Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Qalawun Complex.. Center of Religious Ceremonies


Sat 28 Sep 2019 | 03:29 PM
Ahmed Yasser

Qalawun Complex is Located at El- Moez Street in Cairo. The complex was built by the Mamluk Sultan El-Nassir in 1304 AD in honour of his father Qalawun.

The complex includes a mosque, educational school, hospital and a mausoleum built by the Sultan "El-Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalawun" in the 1280طs where "Sultan Qalawun" is buried.

The Mausoleum of "Sultan Qalawun" is considered the 2nd most beautiful mausoleum, after the "Taj Mahal" in India.

The Qalawun Complex was center for important religious ceremonies and rituals for years, stretching from the Mamluk dynasty through the Ottoman Empire.

The Mausoleum's Dome was demolished by the "Ottoman Governor" in Egypt" Abdul-Rahman Katkhuda" and was rebuilt in Ottoman architecture.

"Qalawun Complex"

The current concrete dome, which is a replica of that covering the Mausoleum of "El-Ashraf Khalil Ibn Qalawun" in "1288", was built by Max Herz Bey in 1903.

The exterior structure of the complex has many unique architecture and the funerary complex is still well preserved.

The Complex was the earliest example of an “Urban Aesthetic” in Mamluk architecture.

The interior decoration includes marble revetment, painted, gilded wood, carved marble, and stucco.

" Interior Qalawun Complex"

Some historians believe that Qalawun never had any intention of using the mausoleum as a burial site. They argue that it was originally meant to serve as a mosque and a school.

The mausoleum’s dome was of great significance because it was symbolic of a new rise of Mamluk power. This later led to the dome being demolished by an Ottoman governor. In its place, a new Ottoman-style dome was built, only to be replaced again in 1908 by the Center for Reservation of Arab Monuments.