Dictionary of islamic architecture

bab
gate.
badgir
Iranian term for wind tower. Tall chimney-like
structure which projects above the roof of a building
to expel warm air in the day and trap cooler breezes
at night.
See also:
mulqaf
Badr al-Jamali, Tomb of (also
referred to as the Mashhad of al-
Juyushi)
Important eleventh-century Fatimid tomb complex in
Cairo.
This complex was built by the Armenian general
Badr al-Jamali, chief vizier of the Fatimid caliph al-
Mustansir, in 1085. Although it is known as a
mashhad or tomb complex, the name of the person
buried or commemorated is not known (Badr al-
Jamali is buried elsewhere).
The complex consists of a prayer room, a small
domed room (possibly a tomb) and a tall square
minaret built around a small courtyard. The
courtyard façade of the prayer room consists of a
triple-arched arcade with a large central arch and two
smaller side arches. The prayer room is cross vaulted
except for the area in front of the mihrab which is
covered with a large dome resting on an octagonal
drum resting on plain squinches. Both the mihrab
and the dome are decorated in stucco work in an
Iranian style.
The minaret or tower consists of a tall rectangular
shaft with a two-storey structure on the top. This is
a square room with a domed octagonal pavilion
above it. A significant feature of the design is that at
the top of the shaft is a muqarnas cornice which may
be one of the first occurrences of this decoration in
Egypt. On the roof of the complex are two domed
kiosks containing prayer niches. The exact function
of these is not known although it has been suggested
that they were shelters for the muezzin who would
make the call to prayer from the roof similar to the
goldasteh found in mosques in Iran.
The exact purpose of this unique building is not
known although there have been suggestions that it
is a watchtower disguised as a mosque or that it is a
victory monument commemorating the victories of
Badr al-Jamali.