Mosque of Ibn Tulun

Ahmad ibn Tulun built the mosque between 876 and 879 for his new capital, and it is the oldest mosque in Cairo that survives substantially as it was built. It is also the largest by area, and the effect of that is a courtyard of extraordinary emptiness, over two hectares of open ground surrounded by arcades of brick piers, with almost no decoration except a band of carved stucco running the length of the arcades and a fountain pavilion in the middle. The minaret is the oddity: an external spiral staircase winding around a square tower, a form associated with Samarra in Iraq where Ibn Tulun grew up, and the only one of its kind in Egypt. You can climb it. The mosque was used as a shelter and a rope factory in later centuries and was restored from near-ruin.

History

Ahmad ibn Tulun, Abbasid governor of Egypt from 868 to 884 and in effect its independent ruler, began a new capital, al-Qata'i, in 870, and built the mosque as its congregational mosque on the small hill of Gebel Yashkur; the historian al-Maqrizi dates the start to 876, and an inscription in the mosque gives its completion as April-May 879, while a 10th-century author names the architect as al-Nasrani, possibly a Christian. When the Abbasid general Muhammad ibn Sulayman retook Egypt in 905 he razed al-Qata'i, sparing only the mosque and the adjoining palace, so the mosque is the city's sole surviving monument. Part of it burned in riots in 1067, and the Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali restored it, as his inscription over the main entrance records (Wikipedia, Mosque of Ibn Tulun).

Highlights

• The spiral minaret - an external staircase in the Samarra manner, climbable.
• A two-hectare courtyard - the largest mosque enclosure in the city, and the emptiest.
• Carved stucco bands - the only ornament, running the length of the arcades.
• Ninth-century brick arcades - pointed arches on piers, before Cairo used columns.

When to go

October to April. Mornings give the cleanest light across the courtyard and the fewest people; the mosque is rarely crowded at any time. Two hours including the minaret climb. Avoid Friday midday.

What to expect

The minaret stair is narrow, uneven and unrailed in places, and the top platform is exposed. There is no interpretation on site. The surrounding streets are dense and poorly signed, so use a map. Shoes come off at the gate and a keeper will expect a small tip.

Nearby

The Gayer-Anderson Museum is attached to the mosque wall; the Citadel is a short drive east.

Key facts