مسجد و خانقاه الأمير شيخو
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
THE MOSQUE AND THE KHANQAH OF AMIR
SHAYKHU (1349, 1355)
The mosque and khanqah of Amir Shaykhu, a leading amir under Sultan
Hasan, face each other on Saliba
Street
THE MOSQUE: THE EXTERIOR
The lintel and threshold of the mosque are taken from ancient Egyptian
temples. A stalactite portal surmounted by the minaret leads to the vestibule.
The minaret is octagonal throughout and has a special feature: rather than
stalactites underneath the balconies, it is decorated with carving consisting
of horizontal moldings at the first balcony and vertical ribs at the upper
balcony. The vertical ribs are similar to those at the top of Qalawun's
minaret, added by his son al-Nasir. Creswell compared this pattern to ancient Egyptian
reed motifs. Only one other minaret in Cairo
THE INTERIOR
The mosque of Shaykhu was severely damaged when the last Mamluk sultan,
Tumanbay, hid there durin battles between the Mamluks and Ottoman conquerors. Some
parts were burned, including a dome that was above the prayer niche. Little of
the original decoration has survived. The prayer niche is paneled with marbles
of no special interest; it may have been restored during the Ottoman period.
The lower part of the prayer niche has seventeenth-century Tunisian tiles. The
plan of the mosque is hypostyle, though it differs from the plan typical of its
time in having only two riwaqs or arcaded halls. On the lateral sides are recesses
facing the courtyard with a double arch supported by one column. Thus, the
features of the classic hypostyle plan are combined with the cruciform pattern.
The prayer hall is not a regular rectangle, but follows without accommodation
the shape of the ground space available. The pulpit of the mosque is made of
stone and though most of its decoration has disappeared, what remains shows the
style of Sultan Qaytbay's reign. A similar, and better preserved, example is
that at the khanqah of Faraj Ibn Barquq. The dikka, or bench used for
recitations, is also made of stone rather than the usual wood or marble. It is
covered with carvings different from those of the pulpit and is dated A.H. 963 (1555/6).
THE KHANQAH (1355)
The portal and minaret are repetitions of the patterns used in the
mosque facade six years earlier. Ancient Egyptian stones are also used here for
the lintel and the entrance threshold. The vestibule leads through a bend to
the khanqah, whose plan differs from that of the mosque in having several
stories of living units for the Sufis surrounding the courtyard on three sides.
The prayer hall is hypostyle and has a prayer niche whose only decoration is
the ablaq masonry in the conch. The plan follows the street alignment and is
thus irregular, making the interior of the sanctuary a trapezoid instead of a
rectangle. Shaykhu was buried at the
corner on the northeastern or street side rather than in the mausoleum
he had attached to the mosque, and the first shaykh of the khanqah is also buried there.
In the
Ottoman period, wall paintings representing the Kacba in Mecca
There is a bulbous wooden dome in front of the prayer niche which may or
may not be original. The beautiful ceiling paintings in blue and white were
done in the eighteenth century, as an inscription notes.
A foundation inscription slab, originally at the entrance but now in the
sanctuary, is interesting in that it gives the founder's name without the usual
series of titles and attributes. Only the phrase, "the humble servant of
God," is used, suggesting that Shaykhu considered himself a Sufi. The text
further implies that the
khanqah was also intended to house pilgrims on their way to Mecca
To the south of the sanctuary is a qaca or reception hall, today in very dilapidated
condition though its plan is recognizable. Sufi foundations often had
residential structures attached where the founder spent time with the Sufis in
order to receive their blessings.
THE LIVING UNITS
The cells surrounding the courtyard of the khanqah are supplemented by a
large complex of three-storied cells on the south side of the building that
overlooked a passage between them and the khanqah. According to Maqrizi, the
khanqah originally covered an area of one feddan, or over four thousand
square meters. Attached to the khanqah were two public baths, shops, and living
units, providing income for the upkeep of the foundation. The Sufis attached to
the foundation were given bread, meat, oil, soap and sweets. This was one of Cairo
Reference:
Book "Islamic architecture in Cairo an introduction"
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