Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The mosque in Cairo Mahmoud Pacha

The mosque in Cairo Mahmoud Pacha is located Salah El Din square in front of the door citadel called Bab el-Azab, and east of the Mosque of Sultan Hassan. It is just to the left of the Qanibay Amir Akhru Madrasa. It was founded by Mahmoud Pasha, the Wally (governor) of Egypt Othman Empire in the region of Sultan Suleiman Ibn Sultan Salim. He ruled Egypt for less than two years, and the mosque was completed in 1567, the year of his death.
 
The Ottoman Empire was not really a very stable time for Egypt. Most leaders of Egypt reigned only five or six years because of fighting between the Ottomans and the Mamluks to govern the country. This has caused many problems for common Egyptians, including famine in Cairo in 1695, when the population of Cairo rose in demonstrations. Pacha at the time refused to recognize them and revolt worsened until finally a new governor, Mahmoud Pasha, was appointed to rule Egypt.It is known for being a greedy and bloodthirsty man, never go out without his executioner, who he says with a wave of the hand, those who are destined to die. He met his own death by an assassin's bullet through his cheek.Today, Mahmoud Pasha Mosque is an active center operation. I was a little concerned that my visit would upset those who pray in the mosque, but after telling the guardian of the mosque of the reason for my visit, he greeted me warmly, saying: "Masha'alah" , which means that he thought I would do something good for the mosque.
Outside prayer time and during the Friday congregation most mosques in Egypt are open to visitors, whether Muslim or not. The only exceptions are the mosque Saydena el Hussein (now actually a relatively new structure) on the street and the Al-Azhar Mosque Sayeda Zienab. You must remove your shoes before entering, and observing the sanctity of the system keeping his voice down, but visitors are generally welcome. Some mosques have a small entrance fee, and it is customary to tip the guard or whoever takes care of his shoes or provides a scarf to wear (for women). Although mosques are usually open 25 hours a day, they are normally open to visitors from around 9:00 to 7:00 p.m..Once you enter Salah El Din Square, the eyes are usually attracted by the huge mosque of Sultan Hassan and Refa'i. . However, for the right to be found a small set of read and white mosque on the high ground. This mosque is considered a hanging mosque because you have to climb a few stairs to reach it. However, from the porch was an excellent view of Salah El Din Citadel Square and beyond.
The outer shape and layout of the building are typical Mamluk. This implies a facade divided into bays with cornice of stalactites and a small windows on two major. The mosque is autonomous and inside it takes the form of a large square room with sides of about 19.75 meters in length. Four walls are constructed mosque stone Ablaq using a pattern of alternating red and white colors, both inside and outside. The location of the dome of the mausoleum behind the prayer room to face the citadel and the construction of the minaret of a semicircle, leapingout flanking the dome are two characteristics that have been copied from the mosque Sultan Hassan.

 

The minaret of the mosque is located on the south side. This is a pencil-shaped minaret, which reveals its Ottoman heritage. It is a little odd, given that the rest of the architecture of the Mamluk mosque in style, if the profile of the dome is slightly shorter and more rounded than Mamluk domes. It is a slender tower, which is particularly elongated circular because the circular buttress on which it rests. The same features can be seen in the Mosque of Sultan Hassan 's, which may have inspired the architect Mahmudiyya. Above the base is the first balcony where the call to prayer is made. As the latter, and a balcony above, remains on stalactites media. The shaft of the minaret, as buttress, is ribbed with vertical moldings.
On the front, there are many windows in the mosque to allow light and fresh air to enter, but they are all simple wooden windows as seen from the outside. However, the colored glass and placement is aesthetically pleasing. The entrance of the mosque is designed similar to the Sultan Hassan mosque, made of stone, but of course much smaller.
Inside the mosque, a driveway leads directly down through the sanctuary of the entrance to the absolution fountain. In the mosque, I found one of the most interesting of the dome in Bethel views. Muslims paid great attention to ceilings and domes of their buildings, and this is no exception. Drawings decorate the golden dome and placement of complex stucco and windows color class wearing these decorations to life. That is self mosque enhances the effect of light through the windows. Apart from the dome, the ceilings are a design step, as many are in Cairo. The measures are divided into groups and each group ends with a big step. Around the bottom edge of the cap verses written in the Arabic script adorned known Thulth Koran. Although the mosque has no marble decorations, window treatments and ceiling make this particularly attractive mosque.
There are four large granite columns that support the ceiling structure, a feature that can be found in the Mosque of Sultan Barsbay. These huge columns are Pharaonic origin, and are considered one of the outstanding features of this mosque. Made of granite, their warheads are not parallel to the qibla, but form a rectangular pavilion in the center of the mosque.
On the qibla wall of the mosque, the mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca, in contrast to most other in Cairo, very simple with little adornment. There is only a single curve in the wall, if the lighting is beautiful Milrab with three lanterns and one high above. Similarly, the minbar of the mosque is also quite simple with decorations on the door and stairs. The bulb in the minbar is made of wood, but compared to other mosques of Cairo, is very low. A painted wooden loggia facing the prayer niche and is accessed by a staircase.
The Mausoleum of Mahmud Pasha is accessible from the wall of the mosque. It is built separately from the mosque, as examples to the Sultan Hassan Mosque and the Hussein mosque after renovation.
The mausoleum dome is made of stone and it is a very simple design. This is one of the few domed mausoleums of the Ottoman period. Although it is very high, there is a clear dome with many small windows for light and a few simple stone decorations around the dome, where it rests on pendentives The tomb of Mahmoud Pasha is also very ordinary and made of marble white with no decoration at all.
Renovations and restorations were made in the Mahmud Pasha Mosque by the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Monuments in the late 19th century, during the reign of King Farouk, who is buried a few meters from the Refa'i mosque, along with a number of other members of the last royal family of Egypt ..
This is the kind of small, ancient mosque that escapes the attention of many people, and yet he had a very good visit. There are perhaps as many as a hundred of them around Cairo, but it is convenient to more locations visited by tourists. Visit a historic mosque in Cairo is generally pleasant and the people who work in the mosque are kind and helpful to visitors.

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