Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Jordan, Umayyads
Further reading:
A.E.Northedge et. al., 
Studies on Roman and Islamic
Amman,
Oxford 1993.
Plan of Great Mosque of Timnal, Algeria (after Golvin)
Amman (Philadelphia)

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19
Amr, Mosque of
Mosque in Fustat, said to be the oldest mosque in Egypt
The present structure consists of a large roughly
square enclosure measuring approximately 120 m
on each side. The great variation in the thickness and
design of the walls testifies to the building’s long
history of development and restoration. The first
mosque on the site is said to have been built by 
Amr
ibn al— 
As in 641–42. 
Amr was the chief commander
of the Arab troops who won Egypt for Islam and so
the building has an historical significance beyond
the surviving architecture. Although the remains of
this earliest mosque have not survived, there are
several historical accounts from which the design of
the building can be reconstructed. It consisted of a
rectangular structure 29 by 17 m without a concave
mihrab and was probably built of mud brick and
palm trunks.
Thirty-two years later in 673 the first mosque was
pulled down and a larger structure built to
accommodate the growing number of Muslims. As
well as being larger the new mosque was equipped
with four towers which could be used for the call to
prayer. These have been interpreted as the first
minarets although it is likely that they were not much
higher than the roof of the mosque.
The earliest mosque from which any remains
survive belongs to the reconstruction of 827 carried
out by 
Abd Allah Ibn Tahir. The remains comprise
the southern wall of the present mosque which
contains blocked-up windows alternating with
round-arched niches with shell-like hoods. Both
niches and windows are framed by engaged
colonettes. Internally there are remains of wooden
cornices carved in late Hellenistic style which joined
the end columns of the arcades to the wall.
Descriptions of the mosque in the tenth century
describe it as having glass mosaics on the wall and a
bayt al-mal, or treasury, in the centre of the courtyard
which together with the four towers suggest a
resemblance to the Great Mosque of Damascus.
In later periods several reconstructions and
restorations were carried out. The most important
changes include those made by Khalif Hakim who
added two arcades in the sahn and had the mosaics
removed, Sultan Baybars who rebuilt the north wall,
the merchants whose restorations were carried out
in 1401–2, Murad Bey who strengthened the building
and added two minarets in 1797–8. In the restorations
of Muhammad Ali in the 1840s the mosque achieved
its present form.