Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo, Egypt | Map of the mosque from the inside, facts about the construction of the mosque and the school of Sultan Al-Nasir Hassan, a history of the most important ancient mosques in Islamic architecture, who was buried in the mosque, who built it, how old is it and more.
Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasah is one of the famous archaeological mosques in Cairo. It is located specifically in Salah El-Din Square. The mosque was built by Al-Nasir Hassan bin Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun. The mosque is famous due to the historical events experienced by the mosque. Learn about another set of information.
Hurghada lovers Offer Luxury Hurghada to Pyramids Tours | El Gouna to Pyramids Tours | Makadi bay to Pyramids Tours | Sahl Hasheesh to Pyramids Tours | Soma bay to Pyramids Tours .
Mosque and Madrasah of Sultan Hassan
Who built the Sultan Hassan Mosque?
Sultan Al-Nasir Hassan bin Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun.
When did the construction of the Sultan Hassan Mosque begin?
Construction began during the period between 1356 AD and 1363 AD during the rule of the Mamluks.
What is Sultan Hassan Mosque made of?
The building consists of a mosque and a madrasa, and that school belongs to the four schools of jurisprudence: Shafi’i, Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali schools.
Who is the designer of the Sultan Hassan Mosque?
It is not known yet who is the designer of the mosque and the school, but from the design style that he was a Byzantine architect.
Sultan Hassan ibn Qalawon Mosque
The date of the establishment of Sultan al-Mansur Mosque and school in Cairo, Egypt. Valuable information about the architectural design of the most famous historical archaeological mosques of Salah al-Din Al-Ayoubi Citadelle
Sultan Hassan Mosque and School is one of the most important historical Islamic schools that taught the main Islamic doctrines, where Sultan Hassan ibn Mohammed ibn Qalawon built the foundations of the mosque and school between 757 Hijri and 762 Hijri in 1356 AD, but died before the mosque opened, and after his death, Prince Bashir Agha al-Jamadar completed and opened the mosque in 764 Hijri.
Sultan Hassan Mosque has a dome and white marble columns carved with botanic style arches, as well as the size of the stone building and the style used to decorate the walls and floors.
The interior design of the mosque of Sultan Hassan ibn Qalawon:
You will see a very luxurious niche in a royal decorative style on 4 unique marble columns as well as Islamic designs and decorations on the bayonet walls.
You will also see The Prayer Iwan a distinctive marble “prayer bench” as well as a range of large arches that will be seen at the top and featured with unique lighting lamps.
You will find the tomb of Sultan Hassan just behind the qibla wall, the tomb is a dark room with a high ceiling in addition you will find above the room the dome of the mosque, but here are explanations that Sultan Hassan was not buried in the cemetery of the mosque and so far, his grave has not been discovered and that the man who was buried in the tomb of Commander Shihab al-Din Ahmed Ismail.
You will find in the Sultan Hassan Mosque 4 Iwans where each Iwan is dedicated to teaching the doctrines of the four years (Shafi’i doctrine, Maliki doctrine, Hanafi doctrine, Hanbali doctrine).
You will see wood inlaid with ebony and ivory and called the chair of the Qur’an, where the starry Qur’an holder is assembled and decorated with ivory and ebony.
You will also see the Bimarestan, which was specifically intended for the treatment of diseases faced by the students and teachers of the school and has two entrances in the corridor and one in the Sahn.
You will also find a tailgate for the school with a well 30 meters deep, connecting fresh water to tanks, pipes, fountains, toilets, laundries and everywhere in the school.
The Sultan Hassan Mosque has two minarets, one in the west direction and the other in the east direction, between them the sultan’s mausoleum, where the south minaret is 82 meters high and the eastern minaret 74 meters high.
The Sultan Hassan School houses a rare collection of Islamic artifacts in addition to the distinctive architectural design of its imposing entrance, which, according to historian Fabit, “created the ruins of Cairo, the most homogeneous, smoothest and most perfect.”
The Sultan Hassan Mosque, one of Cairo’s most important Islamic monuments, founded simultaneously as a school and mosque, is the finest example of Mamluk architecture in Cairo.
Many guides indicate that the mosque is one of the most beautiful ancient mosques in Cairo and has been considered one of the main monuments of the Muslim world.
About the Sultan Hassan ibn Qalawon Mosque in Cairo:
The founder of this great mosque is Sultan Hassan, son of the Mamluk sultan, El-Nasser Mohammad ibn (son) Qalawon. Although he was not important in terms of power and governance, because, according to historical accounts, he was a puppet of the Mamluk princes, but his most important work to date is this mosque.
The funding for the mosque came from funds given to the poor by Muslims, and from real estate funds that belonged to the state after the death of all the owners as a result of the plague that struck Cairo in 1348, where historical accounts say that the construction of the mosque costs 20,000 dirhams per day.
Sultan Hassan used architects from all over the world to build this Great Mosque, located near the citadel of Salah al-Din, specifically on Salah al-Din Square, sometimes called Citadel Square, which was previously a horse racing ground.
Description of Sultan Hassan School in Cairo:
The mosque is a huge structure 150 meters long and 36 meters high, the mosque has a long minaret with a height of 68 meters and the mosque has more than 400 students. The mosque was completed in 1363, two years after the assassination of Sultan Hassan, where one of his disciples, Bashir al-Kaddamer, continued to build it. The mosque has three different destinations, free, eastern and tribal, and the fourth west side has a large shopping complex.
