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Sultan Qaytbay School and Mosque
(مدرسة ومسجد السلطان قايتباي)

Title	Sultan Qaytbay School and Mosque
Title Original	مدرسة ومسجد السلطان قايتباي
Publication Date:	879 AH / 1474 AD
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID	monument;ISL;eg;Mon01;12;ar
Library Location	The Sultan Qaytbay School and Mosque are located in the Northern Cemetery (Mamluk Cemetery), Cairo, Egypt
Date	879 AH / 1474 AD
Notes	The north facade of the building is the main facade containing the entrance. The entrance follows the Mamluk entrance system crowned with a trefoil arch, and includes engraved muqarnas. To the left of the entrance there is a path with a scribe above it. There is a minaret to the right of the entrance, which is considered one of the most complete examples of Mamluk minarets, as it shows architectural harmony and ingenuity of decoration. The horizontal layout of the school consists of a square courtyard whose floor is decorated with colored marble and is covered with a roof with a skylight in the middle. Surrounding the court are four iwans. The largest of these iwans is the qibla iwan, which overlooks the courtyard via a horseshoe-shaped arch. This iwan includes a wonderful pulpit made of wood inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, decorated with finely crafted geometric decorations. In the upper part of the walls there are windows made of plaster stained with stained glass. The building's architect excelled in filling the interior spaces with various decorations, and this is evident in the decoration, gilding, and coloring of the wooden ceilings, in the multi-shaped arches, in the stones decorated and engraved with floral motifs, in the marble floors of the school, the shrine, and the sabil, and in the plaster windows covered with stained glass. The shrine is reached through a door in one of the side walls of the Qibla iwan. The shrine has a square, horizontal plan and is covered by a dome. The transition from the square to the circle of the dome takes place through a transitional area consisting of nine rows of fine stone muqarnas. The dome was decorated from the outside with decorations carved in stone, consisting of repeating plant shapes and geometric shapes that coordinate with them. The decoration of this dome is considered the finest that the art of Mamluk stone decoration has reached. This Qaitbay complex is considered one of the most creative and beautiful architectural complexes in Islamic Egypt. Its importance is due to the accuracy of its decoration, the beauty of its proportions, and the harmony of its architectural components, which include the school, the mosque, the path, the book, and the shrine.
Sample Text	Tarek Torky “Sultan Qaytbay’s School and Mosque” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;eg;Mon01;12;ar

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Museum With No Frontiers

Sultan Qaytbay School and Mosque

(مدرسة ومسجد السلطان قايتباي)

Publication Date 879 AH / 1474 AD

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Record ID monument;ISL;eg;Mon01;12;ar

Library Location The Sultan Qaytbay School and Mosque are located in the Northern Cemetery (Mamluk Cemetery), Cairo, Egypt

Date 879 AH / 1474 AD

Notes The north facade of the building is the main facade containing the entrance. The entrance follows the Mamluk entrance system crowned with a trefoil arch, and includes engraved muqarnas. To the left of the entrance there is a path with a scribe above it. There is a minaret to the right of the entrance, which is considered one of the most complete examples of Mamluk minarets, as it shows architectural harmony and ingenuity of decoration. The horizontal layout of the school consists of a square courtyard whose floor is decorated with colored marble and is covered with a roof with a skylight in the middle. Surrounding the court are four iwans. The largest of these iwans is the qibla iwan, which overlooks the courtyard via a horseshoe-shaped arch. This iwan includes a wonderful pulpit made of wood inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, decorated with finely crafted geometric decorations. In the upper part of the walls there are windows made of plaster stained with stained glass. The building's architect excelled in filling the interior spaces with various decorations, and this is evident in the decoration, gilding, and coloring of the wooden ceilings, in the multi-shaped arches, in the stones decorated and engraved with floral motifs, in the marble floors of the school, the shrine, and the sabil, and in the plaster windows covered with stained glass. The shrine is reached through a door in one of the side walls of the Qibla iwan. The shrine has a square, horizontal plan and is covered by a dome. The transition from the square to the circle of the dome takes place through a transitional area consisting of nine rows of fine stone muqarnas. The dome was decorated from the outside with decorations carved in stone, consisting of repeating plant shapes and geometric shapes that coordinate with them. The decoration of this dome is considered the finest that the art of Mamluk stone decoration has reached. This Qaitbay complex is considered one of the most creative and beautiful architectural complexes in Islamic Egypt. Its importance is due to the accuracy of its decoration, the beauty of its proportions, and the harmony of its architectural components, which include the school, the mosque, the path, the book, and the shrine.

Sample Text Tarek Torky “Sultan Qaytbay’s School and Mosque” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;eg;Mon01;12;ar