Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan

The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan was commissioned by the Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Hasan and built between 1356 and the early 1360s. It is one of the largest medieval mosques anywhere, and its scale was so great that its roof was later used as a platform for attacking the Citadel opposite. The complex was both a congregational mosque and a college, with teaching for all four Sunni schools of Islamic law.

You enter through a lofty portal and a dark, winding passage that opens suddenly into a vast courtyard. Four vaulted iwans face the central fountain, the largest being the qibla iwan, where a marble mihrab and a long band of carved inscription run along the walls. In each corner of the courtyard a door leads to one of the four madrasas, each with its own small courtyard and student rooms rising several storeys. Behind the qibla wall, the domed mausoleum holds a memorial to the sultan.

The building suits anyone interested in architecture, and its proportions are impressive even if you know little about the period. Allow about an hour, including time in the al-Rifa'i Mosque next door. Dress modestly, with covered shoulders and knees, and women should bring a scarf. Shoes are removed in the prayer areas. The courtyard can be quiet and cool, especially in the morning.

The site is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00, and foreign visitors buy a ticket that also covers the al-Rifa'i Mosque, completed in 1912 in a neo-Mamluk style. Al-Rifa'i holds the tombs of members of Egypt's royal family and of the last Shah of Iran, and the two buildings together form one of the most photographed views in the city.

The mosque stands on Salah El-Din Square at the foot of the Citadel, so it is easy to combine both in a morning by taxi. The Mosque of Ibn Tulun and the Gayer-Anderson Museum are a short ride away, and the Museum of Islamic Art at Bab al-Khalq helps put the architecture into context. The square in front of the two mosques is busy with traffic, so take care crossing. Late afternoon light on the stone façades is particularly good for photographs, and from the steps you can look straight up at the Citadel walls and the domes of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.