Highlights of the Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo:
The mosque has a giant dome up to 30 meters high, and above it there is an arched cornice in the shape of carved stones along the façade, which is unmatched in any other mosque in Cairo, and the original dome is built of wood and covered with bullets.
The mosque also has a high minaret up to 84 meters high, decorated with many geometric shapes made of a few precious stones, as well as many geometric designs, decoration and studded shapes, interlocking geometric shapes, huge windows, giant doors and many exquisitely painted mosaics. The entrance to the mosque also cannot be overlooked, as it is larger than any other entrance in Egypt, which extends to Salah al-Din Castle.
Entering the door, you feel like you’re landing inside a marble vestibule, leading you to an ornate room, with distinctive art shapes. The main foyer of the Sultan Hassan Mosque is 34 meters long and 32 meters wide and is entirely paved with marble, and in the center of the mosque’s main courtyard is a large fountain of purification, dating back to the Ottoman era.
Around the Sahn, there are four iwans that serve as schools to study the four Islamic doctrines of Shafi’i, Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali, covering the floor of each iwan with carpets of different colors to distinguish them.
Entrance ticket prices can be accessed at Sultan Hassan Mosque at 60 pounds for foreigners, 30 pounds for foreign students, 20 pounds for Egyptians and 10 pounds for Egyptian students.
Dates of visit to Sultan Hassan ibn Qalawon Mosque: The mosque can be visited from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the opening of the mosque extends during the month of “Ramadan” for the taraweeh prayer, which is attended by thousands of worshippers.
Address of the Sultan Hassan Mosque: El-Qalaa district, Cairo.
About Sultan Hassan
• The Sultan was born in the year 735 AH and was called Qamari, but he chose the name Hassan.
• He took the throne of Egypt when he was only 13 years old, and due to his young age, Prince Pigga Ross took over from him.
• In the year 751 AH, after the sultan reached the age of majority, he was able to take over the rule, but he arrested Prince Bebega Rus and Munjak.
• This matter was the reason for the princes conspiring against him and deposing him from power in the year 752 AH, and his brother, the good king Saleh, was appointed.
• In the year 755, the Sultan returned again to take over the judiciary of Egypt, but due to the large number of disputes and competition between the Turkish princes, the Sultan left the rule to Prince Sheikhoun Al-Omari.
• “Yalbugha” attacked the Sultan and arrested him in the year 762 AH. It is said that he died of suffocation.
Sultan Hassan Mosque design
• The school was designed on an orthogonal position, which contains four iwans in the middle of an unroofed courtyard.
• There are also 3 minarets, although the design was to have 4 minarets, but after the fall of the third minaret, the Sultan canceled the fourth minaret and was satisfied with only two.
• The building area is 7906 square meters, the maximum length of the building is 150 meters, and the maximum width is 68 meters for the ribs in the building.
• The building has 4 eastern, tribal, maritime and also western sides, and on the eastern side there is a dome in addition to two minarets.
• There is a fortress with a height of 81.60 meters in the mosque, in addition to a naval lighthouse, but it fell in 1659 AD, but it was renovated during the reign of Ibrahim Pasha.
• The tribal side of the building is a school for Hanbalis and Hanafis.
• In the building there is a waterwheel that connects water to the mosque and schools. The height of the sea side of the building is 37.70 meters.
• On both sides of the public door there are decorations from the bottom up, but they are not complete.
• There are geometric shapes made of green marble, and the door is made of wood and copper.
• The dome in the mosque is square and its sides are 21 meters long, while the height is 48 meters.
• In the dome there is a mihrab made of local marble with a set of inscriptions.
• Shehab Ahmed Ibn Al-Sultan and Ismail were buried in the soil that was supposed to be the Sultan’s soil, but his grave was not known.
• The Qur’an chair in the dome is made of ben-ebanos and Duqt wood.
• The courtyard surrounds the schools of the four madhhabs.
• The largest school is Al-Hanafiya School with an area of 898 meters.
Sultan Hassan School System
• Sultan Hassan appointed the four schools as teachers and observers, to the extent that he established a sheikh for each school of thought.
• In each group there are 25 applicants and 3 teaching assistants.
• The Sultan appointed a teacher for the interpretation of the Noble Qur’an and 30 students.
• A teacher of the Prophet’s hadith was appointed by the Sultan, as well as a reciter to recite the Noble Qur’an, and 30 students were appointed.
• The Sultan appointed a mufti and teacher who taught the seven readings.
• The Sultan appointed two to monitor attendance and absence. He also prepared a library in schools and placed a trustee on it.
• There were two offices in the school to teach orphans, the Qur’an and calligraphy, and the Sultan gave them clothes and food.
• The Sultan used to reward those who memorized them with fifty responses and give the child’s tutor 50 dirhams.
• Three doctors were appointed to take care of students in the specialty of internal medicine and ophthalmology.
Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasah as a fortress
• They took the Mamluks from this building as a fortress; Due to its location, which is located in front of the mountain fortress.
• The Mamelukes climb the top of the building and strike the castle if a strife occurs between them.
• The sultan al-Zahir ordered the demolition of the stairs that lead to the roof of the school so that these tangles would not be repeated.
• The large copper door was blocked by Sultan Al-Zahir as well.
• In the year 825 AH, the two minarets were given by making the call to prayer.
The dates of entering –
Daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Entry ticket price
The ticket price for adult foreigners is 60 pounds, and for foreign students 30 pounds.
The ticket price for Egyptians and Arabs adults is 20 pounds, and for students 10 pounds.
