Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Istanbul, Ottomans, Sinan
Sultan Hasan Mosque
Large madrassa, mosque and tomb complex in Cairo built
by the Mamluk sultan Hasan.
This building was erected between 1356 and 1361 next
to the Citadel of Cairo. The cost of the project was so
high that it was never fully completed and Sultan
Hasan himself was murdered and his body hidden,
so that he was never buried in the mausoleum. It is a
huge complex, measuring 65 by 140 m, and four
storeys high, making it one of the largest mosques in
Cairo. The main function of the building was as a
madrassa with tomb attached but its size and the
beauty of its prayer hall meant that it was recognized
as a congregational mosque as well.
The basic plan of the building consists of a central
courtyard leading off into four large iwans. The
largest iwan is the prayer hall and behind this is the
domed mausoleum. As this was a madrassa for the
four rites of Sunni law there were four separate
courtyards, one for each of the rites. Around each of
these courtyards were the students’ rooms arranged
in four tiers. Many of the rooms were equipped with
latrines and those facing the street had large
windows.
The arch of the main iwan, or prayer hall, is very
large and certainly the largest of its kind in Cairo. An
inscription runs around the three walls of the iwan in
an ornate Kufic on a background of floral scrolls which
includes Chinese lotus flowers. The mausoleum is
entered through a doorway to one side of the mihrab
and consists of a domed chamber 21 m square and 30
m high. The original dome was wooden and has not
survived, although the muqarnas wooden
pendentives which carried it remain.
One of the most important aspects of the Sultan
Hasan complex is the treatment of the external
façades. Given its prominent position next to the
citadel and the size of the complex it was important
that its exterior reflected this. Each of the three sides
of the mausoleum which projects on the south-east
side of the complex consists of a central medallion
around which are ranged four sets of windows, two
above and two below. The most famous façade of
the structure is that containing the entrance on the
north side. The entrance-way itself consists of a large
recess covered with an extravagant muqarnas vault
which is comparable with that of the Gök Madrassa
in Turkey. The doorway is set at an angle to the rest
of the façade so that it can be seen when approaching
along the street. The façade to the right of the
doorway consists of long rectangular recesses
extending four storeys from the base of the building
to the top, each recess containing windows from the
students’ rooms. The height of this arrangement and
its simplicity give this façade a strangely modern
appearance.