Publication Date
709 AH / 1309 AD
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;eg;Mon01;23;ar
Library Location
The khanqah was established on part of the Great Fatimid Ministry House overlooking Al-Gamaleya Street, Cairo, Egypt.
Date
709 AH / 1309 AD
Notes
The building overlooks Al-Gamaleya Street, with a large facade built of stone located on the western side. The facade of the shrine located in the khanqa and its large dome occupy the largest part of the facade of the building. The entrance is located at the southern end of the façade, and consists of a sunken wall crowned with a semi-dome roof arch, at the bottom of which is a muqarnas corner with pendants. The entrance was covered with marble and Quranic verses were written on it in black and white marble. The facade includes an inscription band in thuluth script engraved in stone that extends along the facade, and includes the order to establish the building and endow it on Sufism and the name of the builder. Above the roof of the entrance is a minaret consisting of three floors separated by rows of muqarnas. The minaret is crowned with a small, lobed dome-shaped peak that resembles the tops of Ayyubid minarets that take the shape of an incense burner, such as the minaret of the Salih Najm al-Din Ayoub School in Cairo. The top of the minaret also includes the remains of ceramic tiles similar to those used in the minaret of the Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque in the citadel. The khanqah consists of an open, rectangular central court with dimensions of 20 x 16.50 m. On its eastern and western sides are two large iwans, the largest of which is the eastern qibla iwan, which has dimensions of 12 x 10 m. In the middle of this iwan is a stone shrine. It is simple and devoid of decoration. Perhaps this is due to the building being a Sufi khanqa. On both sides of the northern and southern courtyard, there are retreats or residences for Sufis. The document of the endowment of the Khanqah (see below) indicates that the Khanqah used to include three floors containing one hundred retreats for the Sufis who resided there permanently, of which only eleven retreats currently remain. The floor of the shrine was covered with black and white marble, and its walls were equipped with fine marble aprons, 3.60 m high. The shrine contains the tomb of the creator and a towering niche covered in fine marble. Many of the annexes that belonged to the khanqah, such as the kitchen and bakery, have disappeared.
Sample Text
Tarek Torky “Khanqah Baybars Al-Jashnakir” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;eg;Mon01;23;ar
