Islamic heritage · Cairo
Sultan al-Muayyad Mosque
A stately Mamluk mosque on al-Mu'izz Street beside Bab Zuwayla, its two minarets rising from the old Fatimid towers of the gate.
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The story
The Mosque of al-Muayyad Shaykh was built in Islamic Cairo between 1415 and 1421 under the Mamluk sultan whose name it bears. The complex includes a Friday mosque and two mausoleums holding the tomb of the sultan and his family. It replaced a prison that stood beside Bab Zuwayla, and on completion it also housed a madrasa teaching the four schools of law. Its two minarets rise from the older Fatimid towers of Bab Zuwayla, a choice found only at this mosque.
Good to know
- The mosque is described as the pride of the mosques of the Circassian Mamluk era.
- Its two minarets are built on top of the old Fatimid towers of Bab Zuwayla.