The ensemble of the mosque-madrassah of Sultan Hasan is one of the most famous monuments of Mamluk art. The founder of this gigantic monument was the son of the great Mamluk sultan, Al-Nasser Mohamed ibn Kalawoun. Sultan Hassan actually ruled Egypt twice: the first time in 1347, when he was only 13 years old, and his second rule of the country began in 1356 and lasted until 1361.
The mosque is located near the Citadel, in the Salah el-Din Square. This shrine is one of the largest not only in Cairo, but in the entire Islamic world. It is a massive structure about 150 metres long and 36 metres high, with a minaret 68 metres high.
Work on the building began in 1356 and lasted more than five years. The project was financed from various sources, including money from the sale of the property of people who died in Cairo from the bubonic plague in 1348. The mosque was erected next to the Citadel, on the site of an ancient palace. During the Middle Ages, the area between the Citadel and the mosque was common and strategic. During the Mamluk revolt, the fortress was shelled from the roof of the mosque, especially conveniently from the minarets. For this reason, the next ruler, Sultan Janbulat, tried to demolish the mosque, but after three days of unsuccessful attempts left this idea, only the stairs and two minarets were broken, making it impossible to use them when attacking the fort.
Four minarets were planned, but only three were built. During the work collapsed one of the towers, burying under it more than three hundred people, and in 1361 was killed Sultan Hasan, his body was not found, but the construction was still completed.
The cult building is characterised by its huge size, its aivans - one of the largest among the structures of this kind. A unique feature of the mosque is the large wooden egg-shaped dome. An exceptional example of Mamluk architecture is also the construction of two portal minarets, which does not correspond to the gigantic size of the temple. Each of the facades of the mausoleum is decorated in the centre with a medallion with an "apple" in a frame of intertwined two-coloured bands, as well as two rows of windows. The upper ones are inserted in niches topped with stalactites with shallow shells for portals. The lower windows are in recesses of stepped pyramidal profile with traces of mosaics. The southern and northern facades also have several rows of windows.
The facade decoration is lancet bas-reliefs, black basalt, the corners of the facades are beamed with small carved columns with stalactite capitals and twisted decoration, which is reminiscent of the Byzantine style.
The entrance to the mosque is simply huge, located on Al-Qala shebaa street. Near the entrance there is a plan of the building with some historical information in Arabic and English. The portal itself is offset from the centre of the façade and is angled to the rest of the wall. The half-dome above the door is fluted and stepped, the height of the opening is emphasised by spiral pilasters and vertical panels on the sides of the porch.
Immediately near the entrance there are two marble niches inlaid with geometric ornamentation, in the vestibule there are large stone benches, above them there are medallions and carved stone recesses, the colour scheme of the corridor is traditional for the Mamluks - from dark red to brown. In the centre of the courtyard is a large ablution fountain, which was completed in 1362. It is covered with a wooden top supported by marble columns. The dome is very tall and richly decorated with traditional paintings, mosaics and stone. The base of the dome is decorated with inscriptions from the Quran.
The interior is amazing in size and luxury, the complex includes a madrasah, hospital, mausoleum and technical rooms. The mausoleum is located behind Qibla Aywan, it was designed as the tomb of Sultan Hasan, but as the lord's body was never discovered, his two sons are buried here. The lighting inside is soft, apart from the lamps in the centre above the sarcophagus, there are many small windows in the walls. The tomb itself is surrounded by a small carved wooden fence, and behind it is a mihrab decorated with gold inscriptions.
