Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrassa was built between 1356 and 1363 (757 – 765 H), this mosque lies at the junction of Al – Qala (the Citadel) street and Salah El – Din Square. It was built by Sultan Hassan Ibn Qalawon who was murdered shortly before the mosque was completed and It was constructed as a mosque and madrassa (school) to teach the four sects of Islam. It is composed of an open court, surrounded by four iwans (sections) for the four schools. The Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan is regarded as the finest piece of early-Mamluk architecture era in Cairo, an age of architectural splendour.
Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrassa is consider a unique building in Cairo as it is main function was not for praying only but it was also used as a school for the main four sunni schools of thoughts so it was considered like a full complex Mosque and School that’s why we call it like that.
Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrassa was built out of huge blocks of stone. Due to its tremendous height, this mosque soon became a symbol of the culmination of all the architectural power developed throughout a century of Mamluk rule.
When arriving to the Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrassa, your eyes will be immediately drawn upward into the blue sky. And as you lower your head, you will witness the most amazingly patterned mosaic-paved courtyard, unprecedented in Cairo. Only a glimpse of the splendour you’ll gaze at inside.
