Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan
Encyclopedia
The Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan is a massive Mamluk
era mosque
and madrassa
located near the Citadel
in Cairo
. Its construction began 757 AH
/1356 CE with work ending three years later "without even a single day of idleness". At the time of construction the mosque was considered remarkable for its fantastic size and innovative architectural components. Commissioned by a sultan
of a short and relatively unimpressive profile, al-Maqrizi
noted that within the mosque were several "wonders of construction". The mosque was, for example, designed to include schools for all four of the Sunni
schools of thought: Shafi'i
, Maliki
, Hanafi
and Hanbali
.
Manjaq who controlled all of the state's affairs. Prior to that arrest, the emir was restricted to an allowance of just one hundred dirham
per day. This pocket change was collected by servants for the Sultan. It's especially striking considering that during that time, the emir Shaykhu was estimated to have an income of 200,000 dirham per day. This deprivation may be viewed as a prompt for his later extravagance.
Upon taking over the reins, Sultan Hasan placed people of his own favor into positions of power. This happened at the expense of dignitaries currently in position; it upset many of them. Discontented Emirs arrested the Sultan in 1351, held him in jail for three years, and promoted his brother Salih Salih to the throne. Hasan spent his time in jail studying and his obituaries commented on his learning as a result.
He returned to power and again reshuffled the ruling establishment attempting to solidify power, but Sultan Hasan was assassinated by his commander in chief of the army, Yalbugha al-‘Umari, a Mamluk thought to be loyal. Because of the Sultan's extravagance in spending fortunes on women and other forms of favoritism, the commander rebelled against the Sultan. A contemporary Syria
n historian, Ibn Kathir
, backed this reputation. Ibn Kathir blamed the sultan for his greed and squandering of public funds. The lavish expenses noted coincide with the Sultan's extensive mosque. Interestingly, after his assassination, Sultan Hasan's body was hidden and never found; the mosque never served its purpose.
said he heard the Sultan say "if it were note that the king of Egypt
would be called incapable of finishing a building that he had started, then I would stop building this mosque on account of the greatness of what is spent on it".
An inscription on the mosque notes the name of emir Mohammed ibn Biylik, the supervisor of the construction of the mosque. Unusually his name was placed near Sultan Hasan's in the inscription. Placing the supervisor's name alongside the patron's demonstrated how massive an undertaking the mosque was. The emir's high standing otherwise was another indication of this prestige. Mohammed was involved in the construction of several other important structures in Cairo including the Hippodrome. Other labor for the mosque might have been restricted by the population loss of the Black Death
, but as this was such a large undertaking, it attracted craftsmen from all over the Mamluk Empire
.
The construction of the minaret
s is of particular interest. Plans called for four minarets, but only three were ever constructed. One of the minarets collapsed and three hundred people were killed. Al-Maqrizi noted that the minaret's fall ignited conversation across Cairo and Fustat about the impending downfall of the state. Al-Maqrizi noted also that a poet wrote lines in response that said that the fall of the minaret meant that God was present in it. Interestingly, the conversations in the public came to fruition. Sultan Hasan's assassination followed the minaret's fall by thirty-three days. Construction of the mosque continued after the Sultan's death, but it still was never completed.
During the medieval era, an open space connected the mosque and the Citadel. This proximity and the mosque's sturdiness gave the mosque a unique strategic significance. Ibn Ilyas reported that it was used by Mamluk rebels as a fort to attack the Citadel from. Al-Maqrizi, noted that "as soon as there occurred strife between the people the state, a number of amirs and others ascended to the top of the mosque and began to bombard the Citadel from there". For this reason, the Sultan Janbulat tried to demolish the mosque, but after three days of attempted demolition, he had little success and gave up. Al-Maqrizi noted that the Sultan Barquq demolished the stairs to the two minarets to make it less useful in attacks against the citadel.
The sheer size of the mosque set it apart. Al-Maqrizi noted that the height of the large iwan
was superlative. It measured 65 cubit
s, five higher than another notably large mosque, the Iwan of Kusraw at Al-Mada'in
in Iraq
.
Several unique features about the mosque should also be noted. Al-Maqrizi noted that the great dome that was not equaled in Egypt, Syria, the Maghreb
, or Yemen
. Despite the thickness of the mausoleum walls, the dome was made of wood. The mosque's dome was of an uncommon shape, that of an egg. The positioning of the mausoleum between two minarets was quite novel. Four minarets were planned, but they were never completed. This was an exceptional number for a mosque. The design of the twin portal minarets was uncommon as was the gigantic size of the mosque. The mosque is the only instance of chinoiserie
in Mamluk architecture. The setup of the mosque was novel as well. The mausoleum was placed directly behind the prayer hall. This might have been thought profane, but it was not at the time.
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
era mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and madrassa
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
located near the Citadel
Cairo Citadel
The Saladin Citadel of Cairo is a medieval Islamic fortification in Cairo, Egypt. The location, on Mokattam hill near the center of Cairo, was once famous for its fresh breeze and grand views of the city...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. Its construction began 757 AH
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
/1356 CE with work ending three years later "without even a single day of idleness". At the time of construction the mosque was considered remarkable for its fantastic size and innovative architectural components. Commissioned by a sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of a short and relatively unimpressive profile, al-Maqrizi
Al-Maqrizi
Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Maqrizi ; Arabic: , was an Egyptian historian more commonly known as al-Maqrizi or Makrizi...
noted that within the mosque were several "wonders of construction". The mosque was, for example, designed to include schools for all four of the Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
schools of thought: Shafi'i
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i madhhab is one of the schools of fiqh, or religious law, within the Sunni branch of Islam. The Shafi'i school of fiqh is named after Imām ash-Shafi'i.-Principles:...
, Maliki
Maliki
The ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
, Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
and Hanbali
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
.
