The Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hasan, and the ablution fountain, Cairo, Egypt, 14th century.
This monumental edifice was built between 1356 and 1363, under Sultan an-Nasir Hasan, during the Bahri period of the Mamluk Sultanate, when Egyptian politics was dominated by Turkic soldiers and their descendants.
The high cost of construction, coinciding with outbreaks of the bubonic plague in Cairo, could not stop the completion of this ambitious construction project, but Sultan an-Nasir Hasan, the man who commissioned its construction, would not be around to witness it.
Political intrigue and accusations of extravagance and favoritism, cost the Sultan his life, assassinated by his own commander in chief of the army 2 years before the completion of his mosque and adjacent mausoleum.
“The mosque was considered remarkable for its massive size and innovative architectural components”, and is still among the most impressive monuments of the historic district of Cairo.
This monumental edifice was built between 1356 and 1363, under Sultan an-Nasir Hasan, during the Bahri period of the Mamluk Sultanate, when Egyptian politics was dominated by Turkic soldiers and their descendants.
The high cost of construction, coinciding with outbreaks of the bubonic plague in Cairo, could not stop the completion of this ambitious construction project, but Sultan an-Nasir Hasan, the man who commissioned its construction, would not be around to witness it.
Political intrigue and accusations of extravagance and favoritism, cost the Sultan his life, assassinated by his own commander in chief of the army 2 years before the completion of his mosque and adjacent mausoleum.
“The mosque was considered remarkable for its massive size and innovative architectural components”, and is still among the most impressive monuments of the historic district of Cairo.
