Qaitbey’s complex is located in the cemetery of Mamluks and it was made primarily for the benefit of Sultan Qaitbey’s family. It was originally a complete complex, but only a very small part of it remains today.

 

The Sultan Al Ashraf Abu Al Nasr Qaitbey, who was the last of the Mamluks interested in the arts of architecture, gave an order to build a beautiful complex which included a mosque which also contained a school, student dorms, a sabeel-kuttab (which is an educational institute to teach little boys the Koran), and today what remains of the complex houses the Sultan’s mausoleum too. The complex originally also included a “wikala”, which is a khan or a group of workshops. However, the wikala no longer exists today.

 

The entrance to the Qaitbey complex is extensively decorated with astonishing carved stone, and the usage of a wide range of different contrasting colors adds magic to the beautiful rich design. On the right of the entrance, you can find the minaret which represents the great sense of art which the Mamluks were always known for.

A flight of stairs leads to the entrance to a hall decorated with Islamic corbels. Through the left of the entrance, you can get to the sabeel-kuttab and through the right to the minaret and the dorms. The mosque is of a rectangular shape and its floors are heavily decorated with marble stones and beautiful Islamic carpets.

 

In the “iwan” of the complex (an entirely open space within the complex), there’s a “mihrab” which is a niche that indicates the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. The mihrab is beautifully decorated with stained glass. Facing the iwan, there’s a bigger hall with an exquisite wooden ceiling and it is believed that this hall might have been the school back then.

 

As for the Sultan Qaitbey’s mausoleum, it is as artistic as the rest of the complex. You can access the mausoleum from the courtyard and find the tomb chamber which is considered to be one of the most impressive tomb chambers built in Cairo. The prayer niche in the tomb chamber is made of carved and painted stone and a very high dome soars above it. Another smaller mausoleum in the complex was built by Qaitbey before he became a Sultan, and it now houses the tomb of a saintly man called Gulshani who lived in the Turkish period.

 

Although the Qaitbey mosque and funerary complex is a relatively small site and often overlooked, it is extremely rich with the architectural designs of the Islamic era and should be considered a very important part of your exploration of Islamic Cairo. If you are highly interested in the Islamic era and the arts it has brought to Cairo, you are highly recommended not to miss this beautiful creation.

 

© 2009 Yasmine Sheaito