Some facts about the mosque of Ibn Tulun
Some facts about the mosque of Ibn Tulun
The most ancient mosque of Cairo Ibn Tulun usesspecial honor and respect. Similar to the fortress, the oldest in the city, it was founded in 879. The mosque was not rebuilt. As they say in Cairo, its architecture conveys the spirit and the era of early Egypt. It is the most primitive Islamic - simple and a bit mysterious.
In 870, the ruler Ahmed ibn Tulun foundedthe third Islamic capital, Al-Katay, and built a giant mosque in the city. He did not expect that it will be preserved in the centuries and will become the property not only of Cairo, but of all Africa. There are several legends about the place of its foundation. According to one of them, the governor of Tulun chose for the mosque a hill on the site of which the biblical Abraham wanted to bring his son Isaac in sacrifice. According to another legend, the ark of the righteous Noah stopped on this hill after the Flood, where the righteous man released all people and animals to freedom. But these are all legends.
In fact, the mosque was specially built onelevation so that it was higher than all other city buildings, closer to Allah, and besides that, it must protect itself. Two rows of battlements adorn the mosque and serve as a defense against enemies. In the walls of 20 heavy wooden gate-entrances.
Tulun loved his mosque, was proud of it. Often he received guests in it. One day he sat with the invited persons and wagged a finger on the parchment. Some of the guests dared to ask what he was doing. The ruler replied that he was designing a minaret that would be near the mosque. Thus, a minaret appeared at the construction, which stands alone. But it's more like another legend about an ancient mosque and its founder. In any case, the minaret near the outside of the mosque with arches and protrusions is not like the familiar slender minarets of the East.
The Ibn-Tulun Mosque grew old over the years, was erodedwalls, the gate collapsed, it was rebuilt several times. The first known restoration took place in 1117 on the orders of Vizir Badr al-Jamali. Then, during the reign of Sultan Dajin in 1296, it was again carried out repair work. But no new buildings were built for the mosque.
Thus, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun has preserved its original appearance for many centuries, which tourists can still see today.
