Mosque of Ibn Tulun
جامع أحمد بن طولون
Completed in 879, the oldest mosque in Cairo that retains its original form, covering about 2.6 hectares, with an external spiral minaret you can climb.
Ibn Tulun Mosque was built by Ahmad ibn Tulun, the governor of Egypt sent by the Abbasid caliphate. It is Cairo's oldest surviving mosque and still keeps its original layout. A vast square courtyard is surrounded by brick pointed-arch arcades, and the stucco carvings and wooden inscriptions are simple yet magnificent. The mosque was a filming location for The Spy Who Loved Me (007). Its minaret has an external spiral staircase, said to be modelled on the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq. From the top you can see the Citadel and the old city. Admission is free or costs a small fee, the mosque is open roughly 08:00–17:00, and visits are paused during prayer times. It is much less crowded than other sites, so photography is very pleasant. The neighbouring Gayer-Anderson Museum can be visited at the same time.
Opening hours
About 08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Gayer-Anderson Museum
- Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
- Al-Rifa'i Mosque
- Citadel of Saladin
- Abdeen Palace
- Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo
- Bab Zuweila
- Al-Azhar Park