Book of Khidr

Minaret of Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo, Egypt, built entirely of carved stucco, red brick, and plaster, with a helical (spiral) outer staircase (similar to the minaret in Samarra). It was said one could climb these stairs on a horse and this has fascinated me since childhood. Architectural historian Doris Behrens-Abouseif asserts that Sultan Lajin, who restored the mosque in 1296, was responsible for the construction of the current minaret. Photographed by K.A.C. Creswell circa 1921-1924.

Inner arches of Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo, Egypt. The mosque was commissioned under the rule of Ahmad ibn Tulun (Abbassid governor of Egypt from 868–884), designed by the prominent Egyptian architect Saiid Ibn Kateb Al-Farghany (a Christian Orthodox architect and engineer who designed the Nilometer), constructed in the Samarran style common with Abbasid constructions. It’s the oldest mosque in Egypt surviving in its full original form, and the largest mosque in Cairo. Photogravure by Martin Hürlimann (Swiss publisher and photographer) in 1937.

Ibn Tulun mosque commissioned under the rule of Ahmad ibn Tulun (Abbassid governor of Egypt from 868–884), designed by the prominent Egyptian architect Saiid Ibn Kateb Al-Farghany (a Christian Orthodox architect and engineer who designed the Nilometer), constructed in the Samarran style common with Abbasid constructions. It’s the oldest mosque in Egypt surviving in its full original form, and the largest mosque in Cairo.