Date

Circa 1910

The marble and mother-of-pearl mosaic decoration of the mihrab, with arched colonnades capped by scallop shells, set the fashion for Mamluk decoration in Cairo even as late as the mausoleum of al-Ashraf Barsbay (1423-1424). The complex of the Mamluk sultan Qala'un (reigned 1280-1290) was built in 1284-1285 on the site of the former Fatimid palace. It comprises a hospital (maristan), madrasa, mausoleum and minaret. The hospital incorporated some of the old palace. The madrasa has an unusual four-iwan plan with two vestigial iwans on the sides; it anticipates those popular for madrasas in later centuries.