Sultan Hasan
Sultan Hasan's low profile seems inconsistent with the massive undertaking that was his mosque, but the mosque's grandeur makes sense given Sultan Hasan's dramatic life. Sultan Hasan ascended the throne at the age of 13 in 748 AH/1347 CE. When he reached maturity in 1350, he arrested the EmirEmir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
Manjaq who controlled all of the state's affairs. Prior to that arrest, the emir was restricted to an allowance of just one hundred dirham
Dirham
Dirham or dirhem is a unit of currency in several Arab or Berber nations, and formerly the related unit of mass in the Ottoman Empire and Persian states...
per day. This pocket change was collected by servants for the Sultan. It's especially striking considering that during that time, the emir Shaykhu was estimated to have an income of 200,000 dirham per day. This deprivation may be viewed as a prompt for his later extravagance.
Upon taking over the reins, Sultan Hasan placed people of his own favor into positions of power. This happened at the expense of dignitaries currently in position; it upset many of them. Discontented Emirs arrested the Sultan in 1351, held him in jail for three years, and promoted his brother Salih Salih to the throne. Hasan spent his time in jail studying and his obituaries commented on his learning as a result.
He returned to power and again reshuffled the ruling establishment attempting to solidify power, but Sultan Hasan was assassinated by his commander in chief of the army, Yalbugha al-‘Umari, a Mamluk thought to be loyal. Because of the Sultan's extravagance in spending fortunes on women and other forms of favoritism, the commander rebelled against the Sultan. A contemporary Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n historian, Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir
Ismail ibn Kathir was a Muslim muhaddith, Faqih, historian, and commentator.-Biography:His full name was Abu Al-Fida, 'Imad Ad-Din, Isma'il bin 'Umar bin Kathir, Al-Qurashi, Al-Busrawi...
, backed this reputation. Ibn Kathir blamed the sultan for his greed and squandering of public funds. The lavish expenses noted coincide with the Sultan's extensive mosque. Interestingly, after his assassination, Sultan Hasan's body was hidden and never found; the mosque never served its purpose.
The construction of the mosque
Little information is available about the construction of the mosque of Sultan Hasan. The most substantial source available is al-Maqrizi writing six decades later. He had access to access to administrative documents that are unavailable to historians today. Maqrizi mentions that the construction of the mosque cost 30,000 dirham every day, making it the most expensive mosque in medieval Cairo. Financing for the mosque was paid for by the austerity of Manjaq, by Shaykhu's wealth, and by extortion from subjects. Even the Sultan may have considered the mosque of too great an expense. al-Maqrizi noted that a eunuchEunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
said he heard the Sultan say "if it were note that the king of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
would be called incapable of finishing a building that he had started, then I would stop building this mosque on account of the greatness of what is spent on it".
An inscription on the mosque notes the name of emir Mohammed ibn Biylik, the supervisor of the construction of the mosque. Unusually his name was placed near Sultan Hasan's in the inscription. Placing the supervisor's name alongside the patron's demonstrated how massive an undertaking the mosque was. The emir's high standing otherwise was another indication of this prestige. Mohammed was involved in the construction of several other important structures in Cairo including the Hippodrome. Other labor for the mosque might have been restricted by the population loss of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, but as this was such a large undertaking, it attracted craftsmen from all over the Mamluk Empire
Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)
The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt was the final independent Egyptian state prior to the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in 1805. It lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid Dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks, Arabised...
.
The construction of the minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
s is of particular interest. Plans called for four minarets, but only three were ever constructed. One of the minarets collapsed and three hundred people were killed. Al-Maqrizi noted that the minaret's fall ignited conversation across Cairo and Fustat about the impending downfall of the state. Al-Maqrizi noted also that a poet wrote lines in response that said that the fall of the minaret meant that God was present in it. Interestingly, the conversations in the public came to fruition. Sultan Hasan's assassination followed the minaret's fall by thirty-three days. Construction of the mosque continued after the Sultan's death, but it still was never completed.
The mosque itself
The mosque was built close to the Citadel, on the site of the Palace of Yalbugha al Yahawws. This was meant as a pleasing site for the Sultan to look down on from his palace in the Citadel.The sheer size of the mosque set it apart. Al-Maqrizi noted that the height of the large iwan
Iwan
An iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and...
was superlative. It measured 65 cubit
Cubit
The cubit is a traditional unit of length, based on the length of the forearm. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in Antiquity, in the Middle Ages and into Early Modern Times....
s, five higher than another notably large mosque, the Iwan of Kusraw at Al-Mada'in
Al-Mada'in
Al-Mada'in, meaning "The cities", is the name given to an ancient metropolis formed by Ctesiphon and Seleucia on opposite sides of the Tigris River in present-day Iraq...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Several unique features about the mosque should also be noted. Al-Maqrizi noted that the great dome that was not equaled in Egypt, Syria, the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
, or Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. Despite the thickness of the mausoleum walls, the dome was made of wood. The mosque's dome was of an uncommon shape, that of an egg. The positioning of the mausoleum between two minarets was quite novel. Four minarets were planned, but they were never completed. This was an exceptional number for a mosque. The design of the twin portal minarets was uncommon as was the gigantic size of the mosque. The mosque is the only instance of chinoiserie
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced ) refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences...
in Mamluk architecture. The setup of the mosque was novel as well. The mausoleum was placed directly behind the prayer hall. This might have been thought profane, but it was not at the time.
See also
- Timeline of Muslim historyTimeline of Muslim history-Gregorian calendar:* 6th Century * 7th Century * 8th Century * 9th Century * 10th Century * 11th Century * 12th Century...
- Islamic architectureIslamic architectureIslamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
- Islamic artIslamic artIslamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations...
- List of mosques