Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo. Courtesy of Egyptian State Tourist Office
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Ibn Tulun Mosque
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When:
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Daily
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Where:
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Ibn Tulun Mosque
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| Costs: |
Free (donation welcome)
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| Opening Hours: |
Daily 8am-6pm
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Made from mud-brick and wood, Ibn Tulun Mosque in Sharia Ibn Tulun was built in 879AD, featuring a pointed arch well before Gothic architecture, and decorative inner arcades. The minaret can be ascended by spiral staircase for city views.
One of the oldest mosques in the city, it was built by the son of a Turkish slave who later rose through the ranks of the Baghdad Caliphate to become Governor of Egypt. Inspired by Iraqi models, it is a precious example of the classic Abbasid style and is surrounded on three sides by ziyadas or little outer courtyards, designed to separate street life from the sanctity of the mosque.
The walls of these ziyadas are decorated with beautiful crenellations, unusually delicate for their time. The inner arcades are decorated with floral decorations and Kufic (the earliest language of Islam) inscriptions which are said to run for over 2km around the building.
The Ibn Tulun mosque also graces the face of the Egyptian five pound note.
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