Ibn Tulun Mosque.. Gem of Unique Islamic Architecture

Ahmed Yasser

Ahmad Ibn Tulun Mosque is the third mosque built in Egypt in 876 and the only one that survived in its original state; it is considered the oldest.

The mosque experienced a number of mutations thereafter. It was transformed into workshops, then into an asylum for the infirm, before being restored in early 20th century.

The mosque is located in a slightly elevated region of El- Sayyida Zaynab district, in El-Khudairi Street, Cairo.

Its architectural layout adheres to the traditional plan for the congregational mosques in region consisting of an open square central courtyard measuring approximately 92 m. In middle of the courtyard is an ablutions fountain.

Ahmad Ibn Tulun Mosque

Between the mosque walls is an open area called the ''ziyada'', an example of which may also be seen in the Great Mosque of ''Samarra'' in Iraq, and in Great Mosque of ''Susa'' in Tunisia.

The upper part of the mosque walls has 128 pierced stucco arched windows with geometric and interwoven vegetal decorations which resemble those found in the Umayyad Great Mosque in Damascus built in 714.

Studies have indicated that only four of the arched windows date back to the period of Ibn Tulun for they consist of decorative motifs that were specific to that period namely intersecting circles. As for the rest they are attributed to the Fatimid and Mamluk periods.

The exterior facades of building are crowned by crenellations composed of unique forms known as ''Arais'' which resemble human abstract shapes or paper dolls. The eastern portico of mosque is the most decorative and contains mihrabs from the Tulunid, Fatimid and Mamluk periods.

It's minaret has an external spiral staircase which is typical of Mesopotamian architecture.

The arcade arches were supported by piers built from red brick in the corners of which were colonnettes a style that had appeared before in the Great Mosque of Samarra.

Ahmad Ibn Tulun was born around 835 A.D. He was one of the Turkish commanders in Samarra, located in Iraq and received his military and theological training in Samarra and Tarsus.