Sultan Hassan Mosque
On Friday, we had the opportunity to perform Friday prayer in Sultan Hassan Mosque also known as Masjid 4 mazhab, one of the famous mosques in Cairo. There are many interesting stories about this mosque, which is considered to be Cairo's finest example of early Mamluk architecture. In fact, many guide books refer to it as the finest ancient mosque in Cairo, and has been praised as one of the major monuments of the Islamic world.
This mosque is also considered one of the largest, not only in Cairo but in the whole Islamic world. It is a massive structure measuring some 150 meters long and 36 meters high. It's tallest minaret is 68 meters tall. It was meant to house some four hundred students. Work was begun on the Mosque in 1356. About five years into its construction, one of the minaret collapsed killing more than three hundred people. This was thought to be a bad omen and to make matters worse, in 1361, Sultan Hassan was murdered, two years before the mosque was actually completed in 1363.
Ablution fountain at the courtyard 
On each side of the sahn are recesses with arched supports known as iwans, which open upon the courtyard. They are of unequal size, and so great in size that they leave no space for the cells to overlook the courtyard. Each of the four iwans represents one school (or legal rite) of Sunni Islam, consisting of Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali. The walls of the sahn and the Iwans are marvelously ornate, with lamps hanging from lines looming far above.
The Minbar
In front of the mosque
Citadel of Salehuddin on the other side of the road
Sulaiman Pasha Mosque
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