The Mosque of Amir Qijmas al-Ishaqi () or Abu Hurayba Mosque () (sometimes written Abu Heriba) is a late

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

-era mosque in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. It dates from 1480-81 CE and is located in the historic

al-Darb al-Ahmar Al-Darb al-Ahmar () is a historic neighbourhood in Cairo, Egypt. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic Cairo. Located south of the old walled city of Cairo, originally built by the Fatimids in the 10th century, it began to urban ...

district, near

Bab Zuweila Bab Zuwayla or Bab Zuweila () is one of three remaining gates in the city walls of historic Cairo in Egypt. It was also known as Bawabat al-Mitwali or Bab al-Mitwali. The gate was built in 1092 by the Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali. The two minare ...

.بالصور: مسجد قجماس الأسحاقي الشهير بـ"أبو حريبة" وجامع الخمسين جنيه
''Masrawy''. Retrieved January 12, 2018. It is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of late Mamluk architecture.

Historical background

The mosque was likely begun in the late 1470s and completed in 1480-1481. It was commissioned by a Burji

amir Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...

(commander) called Sayf al-Din Qijmas al-Ishaqi who served during the rule of

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Qaitbay Sultan Abu Al-Nasr Sayf ad-Din Al-Ashraf Qaitbay (; 1416/14187 August 1496) was the eighteenth Burji Mamluk Sultan of Egypt from 872 to 901 A.H. (1468–1496 C.E.). He was Circassian by birth, and was purchased by the ninth sultan Barsbay ( ...

. He served in several highly important positions such as ''amir akhur'' (officer in charge of the royal stables) and ''amir al-hajj'' (officer in charge of the pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

). He was also appointed governor of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

in 1470 and then governor of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in 1480, a position he retained until his peaceful death in 1487. During his tenure in Syria he built a new tomb for himself in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and he was buried there instead of in the mausoleum of the mosque he had built in Cairo. His mosque in Cairo was built on what was then the main road between the southern city gate,

, and the

Citadel of Cairo The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin () is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residenc ...

, passing through what is now known as the

Al-Darb al-Ahmar Al-Darb al-Ahmar () is a historic neighbourhood in Cairo, Egypt. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic Cairo. Located south of the old walled city of Cairo, originally built by the Fatimids in the 10th century, it began to urban ...

district. The mosque's popular name, the Mosque of Abu Hurayba (or Abu Heriba, among other spellings), is derived from the Sheikh Abu Hurayba, who was known as a ''

wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

'' and was buried in the domed mausoleum in 1852.مسجد قجماس الإسحاقى.. شهرته «أبو حريبة».. براعة معمارية تاريخها 177 عاما.. إيوانات مزخرفة.. أسقف ملونة.. كتابات قرآنية بالخط الكوفى.. فيديو وصور
''El Balad''. Retrieved January 12, 2018. The mosque is also known today for being featured on the 50 Egyptian pound bill.

Architecture

Overview and layout

The mosque is considered a remarkable example of late

Mamluk architecture Mamluk architecture was the architectural style that developed under the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517), which ruled over Egypt, the Levant, and the Hijaz from their capital, Cairo. Despite their often tumultuous internal politics, the Mamluk su ...

, especially due to the architect's ingenious arrangement of the building's different elements to make them fit into an irregular plot of land in the angle between El-Darb El-Ahmar Street and another lane joining it to the north. Such creative layouts were characteristic of Mamluk buildings as Cairo's density increased and builders were forced to adapt to limited available land. The main part of the site is roughly shaped like a

right triangle A right triangle or right-angled triangle, sometimes called an orthogonal triangle or rectangular triangle, is a triangle in which two sides are perpendicular, forming a right angle ( turn or 90 degrees). The side opposite to the right angle i ...

, between the angle of the two streets, while an annex stands across the lane to the north and is connected to the main building via a raised passage (''sabat'') above the street.

