Mosque of Ibn Tulun

The oldest mosque in Cairo surviving in its original form — vast, austere, and utterly calm.

Ahmad ibn Tulun, sent from Baghdad, broke away to rule Egypt on his own and in 879 crowned his new capital with this mosque. Built of brick and carved stucco rather than plundered columns, it covers more than six acres and is ringed by a rare spiral minaret said to echo the great mosque of Samarra. Its empty courtyard remains one of the most serene spaces in the whole city.