Picture of Wooden dome and calligraphy in Sultan Hassan mosque (Cairo, Egypt)

Close-up of wooden dome of Sultan Hassan mosque

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One of the largest mosques in the world, Sultan Hassan mosque also serves as a madrassa and mausoleum, although the sultan himself is not buried here.
Like entering opposite ar-Rifai mosque, Sultan Hassan mosque overwhelms the visitor who enters through its enormous gate. Looking up, you see daylight coming in high above in a large dome. From here, a zig-zag corridor takes you to the sahn or inner courtyard. Here, you enter a different world: one defined by the wooden dome over the ablution fountain, a later addition to the mosque, and four spaces or iwans on all sides of the courtyard where all four schools of Sunni thought of Islam could pray in their own area. In fact, they are diversified by different colour carpets on the floor. The floor of the courtyard itself is made of marble. The highest minaret is visible from one corner of the courtyard. The second minaret collapsed during construction, killing hundreds of people, and was replaced by a smaller one. The ceilings of the iwans are very high and make the visitor, or the believer, feel minuscule. Behind them, there are four madrassas, one for each sect of Sunni Islam.
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