Tomb complex of al-Mu'aiyad Sheikh
The tomb complex of al-Mu'aiyad Sheikh is in Cairo and is a testament to Islamic architecture. The building consists of a mosque , which is said to have been built on the site of a prison in which the ruler is said to have even sat himself. An important part of the complex was a madrasa . The building was built by al-Mu'aiyad Sheikh from 1415 to 1420 . The madrasa long remained an important center of Islamic learning in Cairo.
30 builders and 100 construction workers are said to have worked for the construction. Al-Qadi Baha ad-Din Muhammad al-Burji is narrated as an architect . According to reports, the workers were treated well, but the ruler had no qualms about taking components such as columns or bronze gates from other structures, which was common at the time. The building stands next to the Bab Zuweila , the southern gate of medieval Cairo.
The building has two minarets that stand on the Bab Zuweila gate of the city wall. A third minaret collapsed in 1427, was rebuilt, but disappeared in the 19th century.
The actual building is roughly square and free-standing. To the east is the main entrance, next to which the actual mausoleum with a dome is located. Al-Mu'aiyad Sheikh and his son are buried here. The monumental entrance is one of the last monumental gates to be built in the Mameluk Cairo. Its bronze gate comes from the Sultan Hasan Mosque , al-Mu'aiyad Sheikh made a high price for this gate, but was criticized for taking this gate from another sacred building. The gate is richly decorated with stucco and marble. The adjoining mosque consists of a pillared hall, which was flanked in the south by two more mausoleums. There was a large courtyard to the west.
literature
- Doris Behrens-Abouseif: Cairo of the Mamluks , London 2007 pp. 239–244 ISBN 978-1-84511-549-4
Web links
Coordinates: 30 ° 2 ′ 35.5 ″ N , 31 ° 15 ′ 26.6 ″ E