User:Ncampos1/Al-Hakim Mosque

Construction[edit]

Al-Hakim Mosque is also known as Al-Jamiʿ al-Anwar. Its construction was initiated by Al-Aziz Billah in the year 990 and the following Friday prayers took place in it. Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah and his overseer Abu Muhammad al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa'id al-Misri, resumed construction work in year 1003. Finally, its inauguration took place in Ramadan of year 1013. It measured 120 meters by 113 meters when it was finished and was more than double the size of the Azhar mosque. The Mosque was constructed at a cost of 40,000 dinars after which another 5,000 dinars were spent on furnishings. At the time of inauguration, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah permitted a celebratory procession which made its way from al-Azhar to al-Anwar and from al-Anwar back to al-Azhar.

Map of Al-Hakim mosque

The facades and minarets of the mosque are made from stone, while the rest of the structure is made of brick. The interior of the mosque is an open courtyard with parallel columns, forming a rectangle shape all around. In late 1010, Al Hakim ordered for the minarets to be at an angle and that the columns of the masjid to be very tall to cover the inside of the mosque. The mosque's walls were symmetrically arranged within each other. The mosque had originally more than thirteen entrances hence the open space courtyard, one can enter from wherever. Masjid Al Hakim is very similar in architectural design with the Mosque of ibn Tulun: It consists of an irregular rectangle with four arcades supported by piers, surrounding the courtyard. An unusual feature is the monumental entrance with its projecting stone porch. The area that encases the mihrab is constructed to draw attention to the importance. It is both wider and taller, and is marked with a dome that is carried on squinches.

Architecture

The mosque itself is built with multiple arches and windows in the courtyard to allow lots of natural lighting in, however it also has lighting fixtures on the arches to help illuminate once it gets dark. Although, it does have so many windows and arches, it still has a lot of privacy because the outside of the structure is practically solid after many of the original entrances were walled up. It is located on a busy street so people are forced to pass by it which shows the use of routes. Moreover, being located on the city wall shows strength since such a fortified and massive structure was standing there. The structure also has so much ornament that just makes it that much more appealing. The building is covered in calligraphy--some of it in the same color of the building and the rest of it in gold. While the building may not have too much color, it still has several floral carvings scattered throughout that make it look more interesting. There are a bunch of chandeliers all throughout the inside, and it is lined with a carpet that has a white and green pattern on it. It also has several archways and columns that are all throughout the strtucture.

The minarets[edit]

The most spectacular feature of the mosque are the minarets on either side of the facade. The Northern minaret is 33.7 meters long topped by a cylindrical body and above it lies a "Mabkhra" style head, very famous design in the days of the Fatimids. The other minaret is 24.7 meters with an octagonal body above it and the "Mabkhra" head at the end. The original section of the northern minaret is the base and the cylindrical body. Alternatively, the southwestern minaret is composed of a square base that ends in an octagonal form.

Cairo, Egypt northern city wall with the minaret.

Originally the two minarets stood independent of the brick walls at the corners. These are the earliest surviving minarets in the city and they have been restored at various times during their history. The massive salients were added in 1010 to strengthen their structure, and the northern minaret was incorporated into the city wall. At first, the mosque was independent from the northern city wall, however, it became part of it when the mosque expanded. Inside, these strange structures are hollow, for they have been built around the original minarets, which are connected with brackets and can still be seen from the minaret below. A picture of an old minaret from years ago from masjid Al Hakim is displayed below in black and white to the right. It is the mabkhara finial of northern minaret from this Masjid.

History of the minarets

Inscriptions on minarets.

These minarets are important for Islamic Architecture because multiple minarets in the eleventh century were hard to come by unless the mosques were in Mecca, Medina, Damascus, or Jerusalem. Moreover, the shapes of the minarets were different and attention worthy because they were typically pencil shaped up until this point. The minarets are asymmetrical and the one on the northern wall was taller than the other one.There are many scholarly interpretations as to why this mosque had two minarets, but the most notable, would be that the mosque was intended to be a of a pilgrimage destination. There was once very noticeable inscriptions on the exterior of the minarets so that anyone passing by could easily read it. These inscriptions are done in floriated Kufic.

History

Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah was the third Fatimid caliph in Cairo, Egypt and was most known for his harsh persecution of his followers. He had also destroyed several churches throughout his rule. While all this remains true, it is indisputable that he did a lot architecturally for Cairo. Once Al-Hakim took over the mosque project upon his father's demise, it became uncertain who had patronized the interior of the mosque. The interior of the mosque was in ruins for many centuries until it was renovated.

References

1. “Jami' Al-HakimCairo, Egypt.” Archnet, https://www.archnet.org/sites/2316.
2. Bloom, Jonathan M. “The Mosque of Al-Ḥākim in Cairo.” Muqarnas, vol. 1, Brill, 1983, pp. 15–36, https://doi.org/10.2307/1523069.
3. King, James Roy. “THE RESTORATION OF THE AL-ḤĀKIM MOSQUE IN CAIRO.” Islamic Studies, vol. 23, no. 4, Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad, 1984, pp. 325–35, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20847278.
4. Mosque of Al-Hakim Bi Amrillah - Discover Islamic Art - Virtual Museum, https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument%3Bisl%3Beg%3Bmon01%3B4%3Ben.
5. Pruitt J. Building the Caliphate : Construction, Destruction, and Sectarian Identity in Early Fatimid Architecture . Yale University Press; 2020.