Exterior

The main building includes the mosque itself, the domed mausoleum, the minaret, and the sabil (water dispensary). The exterior of this building is partitioned into multiple facades that reveal themselves one after another to anyone walking down the main street coming from

(the nearby city gate), projecting towards the street but without impeding traffic. All around the base of the building, and built into it, are shops which provided revenues for the mosque, while the mosque itself is raised above these and its entrance is reached by a set of stairs (a recurring arrangement dating back to the much older Mosque of Salih Tala'i nearby). The exterior of the mosque is marked by highly refined decoration exemplifying the sophisticated architectural style of Qaytbay's reign. This decoration includes

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...

stone carvings, rows of ''

muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

'' carvings above the windows, and compositions of multi-colored (red, black and white) inlaid

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

. The circular marble medallion above the entrance, forming a swirling pattern, is considered particularly remarkable and unmatched. The wooden doors of the entrance are overlaid with decorative

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

fittings. The doors once had metal knockers carved in an elaborate design featuring two dragon heads (similar to a famous Anatolian example now on display in the

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum () is a museum in Sultanahmet Square in Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey which first opened in 1914 and in 1983 moved into the palace of Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, the second grand vizier of Suleiman the Magnifi ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

), but they were stolen at a recent date. Another secondary entrance to the mosque, at the back of the building, is marked by further panels of exquisite decoration above. The annex to the north of the main building consists of a water trough for animals (known as a ''hod''), enclosed by walls with further stone-carved decoration, and above this a

kuttab A kuttab ( ''kuttāb'', plural: ''kataatiib'', ) or maktab () is a type of elementary school in the Muslim world. Though the ''kuttab'' was primarily used for teaching children in reading, writing, grammar, and Islamic studies, such as memorizing ...

(primary school teaching the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

). In Mamluk architecture the kuttab is more typically located above the sabil, so its location here, separated from the sabil, is uncommon. The

hamam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the Islamic culture, culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

(bathhouse) and ablutions area of the mosque are also located here. The bridge passage between the two parts of the complex also has an upper level with '' mashrabiyya'' windows, suggesting this may have been used as living quarters or a residential unit. File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 11.jpg, Overall view of the complex (from the west) File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 09.jpg, The sabil File:Cairo, moschea di Akjmas Ishaqi, ingresso 02 portale.JPG, The doors of the mosque, made of wood overlaid with bronze fittings File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 13.jpg, The decoration on the exterior wall above the mosque's rear entrance doors File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 16.jpg, The raised passage linking the main building (right) and the annex (left). The annex consists of a ''hod'' (water trough for animals) on the ground floor and a ''

'' (school) on the upper level. File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 14.jpg, View of the raised passage from the east File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 15.jpg, The stone decoration around the ''hod'' (water trough)

Interior

The main entrance leads to the mosque via a vestibule with a richly decorated ceiling and a passage interrupted by large

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History O ...

. This passage between the vestibule and the mosque is also joined by another passage leading from the mosque's rear entrance. At the end of the passage, at the entrance to the mosque area, is a set of wooden

sliding doors ''Sliding Doors'' is a 1998 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow while also featuring John Hannah, John Lynch, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. The film alternates between two storylines, showi ...

, one of only two such examples in Mamluk architecture. The mosque interior has a layout which had evolved from earlier "cruciform"

madrasas Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

and is equivalent to a ''qa'a'' (reception hall). It has two main iwans (large rooms open to one side) to the west and east, including the

qibla The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...

side (the direction of prayer), and two smaller iwans to the north and south. Between these iwans is a central space which, in earlier buildings, used to be a courtyard (''

sahn A ''sahn'' (, '), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. Most traditional mosques have a large central ''sahn'', which is surrounded by a ''Riwaq (arcade), riwaq'' or arcade (architecture), arcade on ...

''), but here is covered by a wooden roof with a broad

lantern A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...

. The iwans are raised one step above this central area. This type of layout is found in many other buildings of this era, including the Funerary complex of Qaytbay and the Madrasa of the Sultan al-Ghuri Complex. The mausoleum chamber of the building, which is plain but covered by a dome, is accessed through the qibla-side iwan. The decoration of the interior is also very rich, featuring ''

ablaq ''Ablaq'' (; particolored; literally 'piebald') is an architectural technique involving alternating or fluctuating rows of light and dark stone. It is an Arabic term describing a technique associated with Islamic architecture in the Arab world. It ...

'' (two-colored) masonry, marble paneling along the lower walls ( dadoes), Arabic inscriptions, and stone carvings. The monumental inscription in golden ''

thuluth ''Thuluth'' (, ' or , '; , ''Sols''; Turkish: ''Sülüs'', from ' "one-third") is an Arabic script variety of Islamic calligraphy. The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new script by curved and oblique lines. In ''Thuluth'', ...

