Sultan Hassan Complex

Cairo, Egypt

One of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world, combining a mosque, four madrasas (one for each Sunni school of law), and a mausoleum in a single monumental complex.

Historical Context

Sultan Hassan commissioned the complex during a period of plague and political instability, using stones reportedly taken from the Pyramids of Giza. The building's immense scale was intended to house all four Sunni schools of law under one roof, asserting Cairo's role as the intellectual center of the Sunni world.