Preview
Image ID
E.061
Alternate Identifier
B05.061
Subcollection
E - Lower Egypt, Edfu, and Bodrum
Abstract
View of the courtyard and inner arcade of the Mosque.
Description
"Inside the mosque one is immediately struck by its vastness: it covers six and a half acres. This was the main congregational mosque of al-Qata’i‘, the mosque in which the whole congregation joined together for the Friday noon prayer. The original courtyard could have been used, if needed, as a spillover space for prayer. The arcades around the courtyard, which are deeper on the qibla side, are formed by arches on brick piers and are roofed with palm logs boxed in by wooden panels. Rosettes and windows form a continuous and simple decoration. The arches are pointed— two hundred years before similar arches made their appearance in Europe— and spring from oblong supports rounded at the corners by pilasters, or engaged columns" (51-52).
References
Williams, Caroline. Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide. The American University in Cairo, 2002.
Image Notes
Creation date unknown. Processing date unknown. Formerly cataloged as B05.061. Notes written on the slide of index: Cairo, Ibn Tulun.
Image Format
35 mm slide
Geographic Reference
Cairo, Egypt
Keywords
Arcade, Arches, Pointed Arches, Courtyard, Ninth Century, Abbasid, Brick, Masonry
Rights Statement
