The Mosque and Madrassa of Sultan Hassan
If the Pharaonic Egypt has to be proud of the pyramids, Islamic Egypt has to be proud as well of the Mosque and Madrassa of Sultan Hassan that is considered unique in the East.
The founder is Sultan Al-Malik Al Nasir Hassan, son of Sultan Al-Nasser Mohamed, Son of Sultan Al-Mansur Qalaun.
He ruled for 2 periods, the 1st from 148 to 751 A.H./ 1347-1350 A.D. and the 2nd period from 755 to 762 A.H. / 1354 – 1361 A.D. as some of his princes plotted against him and killed him in Syria.
The situation of the Mosque :
It was built replacing 2 palaces that belonged to the princes Yulbugha Al-Yahyawi and Al-Turbugha Al-Maridani.
It was founded in 757 A.H./1356 A.D. and finished after 3 years of continuous work.
The Description of the Mosque :
Al-Maqrizi described the school saying it came in the biggest form, the best trim and the greatest shape. No other temple in the Islamic world resemble this mosque. It is characterized alone by 5 qualities as the arch of its big Iwan 65*65 cubits which is bigger than that of Kisra and the great dome over the mausoleum room that is considered unique in the Arab architecture not only in Egypt but also in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Maghreb.
It occupies an area of 150*68m and id distinguished by its many sides that extend from the northwest to the southeast.
It has 2 main facades , the 1st is the northeastern (145m in length and 37.80m in height) and is decorated with stalactites with various reliefs. As for the 2nd façade (68 m in length), it lies at the southeast and overlooks Saladin square. The dome is in its middle and the big minaret (81.60m in height) stands at its southern corner while the small one stands at its eastern corner.
There are other 2 facades, the northwestern one under which is a lavatory and on which west lies the waterwheel that supplies the schools with water through course supported on stone corbels, the other façade is at the southwestern side and includes the windows of Al-Madrasa Al-Hanbaliyya.
The main entrance of the school is at the northern and of the main northeastern façade and is regarded as one of the greatest entrances in the Islamic buildings in Egypt. It is 12m. in width and 37.80m in height and above it are rows of fine stalactites and at its eastern side is a passage ascended to through stairs of seven steps and it leads to the open courtyard of the mosque ( Sahn ).
The sahn is almost square 34.60*32.50m while a dig ablution fountain 412sq.m in the centre covered with a wooden dome carried on 8 marble columns around which neck the text of Al-Kuran and the date of the achievement are inscribed.
At each corner of the sahn is a door that leads to one of the 4 schools designed for instructing one of the 4 rites.
The biggest is Al-Madrasa Al-Hanafiyya (898sq.m) which lies at the southern corner and the other 3 schools : Al-Madrasa Al-Shafiyya, Al-Madrasa Al-Malikiyya, Al-Madrasa Al-Hanbaliyya lies at the other three corners on each of the school's doors the following text is inscribed :
In the name of Allah, the full Merciful. The building of this school was ordered by the late martyral-malik al Nasser Mohammed Ibn Qalaun in the months of the year 764 A.H.
Generally, each school (madrasa) consists of an Iwan, sahn with a fountain in the centre and three floors overlooking the sahn from the inside and the outer facades through 2 rows of windows. The floors include the dwelling of the students and teachers.
It is noticeable that the biggest of these schools in the southeastern one which iwan's arch is 19.20sq.m the iwan includes a lot of the masterpieces of the Islamic art as its walls are faced with marble and colored stones and above them a frieze of stucco decorations within which are floral Kufic inscriptions representing Koranic texts on a background of fine floral decorations. It also includes dekket al-muballegh which is made of marble columns and on right is the white marble minbar that is considered unique among others.
2 doors in the qibla wall leads to the mausoleum dome behind the mihrab. They were plated with marvelous copper inlaid with gold and silver and the facing of one is still existing bearing the name of the sultan.
The walls of the mausoleum are faced with colored marble 8m in height and above it a wooden frieze 3m in width decorated with Naskhi inscriptions ending with the following, this dome was finished in 764 A.H. at the top of these walls, there are wooden windows and stalactites.
A cenotaph was constructed in the centre of the mausoleum to be a tomb for Sultan Hassan but has was not buried there and his sons Al-Shehab Ahmad and Ismail were buried there.
In this dome a Koran stands made a wood inlaid with ebony and ivory is preserved and is regarded as the oldest one found in Egypt.
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