Mosque · Egypt
Mosque and Khanqah of Amir Shaykhu
مسجد وخانقاه الأمير شيخو
A paired fourteenth-century Mamluk mosque and Sufi khanqah facing each other across al-Saliba Street, with a rare stone minbar.
Where it is
30.0308, 31.2530
Why go
Amir Shaykhu al-Umari built his mosque on al-Saliba Street in 1349 and added a khanqah, a residence for Sufis, opposite it five years later, so the two buildings frame the street. The mosque interior combines wood and marble with an unusual minbar carved in stone. The khanqah has a ceiling of radiating design, white and blue tiles and Qur’anic inscriptions. Seen together, the pair shows how a Mamluk amir combined a place of prayer with an endowed Sufi community on one of the city’s principal streets.
Near Mosque and Khanqah of Amir Shaykhu
Monument
Sabil-Kuttab of Umm Abbas
An 1867 public fountain and Qur’an school on al-Saliba Street, its marble front carved with rococo ornament and Arabic and Turkish texts.
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Historic site
Al-Saliba Street
A medieval street running from Citadel Square toward al-Sayyida Zeinab, lined with Mamluk mosques, a khanqah, sabils and palaces.
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Museum
Gayer-Anderson Museum
A museum occupying two historic Cairo houses, combining domestic architecture with Gayer-Anderson’s collection.
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Mosque
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A monumental Mamluk mosque and teaching complex opposite Al-Rifa’i Mosque.
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