Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Libiya, Ottomans, Tunis
Further reading:
M.Brett, ‘Tripoli at the beginning of the fourteenth
century AD/eighth century A.H.’, 
Libyan Studies
9: 55–
9, 1978.
K.McLachlan, ‘Tripoli—city, oasis and hinterland—
reflections on the old city 1551 to the present’, 
Libyan
Studies
9: 53–4, 1978.
M.Warfelli, ‘The old city of Tripoli’, in 
Some Islamic Sites in
Libiya: Tripoli Ajdabiyah and Uljah,
Art and Archaeology
Research Papers, London 1976.
Tulunids
Dynasty which ruled over Egypt and Syria in the late
ninth and early tenth century.
The dynasty was founded by Ahmed ibn Tulun the
son of a Turkic soldier from Bukhara who was based
at the Abbasid capital of Samarra. Ahmed was
originally sent to Egypt as deputy to the governor
but soon acquired the governorship himself. As
governor of Egypt Ahmed soon extended his power
to Syria and Palestine whilst the Abbasids were
distracted by rebellions in lower Iraq.
Ahmed’s son and successor Khumarawayah
received official recognition of his position from the
caliph when he was granted Syria and Egypt in
return for an annual tribute of 300,000 dinars. By the
time of Khumarawayah’s death in 896 the empire
was weakened by extravagance and internal revolts.
Three more Tulunid rulers followed but in the next
ten years their situation was so weakened that in 906
an Abbasid general was able to take over Egypt and
put an end to Tulunid rule.
Architecturally the most significant member of
the dynasty is Ahmed ibn Tulun who established a
new city as his capital in Egypt. This city was known
as al-Qat
ic and was effectively an addition to Fustat.
The city was famous for its similarity to the great
Abbasid capital of Samarra. Not much remains of
Ahmed’s city but it is known to have had a triple-
arched public entrance like the Bab al-Amma at
Samarra, a polo ground, race track and park for wild
animals. Ahmed also built structures useful to the
general population such as a 60,000-dinar hospital.
However, the only monuments remaining are the
congregational mosque of Ibn Tulun and an
aqueduct. The mosque displays certain similarities
to the congregational mosques of Samarra, in