0 MOSQUE AND MADRASA OF AL-MU'AYYAD SHAIKH ( 818 – 823 A.H. / 1415 -1420 A.D.)

          This mosque was founded by Sultan King al-mu'ayyad  Abu al-Nasr Shaikh al-MaHmudi al-Garcassy in 818 A.H /1415 A.D…..

And was completed five years later in 823 A.H /1420 A.D….References point out that when the Sultan died many of buildings elements were not completed of which was the dome of the mausoleum and the residence of the sufis, which was due to the poor economic conditions in Egypt during that period and the unnecessarily large and huge structure of the building , to the extent that Maqrizi compared it to the throne of Queen Balqis of sheeba and palace of Kisra in old Persia. The building is located inside the walls of Cairo adjacent to Bab Zuwayla. al-Mu'ayyad was one of those Sultan who were known as "builders" as he erected several other buildings of which was this mosque and the Ham- mam (bath) annexed to it; he also established the bimaristan and the Kharouby Khanqah, a sabil in the citadel and a minaret in al-Azhar mosque, in addition to renovating the mosque of al-Miqyas and other building in Egypt and al-Sham (Syria).

The mosque was founded to serve as a mosque, a madrasa and a Khanqah. Its plan consists of a central large open courtyard with an area of 1750 sq.m i.e. the raito between the areas of the courtyard and that of the madrasa is 1:2.85.

Surrounding the courtyard are four iwans (Plate 1/190). The original plan of the mosque included several elements: four entrance –three of which are main whilst the fourth is the secret door. The mosque also contains four iwans for studies and prayers, two mausoleums on both sides of the main iwan, a sitting loggia for the Sultan next to Bab Zuwayla and a fountain in the middle of the courtyard.

               Annexed to the mosque are 200 residences for sufi students grouped around a durqa'a the northwest of the mosque, and a hammam (bath) to the west.

The ablutary lies in a central location between the Hammam and the mosque, and it used to contain 19 basins – according to the drawings made up Pascal coast in 1818/1825 A.D. distributed along three sides around a large basin of water. Also, the necessary services for such a compound (a well, a water wheel, and a kitchen and its utilities  ) are annexed to it. The mosque has three minarets of which the one at the western.