Egypt: The Mausoleum and Minaret of Abu'l Ghadanfar

The Mausoleum and Minaret of Abu'l Ghadanfar

by Staff Description

This building, dating to 1157 and 1462 AD (552 and 867 AH), is on the site where originally a Fatimid mashhad for Sayyid Mu'ad (Sidi Ma'az), who died in 907 AD, was located.. The site was subsequently built on by the Amir Abu'l Ghadanfar, who added a madrasa in 1157. All that remains from this date is the stuccoed-brick minaret, which manifests a transition from Fatimid to Ayyubid styles. The adjacent tomb of the saint is a fifteenth-century Mamluk addition, built of brick.

There is one inscription in kufic over the entrance of the tomb and another mounted on the qibla wall. Stone walls lying to the west of the tomb may date from the earlier period of construction. The mosque that stands to the south of these structures is modern.

The site is located in Islamic Cairo near the corner of Al-Mansuriyya and Al-Azhar street.