Cairo
The mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun was completed in 879 by the governor of Egypt who founded the Tulunid dynasty. It is the oldest mosque in Cairo to survive in…
The mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun was completed in 879 by the governor of Egypt who founded the Tulunid dynasty. It is the oldest mosque in Cairo to survive in its original form, and one of the largest in the world by area. It is built of red brick covered in stucco, with a huge courtyard surrounded by arcades carved with ornamental bands. The spiral outer staircase of its minaret recalls the Malwiya of Samarra, and the domed fountain in the courtyard was added by the Mamluk sultan Lajin. The Gayer-Anderson Museum adjoins its outer wall.