Arabic script The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic (Arabic alphabet) and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world (after the Latin script), the second-most widel ...

running around the upper walls describes the piety of amir Qijmas. The wooden lantern ceiling above this is decorated with geometric patterns, while the wooden ceilings of the iwans are gilded and decorated with painted arabesque patterns. The floors of the mosque are paved with decorative marble (but are typically covered by the mosque's carpeting). The windows feature coloured glass set into

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

grilles. The appearance of

cypress tree Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

motifs in the windows suggests that the current stucco grilles may date to an Ottoman-era restoration. File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 02.jpg, The qibla wall of the mosque, including the

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

and

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

File:Cairo, moschea di Akjmas Ishaqi, interno 02.JPG, The walls and one of the smaller iwans in the mosque's covered courtyard. A monumental Arabic inscription in ''

'' script runs around the upper walls. File:Cairo, moschea di Akjmas Ishaqi, interno 03.JPG, The lantern ceiling of the mosque File:Cairo, moschea di Akjmas Ishaqi, interno 04 vetrata.JPG, One of the windows of coloured glass set into a

grille

The mihrab area

The

and the qibla wall around it feature an unprecedented decorative technique: white marble inlaid with thin lines of black bitumen and red paste to form elaborate arabesque patterns. This new technique, later re-used elsewhere, may have reflected a scarcity of marble materials needed to execute the usual multi-coloured marble mosaics seen in earlier Mamluk buildings, or it may have been motivated by a desire to form more intricate patterns not possible with those earlier techniques. Most of the mihrab is covered with this type of decoration, at the middle of which is a star or flower-shaped rosette which contains the mirrored signature of the craftsman, named as 'Abd al-Qadir "the Engraver" (''al-Naqqash''). Such a signature at the middle of the mihrab, a niche which symbolizes the direction of prayer, is considered highly unusual in mosque architecture. The

conch Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...

(semi-dome) of the mihrab niche is covered with more conventional geometric star patterns, with the name

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

appearing at the middle of some of the stars. Just below the conch is a

Qur'anic The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

inscription (part of verse 2:144, in the Surah al-Baqarah) in

Kufic The Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script, that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts ...

script. The

voussoirs A voussoir (British English, UK: ; American English, US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault (architecture), vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford Univers ...

around the arch of the mihrab are in turn inlaid with arabesque patterns similar to those of the mihrab of the Mosque of al-Mu'ayyad. The surfaces of the wooden

(pulpit) of the mosque are decorated with geometric sixteen-pointed star patterns emanating from round bosses. The decorative effect is achieved by different coloured inlays instead of the deep carvings of earlier minbars. File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 04.jpg, Close-up of the

's conch (semi-dome) File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 05.jpg, The

of the mosque, made of wood with geometric star patterns inlaid with

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

File:Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi 07.jpg, Close-up of the

's decorated surface

Present-day condition

The mosque is well-preserved overall but is in need of restoration. The original kuttab in the northern annex of the mosque is still in use as a primary school. At some point in recent years, the elaborate metal knockers of the main doors, which featured carved dragon heads, were stolen. In 2017, ''

Al Wafd ''Al-Wafd'' ( meaning ''the Mission'' in English) is the daily newspaper published by the Wafd party in Giza, Egypt. History and profile ''Al-Wafd'' was launched in 1984. As the house organ of the liberal-democratic neo-Wafd party, the paper is ...

'' newspaper criticized the condition of the mosque as resulting from the negligence on the part of the Ministry of the Antiquity. According to the paper, the main facade is deteriorated and the surrounding is filled with garbage piles.بالصور.. مسجد "قجماس الإسحاقي" كرمته الدولة وأهملته وزارة الآثار
''Al Wafd''. Retrieved January 12, 2018.

References

Bibliography

*Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture in Cairo. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1989. *Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994. {{Islamic Cairo Mosques completed in the 1480s Mosque buildings with domes in Egypt Mamluk architecture in Cairo Mosques in Cairo Medieval Cairo Buildings and structures completed in 1481 Mosque buildings with minarets in Egypt