EL-GHURI MOSQUE AND PALACE
Mosque with four iwans in its inner courtyard, a superb porch adorned with stalactites and a four-storey minaret.
Facing Muezz el-Din Allah Street, to the west is the Madrasa el-Ghouri Mosque, and to the east a sabil kuttab and a maqead constituting what is known as the Ghouri Palace. Sultan al-Ghuri was the last great prince of the Mamluk dynasty, who left a very beautiful architectural ensemble in Cairo. He acceded to the throne at the age of 60 and his first initiative was to request an advance payment of ten months of taxes to restore the fortresses of Cairo. Certainly not the best coup de Com towards the population, but it is a testament to his passion for architecture!
To the west, the mosque was built in 1504; its layout includes the same four iwans in its inner courtyard. It is accessed through a superb porch decorated with stalactites. The mosque is suspended; stalls had been set up underneath it, and served as a source of income for the mosque, as recommended by the waqf system. Thus, the maintenance of the buildings, the payment of water for ablutions and distribution to the poorest, was ensured by this lawful financial system. The four-storey minaret is an exact replica of the original minaret of the Aqsunqur Mosque (the Blue Mosque). To the east, the sabil kuttab and maqead, built between 1503 and 1504, are part of a khanqah, a theatre of Sufi tradition, where it is still possible to admire religious dances and songs three times a week.
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