Mosque of al-Hakim
Date:
1013
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Egypt
Description:
The Mosque of al-Hakim is named after Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (r. 996–1021), who ruled the Fatimid Empire from Cairo. Although al-Hakim oversaw the completion of the mosque, which took twenty years to build, it was begun by his father in 990. A massive portal projects from the mosque's north facade and leads to the courtyard or up to the crenellated roof where the call to prayer was issued. The monumental portal became a common feature of Fatimid mosques. There were originally two finely carved minarets fully visible at the corners of the facade. In 1010–11, al-Hakim had them encased in stone bastions for reasons that are not entirely clear.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
6
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons; Navid Jamali
