Inal
was once a Mamluk
of Sultan Barquq who experienced a distinguished career,
rising from Amir Tablkhana (an amir of forty) to governor of
Edessa in Syria, chief dawadar and finally to al-amir al-kabir,
chief of armies. He finally became Sultan in 1451 at the age
of 73, and held this position until the age of 80. His reign
was said to be just, prosperous and eventful.
The Funerary and Religious Complex of Sultan al-Ashraf Inal
is situated to the north of the Khanqah
of Sultan Faraj Ibn Barquq in Cairo's
Northern
Cemetery. It sits on the west side of the road that
crosses the cemetery.
The eastern facade of this structure is that of a mosque
with a groin-vaulted portal. To the portal's left is the
single minaret that is not attached, but rather connected to
the mains structure by a wall. To the right, also attached to
the main structure by only a wall, is the mausoleum. The
rectangular base of the dome sits lower than the roof of the
mosque. Normally in Mamluk architecture, the base of the
minaret and the dome of a mausoleum rise above the roof level,
with the exception of the minarets
of al-Nasir Muhammad at the Citadel,
though only because the mosque was later remodeled. Here also,
in the complex of Inal, various sections were built at
different times.
The
mausoleum dome, which is unimpressive in its proportions,
occupies the corner between the eastern and northern facades
of the complex. It is built of stone with a zigzag carved
pattern. However, its base is adorned with balls of blue glass
paste that fill the carved loops. These same balls are also
notable on the second story of the minaret of al-Nasir
Muhammad's madrasa
(Islamic School), and were later added on the mabkhara
structures (incense burners that were often a symbol of
hospitality) decorating the corners of the facade of the
Maridani Mosque. This mausoleum in dated to 1451 when Sultan
Inal was only an amir,
making it one of the oldest part of the complex.
On the left side, the mausoleum is separated from the
mosque by an open space. This northern face of the mosque also
has a portal made up of a conch on stalactites, rather than
being groin-vaulted. To the right side of the mausoleum on the
same alignment is a protruding structure that has been
identified as a sabil-kuttab
(fountain and elementary boy's school), though the upper
structure (kuttab) is lost to us. It probably also dates near
to 1451.
Still further to the right on the very western edge of the
complex, is another building with its own entrance. Its
inscription records its function as a khanqah and dates its
construction in 1454 AD. By that time, Inal had become Sultan.
Though the khanqah
is ruined, we can still tell that it was an important
foundation, evidenced by its large number of its residential
duplexes and associated dependencies, among which are latrines
for each duplex that had running water. There are also the
remains of a qa'a
or hall for gatherings.
Because the minaret's
base is at the same level as that of the dome's base, it too
was probably built in 1451. Its shaft is completely of stone,
and lavishly carved which is typical of fifteenth century
minarets. In fact, its base is almost completely covered with
decorative panels. On the first story, a molding which frames
the keel-arched niches runs along its eight facets Between the
niches are several colonnettes between carved arabesque
designs. Around the first and second stories of the minaret
are three inscriptional bands.
The
second story of the minaret is where the masons normally show
most of their innovations, and here there is carved an
interesting design. It is a zigzag pattern, but not applied on
a plain circular shaft as usual, but rather the shaft on this
level has a section like a multiple-pointed star, its own
profile dented like a zigzag, so that the design appears to be
three dimensional.
Since Inal was still an amir when he built his mausoleum
here, and most tombs had a prayer hall attached, there was
probably an earlier building situated on the site of the
current mosque. The current minaret probably was incorporated
into that structure as well, since both the minaret and
mausoleum have similar architecture. It is probable that,
after Inal became sultan, he added the khanqah and later
rebuilt the mosque. A writer named Ibn Iyas explains that the
expenses of the complex were taken care of by Amir al-Jamali
Yusuf, who also added a zawiya,
as in the example of Barsbay's
complex. Hence, it must have been a grand complex.
The current mosque, built in a modified cruciform plan,
itself is designated by its inscriptions as a madrasa, and was
apparently one of the last sections of the complex to be built
in 1456. It is actually built above a row of rooms that could
have been cells for students, but are just as likely to have
been storerooms. During the second half of the fifteenth
century, large mosques were no longer in fashion. The inner
space of the mosque proper was reduced because the living
units were concentrated in an independent structure. Hence,
this is a small mosque with two facades, consisting of one on
the road and another within a courtyard. This small, inner
courtyard is of the type that was usually covered by a wooden
dome or lantern and paved with marble, rather than the larger
style courtyards that were open and included an ablution
fountain in the center.
The roofed, cruciform plan is that of the qa'a, or the
reception hall, in residential architecture. However, in those
structures, the center space was usually taken up by a marble
fountain, usually octagonal, like the octagonal lantern above
it that protruded above the ceiling of iwans.
We see this in the palaces of the Citadel and perhaps other
palaces, with domes. Even the large, open courtyards were
often covered during the summer midday sun by tenting
stretched on ropes. Earlier mosques, such as that of Aslam al-Baha'i
(1345) with a cruciform plan had roofed courtyards, but
unfortunately, we do not know how many of the mosques with
small courtyards were roofed.
The prayer niche of the mosque of Inal is made of carved
stone and molding comprising a sunrise motif filling the
conch. Unfortunately, much of the remaining interior has lost
its marble facing.
References:
| Title |
Author |
Date |
Publisher |
Reference
Number |
| Historical Cairo (A Walk
Through the Islamic City) |
Antonious, Jim |
1988 |
American University in Cairo
Press, The |
ISBN 977-424-497-4 |
| Islamic Monuments in Cairo,
A Practical Guide |
Paker, Richard B.; Sabin,
Robin; Williams, Caroline |
1985 |
American University in Cairo
Press, The |
ISBN 977 424 036 7 |
| Islamic Architecture in
Cairo: An Introduction |
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris |
1992 |
E. J. Brill |
ISBN 90-04-08677-3 |
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