Ibn Tulun Mosque: A Masterpiece of Islamic Architecture in Cairo
The Grand Mosque of Ibn Tulun
From his palace, al-Katai, Ibn Tulun governed with authority. His time in Samarra, where he grew up, is remembered for its giant brick mosques, built in the Iraqi tradition. He decided to build a similar prayer structure in Fostat (near the future city of Cairo), of monumental proportions. Unlike the Nile Valley, where stone was widely used since the Pharaohs for temples and tombs, Ibn Tulun used brick and stucco cladding, a technique common in Mesopotamia. The construction of the Grand Mosque of Ibn Tulun began in 876 and was completed in 879. While not as large as the mosques in Samarra, it was innovative for its size in Egypt.
A first wall encloses the square Ziyada (162 meters square, or 2.6 hectares). The mosque itself measures 140 x 116 meters and is centered around a square yard of 90 feet, lined with arched porticos on all four sides. The oblong prayer hall is three times wider than it is deep. It consists of five intercolumnios parallel to the Kibla and has eighty pillars supporting pointed arches. These horseshoe arches reach nearly 8.1 meters in height. The regular rhythm of the gantries continues along the double veranda on the other three sides of the court, also formed by eighty columns. These are isolated and angled columns, while the arches and the soffit of the arches are covered with molded stucco motifs, similar to those in the palaces of Samarra. Between the arches, openings in the spandrels both lighten the porch and tighten the structure. The mosque also featured a brick spiral minaret, similar to those in Samarra, which was later rebuilt in stone in 1296 during the Mameluke period. The central power of the court was also rebuilt following a restoration campaign of the venerable building, which by then was four centuries old. In 1877, due to the collapse of a series of arches in the prayer hall, further restoration work was undertaken in 1929.
Architectural Significance
The Ibn Tulun Mosque is a masterpiece, notable for its layout and the unity of its conception. It helps us imagine the appearance of the great mosques of Samarra, which are too ruined to give us a concrete idea of their covered space. The building emphasizes horizontal proportions due to its considerable size. Except for the minaret, the brick dome protruding above the mihrab stands out. This is an innovative element related to the Great Mosque of Samarra. The scheme of parallel arches, not perpendicular to the Kibla, and the use of horizontal pillars significantly limits the view toward the mihrab. The result is a severe and strict appearance, softened by the light stucco motifs that adorn the capitals and the edge of the arches, as well as the decoration of the cloister with geometric shapes on the front of the upper windows. The carved wooden doors and woodwork appear to be crafted by Coptic carpenters.
Additional Features
An elegant balustrade carved in stucco masonry stands out from the sky on the terraces that cover both the prayer hall and the gates of the courtyard. This set of battlements, whose height exceeds 3 meters, lightens the look of the solid construction.