a cusped arch surmounted by a muqarnas moulding.
The shape of the arches, the fluted hoods with central
medallions and the arrangement of the façade are all
features which later become common in Cairene
architecture.
Al-Aqmar is also important as it is the first
instance of a mosque which incorporates shops into
its design. The mosque was originally raised up
above street level and the shops were incorporated
into the outside walls of the building on a lower level.