Madrasa, Mosque khanqah

Facade of the mosque and madrasa al- Ghuri

Qansuh al- Ghuri was the penultimate Mameluke sultan , and the last to enjoy a reign lasting between 1500 and 1516 . Al- Ghuri ( Ghuriya , Ghouri ) seems to have been an energetic man, who was still playing polo 70 years. He was also a somewhat arbitrary deposit which could be cruel and superstitious . Time and again we have someone here who was brutally tortured to extort money , or someone else who was hanged or halved for an offense , real or imagined . On the other hand , al- Ghuri seems to have taken its responsibilities seriously , and was a great builder . He also loved flowers and music, wrote poetry , and was attracted by the Sufis and other pious men . Had he not ruined an already weak economy by avarice , he probably would have gone down in history as one of the best sultans.
He died (some say a heart attack ) the fight against the Ottoman Turks outside Aleppo , following the defection of Amir Khayrbak the middle of the battle. His body was never found and his grave has been occupied by his successor, the unfortunate Tumanbay , which was initially buried in the courtyard behind the mausoleum.

David Roberts drawing silk market between the two buildings

 Qansuh Sultan al- Ghuri built his funerary complex between 1503 and 1504 in the district Fahhamin
 ( charcoal market ) on al- Mu'izz street in Islamic Cairo. Although there was a significant decline in the quality of craftsmanship , particularly in stone carving and marble inlay during his reign , this is an interesting architectural composition built on both sides a street. In this regard, they are one of the most impressive hyphen or double sets in Cairo. The west side includes a Friday ( congregational ) madrasa - Qa'a mosque built on the plane, while the eastern part khanqah and includes a mausoleum and a Sabil - Kuttab .

Madrasa and MosqueThe madrasa was inaugurated on the eve of the Feast of Sacrifice (' Id al- Adha) In May 1503 , with a grand banquet in the presence of the Abbasid Caliph Mustamsik , the Chief Justices of the four orthodox rites , and the main army and civil servants of the day . This was a major event, and Ibn Iyas, who wrote a contemporary account says that"The new building was richly decorated and filled with a profusion of marble. It was a splendid building of sumptuous elegance , which we could compare any contemporary monument. However, the Sultan is generally accused of having built with the help of illegal confiscations , not to mention the fact that most of the marble had been taken from other buildings and bought at ridiculous prices (forced ) ... "The madrasa and the mosque was built at the end of the Mamluk style cross and was certainly inspired by Madrasa and Mausoleum of Qaytbay , but it is bigger in size and details are less elegant. The effect is a pleasant building with strong masculine characteristics and functional design .The west facade of the complex has a stalactite portal trefoil , a band and a minaret tiraz project at its southern edge .

 

The Qibla wall, mihrab and minbar of the mosque

The minaret is atypical of the period. Normally, the Mamluk minarets consist of octagonal and round square layers , but this four-storey minaret is rectangular up and down , with arched panels on each side. The summit was originally four bulbs instead of one, and they were made of brick covered with green tiles . However, in 1505 , after it was noticed that the minaret was examined , it was rebuilt and the upper part was made with bricks covered with blue ceramic tiles . This summit with five bulbs is more modern , and a distortion of the original. There were already two minarets bulbs , such as those in the mosques of al- Rammah Qanibay and that of al- Ghuri at al-Azhar . When Muhammad Bey Abu'l- Dhahab built his mosque minaret he crowned with five bulbs. In addition, the square red and white checkerboard that adorn the minaret are actually painted on , and very roughly that.

 

Northwestern Iwan in the mosque

Inside , there are distinctive in polychrome marble dados , indicating planned and golden geometric patterns and painted woodwork. There is a sunken courtyard and open center surrounded by four iwan . The two largest of iwans have Moorish arches , while the two smaller raised arches.

The interior is richly paneled and paved with black and white marble . Stone carving covers the walls, but it is of poor quality, shallow and repetitive. Of interest are the stalactites that frame the upper walls of the covered courtyard , under the skylight .

The khanqah and Mausoleum

This part of the complex today functions as a cultural center.

The front of the mausoleum khanqah and also features a stalactite portal and cranberry tiraz band . On the northern edge of the Sabil projects - Kuttab in the street with three facades. Inside the Sabil - Kuttab is very decorative, with marble floors and ceiling supported by rounded beams painted and gilded .

The base of the dome

 
Inside, from the hallway, the burial chamber is right and left is a prayer room with three evenly distributed around the raised portion liwans and covered with a lantern.The mausoleum on the south side of the interior has only its rectangular base and the transition zone of the dome. The dome , made ​​of brick and covered with green tiles , collapsed in the early 1900s. In fact , the dome was unstable from the beginning. It was rebuilt three times during the life of al - Ghuri, and the builder obviously neverjust seen . We know that the mausoleum of Imam Shafi'i dome was also discussed in a moment of green tiles , perhaps after the restoration of al- Ghuri .

 The pendants in the mausoleum

The transition zone is made of stone pendants . Perhaps the most interesting feature here is the carved wall surface. Just above the marble paneling just below the fallout of the dome missing, the entire wall is carved in arabesque which gives him a curious look brocade stone. However, the beautiful marble tiles adorning the madrasa , having been confiscated by al- Ghuri someone else in the first place , were in turn confiscated and taken to Istanbul by Selim I in 1517.

On the left side or the north entrance vestibule is a Qa'a , here called a khanqah , although no living unit were attached to him. Khanqahs earlier did provide housing to Sufis, but it was rarely increased during the late Mamluk period. The waqf deed stipulates that the Sufis must have their meetings, but does not refer to housing provided for them. However , there are some living units attached to the madrasa in the street , which was probably that of the student housing foundation act does not mention teaching activities.

These structures are an example of a royal religious foundation with facades that are not adjusted to the street line . They form an angle instead , leaving the space between the two sides extending in a kind of square. The place is semi- closed at the north end of the projection of the Sabil - kuttab the mausoleum, and the southern end of the projection

the minaret of the madrasa . The place was rented for market stalls , whose revenues contribute to the endowment of the foundation of Sultan al- Ghuri . At one time , the site was covered over , and when David Roberts instead , in 1839 , it was a silk market . This support continues today . There are still shops here on both sides of the street , and the tear is now collected by the Ministry of Endowments and used in the maintenance of religious buildings and their staff .



 

The front of the mausoleum and Khanqah

 While Al- Ghuri himself was never buried in his mausoleum, several others were before the death of the sultan. The first was a daughter of his in 1505 , followed by his son , Nasir al- Din Muhammad , thirteen, and one of his concubines . The last two were victims of the plague. In 1510 , al- Ghuri also had a three-year old daughter of his secretary of state , Tumanbay buried here .