Picture of Tomb of the sons of Sultan Hassan, founder of the mosque (Cairo, Egypt)

Tomb of the two sons of Sultan Hassan

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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.
The qibla iwan, facing the direction of Mecca, is the largest vaulted hall of the medieval Islamic world. Its obvious centrepiece is a marvellous mihrab or niche, with layered multicolour marble and gold decoration, and gilded columns on its side, probably indicating they were taken from Crusader buildings in Palestine as a trophy. Above, on long chains from the ceiling, are many lamps, somehow giving an imaginary ceiling to this vast space. Around this iwan is a band of calligraphy in Kufic letters depicting Quranic verses. There are several intricately carved bronze doors in this iwan, one of them leading to the mausoleum where, since the body of the sultan himself was never found, holds the remains of his sons instead. The mausoleum is wonderful in a different way: the tombs are centrally placed, further accentuated by the circular lamps above them, with light leaking in through windows in the wall and the decorated dome high above. It would have been the perfect place for Sultan Hassan himself to be buried.
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