Facade of the complex of Sultan Qalā’ūn

Opening out onto al-Mu’izz Street, an important avenue in medieval Cairo, the facade of the Qalā’ūn complex is composed of two parts: the southern part which corresponds with the madrasah is set back from the rest, which comprises the entry door and the wall of the mausoleum. A fountain, added in 1326, projects from the corner of the madrasah’s facade, and continues with a colonnade running along the wall that links the two parts of the facade. Like most of the Mamluk minarets, the minaret in the complex, located on the northern side, has three stories. The two lower stories are rectangular, and the third, which is circular, was added by Muhammad ibn Qalā’ūn (1303). Its decoration of intertwining arches recalls those used in Maghribian[1] and Andalusian architectural decorations. 

Using a feature that appeared at the end of the Fatimid period[2], and which is present on the Ayyūbid Madrasah of Sāli’ Najm Ad-dīn Ayyūb (opposite the complex), the complex’s facade has a series of shallow niches of unequal lengths surmounted by pointed arches that accentuate the facade’s verticality. Inside, there are windows on three levels: large rectangular openings, pointed arch openings enclosed by stucco latticework and, on the upper level, double lancet windows, separated by a small column and surmounted by an oculus. Present throughout the complex, the latter originated from Western architecture—Sicilian according to Creswell[3], but most probably crusader[4].

An inscription, once in gold, runs along the entire facade. This epigraphic band is known as the tiraz, a Persian term meaning ‘embroidery’ and refers—since the time of the Umayyads—to inscribed cloth produced in the caliphate workshops. The row of crenellated and perforated merlons unifies the ensemble; it originates from oriental antiquity: probably a reference to ziggurats, this motif existed during the Assyrian period and in the Apadana palace at Persepolis (end of sixth to the beginning of the fifth century BC); it continued to be used in civil and religious buildings at the beginning of the Islamic[5] period. This feature was used throughout the Islamic world for many centuries. It was used in Egypt from the Tulunid period to the Mamluk period. Also present in the Muslim West[6] and viewed as traditional in style, it was re-used in colonial architecture at the beginning of the twentieth century. 

The rectangular bronze-plated door is under a pointed arch with a slight horseshoe shape and alternating voussoirs, which is surmounted by a round horseshoe arch. The use of horseshoe arches probably resulted from the influence of Andalusian and Maghribian architects who had emigrated to Cairo. The spandrels are ornamented with black and white marble strips, produced using the ablaq technique. Probably derived from the Byzantine technique of alternating courses of stone and brick, this technique consisted of placing pieces of marble, each of a different colour, next to each other. It was used from the beginning of the Islamic period, particularly in the Dome of the Rock, and then developed in Syria and Anatolia in the twelfth century, reaching its zenith in 1236 in the mihrab of the al-Firdaws Madrasah (Aleppo, Syria). It was also used extensively in Mamluk architecture, and is sometimes found in the West: Orvieto Church (thirteenth century) and, much later in Marseilles Cathedral (1852–1893), a building inspired by Eastern architecture. The doorway’s rectangular windows are covered with wrought iron railings. Creswell believes this is Frankish work, possibly the work of a craftsman who was a crusader. They are similar to the twelfth-century ironwork in the Dome of the Rock and that of Noyon Cathedral (thirteenth century).

[2] Mosque of the Vizier al Salih Tala'i

[3] Tower of Santa Maria la Nuova, second half of the twelfth century, Palermo

[4] Chapel in the Krak des Chevaliers crusader fortress, Syria, 1170

[5] Khirbat al-Mafjar palace, Palestine, around 744

[6] Minaret of the Kutubiyya Mosque, Marrakech, 1162