The Blue Mosque is the largest mosque in the Bab al-Wazir district of Cairo. Built in 1347 by Amir Aqsunqur, the mosque is an exceptional example of early Mamluk religious architecture, associating a mausoleum for the founder with a large courtyard for prayer surrounded by porticoes. (...)
The Blue Mosque is the largest mosque in the Bab al-Wazir district of Cairo. Built in 1347 by Amir Aqsunqur, the mosque is an exceptional example of early Mamluk religious architecture, associating a mausoleum for the founder with a large courtyard for prayer surrounded by porticoes. In 1652, the Ottoman Amir Ibrahim Agha Mustafazan initiated a restoration campaign of the mosque and redecorated the sanctuary with blue Iznik tiles, some original, others made in Cairo workshops, giving the mosque its modern name.
The arches of the porticoes suffered from a destructive 1992 earthquake and are structurally unsafe. They were shored up in the mid-1990s to prevent further collapse. The mausoleum of Ibrahim Agha Mustafazan is also much deteriorated. The supporting walls are heavily cracked, as are the Iznik tiles and marble decorations. The base of all masonry is affected by rising damp with salt deposits on the surfaces of the materials, and some of the decorations have collapsed as a result. In addition, some of the Iznik tiles decorations were stolen and the site is still exposed to looting and vandalism.
