Islamic heritage · Cairo
Aqsunqur Mosque
Cairo's "Blue Mosque", a 14th-century Mamluk mosque whose qibla wall is covered in blue tilework added in a later restoration, set between Bab Zuweila and the Citadel.
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The story
The mosque stands in Islamic Cairo, in the Darb al-Ahmar district's Tabbana Quarter between Bab Zuweila and the Citadel of Cairo. It was founded by Emir Shams ad-Din Aqsunqur and built in 747-748 AH (1346-1347 AD). It became known as the Blue Mosque for the large set of blue tiles covering its qibla wall. The building is also a funerary complex, housing the mausoleums of its founder, his sons and several children of the Bahri Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Muhammad. It also holds the tomb of Ibrahim Agha al-Mustahfizan, its principal restorer, whose name it also bears. Reference sources add that Ibrahim Agha renovated the mosque in the mid-17th century (about 1652-1654 CE) and faced the qibla wall and his own mausoleum with Iznik-style blue tiles, which gave the building its name.
Good to know
- The mosque was built in 747-748 AH (1346-1347 AD).
- It is called the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles on its qibla wall.
- It is also known as the Mosque of Ibrahim Agha al-Mustahfizan, its principal restorer.
- The blue tiles were added by Ibrahim Agha al-Mustahfizan in a restoration of about 1652-1654.