El-Mu'ayyad
Mosque (Red Mosque)
Near the southern Bab Zuwayla is El-Mu'ayyad or the Red Mosque, built between 1415 and 1420 by Sultan El-Mu'ayyad. It is said that the mosque stands where there was once a prison where Sultan el-Mu'ayyad was incarcerated. He vowed that if he were ever freed, he would construct a mosque to replace this prison. This probably explains the notoriety of the southern gate, where many people were hung, even after the destruction of the prison. There are two minarets which stand astride this southern gate, and offer a panoramic view of Cairo. The entrance to the mosque is framed in red and turquoise, and the brass door itself is inscribed with Sultan Hassan's name and was removed from his medersa. Above the door, there is a carved arabesque and stalactite hood. On either side are Kufic inscriptions which relate to the First Pillar of Islam, and have been translated for us as "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger".
Inside, there is an entrance hall that leads to the
tombs of Sultan El-Mu'ayyad and his son. The tomb walls
are completely covered with a polychrome marble revetment
forming geometric patterns. This leads into the courtyard
style mosque, of which the courtyard has been made intp a
garden. Incorporated into the walls of the courtyard are
blind niches of Persian style arches reminiscent of the
Azhar Mosque. In the prayer hall, the ceiling, mihrab and
minbar are outstanding, and the pillars are of ancient
origin. The mihrab has a very fine marble covered
decoration and festooned archstones, while the minbar is
decorated with polygonal panels inlaid with mother of
pearl and ivory. The pillars are surmounted by two rows
of superposed arches which is similar in style to that of
the Ommiad mosque in Damascus, where El-Mu'ayyad was
governor. Beyond the mosque is a second tomb in which the
women of the sultan's family are interred.
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