Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Barquq
The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Barquq, also known as the Mosque-Madrasa-Khanqah of Az-Zaher Barquq, is a religious complex situated in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area of Al-Mu'izz Street, in Islamic Cairo, Egypt. The complex was commissioned by Sultan al-Zahir Barquq as a school for religious education in the four Islamic schools of thought, composed of a mosque, madrasa, mausoleum, and khanqah.
The complex was constructed between to. It was the first architectural facility built during the rule of the Circassian (Burji) dynasty of Mamluk Sultanate.
Along with the Complex of Sultan Qalawun and the Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad, with which it is contiguous, the complex forms one of the greatest arrangements of Mamluk monumental architecture in Cairo, in the section of al-Mu'izz street known as Bayn al-Qasrayn.
History
Al-Zahir Barquq was notable as the first "Burji" Mamluk sultan of Cairo. He was a Circassian slave purchased by Yalbugha al-Umari, a Mamluk emir who ruled Cairo on behalf of Sultan Sha'ban. Like many other mamluks of the time, he was trained in the Circassian military barracks located in the citadel. Under Yalbugha, Barquq gained considerable influence in the state, and he subsequently became a key player in the period of chaos and internal conflict following the violent deaths of first Yalbugha and then Sultan Sha'ban. Eventually, Barquq gained enough support to depose Sultan Hajj, a son of Sha'ban who was still a child, and take the throne for himself in 1382. Following his ascension, he mainly recruited Mamluks of Circassian origin to his regime, and it was this group which dominated the Sultanate until its eventual fall to the Ottomans. Since they lived and trained mostly in Cairo's Citadel, they were referred to as the "Burji" Mamluks, meaning Mamluks "of the tower".Despite the regime change, Barquq's construction shows architectural and artistic continuity with preceding Mamluk buildings. His complex shows important similarities in form and layout with the earlier and much larger religious complex of Sultan Hassan, though the components have been shifted around to suit the different setting. Barquq built his complex in one of Cairo's most prestigious locations, Bayn al-Qasrayn, named after the previous Fatimid royal palaces which occupied the site. His building is right next to the Madrasa of Al-Nasir Muhammad and the funerary complex of Sultan Qalawun, forming a long continuous line of imposing religious complexes along this street in the heart of Cairo.
Furthermore, being part of Bayn al-Qasrayn, the mosque is embedded in the fabric of Egyptian society and the daily life of Egyptian citizens. One of its lesser known purposes is as a shelter for evicted families in the 1970s. The street the mosque is located on has inspired many works of art and literature most famously the novel "Bayn al-Qasrayn" or palace walk by Naguib Mahfouz. The film which was inspired by the novel, also includes many images of the mosque in its background.
Construction
Construction of Barquq's madrasa and funerary complex began in December 1384 and was finished, according to the inscription on its facade, in April 1386. Since the site was in the busy heart of Cairo, some existing structures, including a khan or caravanserai, had to be demolished before construction. Although Mamluk monuments were often built with the help of forced labour, Barquq's construction was reported to have used only paid workers.Barquq appointed his emir Jarkas al-Khalili as supervisor of the works, while the architect or master builder was Ahmad al-Tuluni. Ahmad al-Tuluni, from a family of carpenters and stone-cutters, was notable as one of the few master builders of this period to reach great success and recognition, with Barquq marrying two of his female relatives. He had enough means to eventually build a mausoleum for himself in Cairo's Southern Cemetery. Jarkas al-Khalili, the sultan's master of the stables, was also notable for building the original Khan al-Khalili, which gave its name to the famous bazaar still there today in Cairo.
Architecture
Like most Mamluk foundations, Barquq's religious complex served several functions at a time. The foundation deed states that the complex included a Friday mosque, a madrasa that taught the four Sunni madhhabs for 125 students, and a khanqah for sixty Sufis. The overall design and decoration resembles that of the larger and earlier Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan. The building also included a mausoleum whose dome is visible from the street. Barquq had the remains of his father moved and buried in the mausoleum of his complex when it was completed. Barquq himself, however, later wished to be buried in a new mausoleum in the Northern Cemetery of Cairo, a task completed by his son Faraj.Zakat Khanm a mansion at the same location, supervised the construction by Emir Jarkas Al Khalili, the prince of Akhor.
Exterior
The exterior facade of the complex appears to have been carefully designed to maximize its prominence along a street which already features other major monuments: the minaret is at the far northern corner and is superimposed visually with the dome, while at the southern corner the entrance portal projects both horizontally and vertically from the surrounding facades. A foundation inscription runs along the upper part of the wall, just below a row of muqarnas sculpting, while another Qur'anic inscription can be found at a lower level around the doorway. The Qur'anic inscription features an ornate and unusual calligraphic style by which the top lines of letters join together into flower-like knots. The two round windows visible along the exterior wall correspond to the mihrabs of the madrasa and the mausoleum.The entrance portal rises up to an ornamental stone vault with muqarnas carving. Below this is a large panel of inlaid marble, similar to an example found in the Sultan Hassan madrasa's vestibule and possibly brought from Syria. The bronze doors of the entrance are finely decorated with geometric patterns based on 18-pointed and 12-pointed stars, and features another inscription.
Interior
The entrance vestibule, much like the one at Sultan Hassan's madrasa, is topped by a lantern structure above and more muqarnas vaults. From here, a passage leads to the central rectangular courtyard flanked by four iwans, which was characteristic of monumental madrasas of the period. The walls are enlivened by alternating colored stone. The sabil in the middle of the courtyard is a recent addition by the late 19th-century "Comité" overseeing its restoration, though some kind of fountain was still there originally. The iwan on the eastern side is covered by the largest single wooden roof in Mamluk architecture and shelters the main sanctuary or prayer hall of the complex, while the other three iwans are covered by stone vaults. The main prayer hall has a basilica-style plan similar to that found in the madrasa of Qalawun's complex, with columns upholding the roof. However, its richly painted and carved wooden ceiling is innovative and is considered and outstanding feature of this monument, with patterns resembling those in contemporary illumination of Qur'ans. Both the floor and the qibla wall are adorned with marble mosaics and paneling. A rare and unusual detail are the mihrab-shaped marble mosaics lining the floor at the foot of the qibla wall. The main mihrab itself is covered in multicolored marble mosaics and flanked by four decorative columns.The windows around the complex feature the usual stucco frames with colored glass, though the roundels above the mihrabs have wooden frames. At the back of the building were most of the cells and rooms for the resident students and Sufis, but today this section is in ruins.