In 990, the former Caliph Al-Aziz ordered the construction of the Al-Hakim Mosque located on the city’s outskirts. The original name of this place is “al-Anwar,” from the Arabic for “the bright.” Regarding the meaning of light, this is a necessary term. Al-Azhar is considered the “excellent” center of Shiite thought.
Eventually, centuries later, the mosque was named after this Caliph, al-Hakim, in honor of his significant contributions to its construction.
The inscriptions on the minarets and the main entrance also testify to their construction during the construction era, which is confirmed by the evidence of al-Maqrizi.
Al-Hakim Mosque, located within the Badr Al-Jamali wall, was built between 1087 and 1092. It can be found on Al-Muizz Street. Location: Inside the city wall on the northeastern border of the city where the tower stands, you will find it north of the mosque.
Al-Hakim mosque designs
Using methods similar to those used in the construction of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun and the Mosque of Al-Azhar, both constructed hundreds of years before him, he created a mosque in the shape of an irregular rectangle. The inviting patio setting is complemented by a loggia that wraps around the entire space.
Minarets can be seen at the tops of the northern and western sides of the mosque. In contrast to the facade of the mosque and the rest of the building, this part is built entirely of stone. Both have unique support structures; One has a circular shaft resting on a square base, while the other has an octagonal shaft resting on a rectangular floor. In 1010, the clever Caliph ordered a square gate to be built around the structure, effectively concealing the original components. There was no explanation for this directive.
Baibars Jashnir repaired the minarets after the 1303 earthquake by adding octagonal brick kiosks to their tops. Each stall has a scalloped porthole, an array of muqarnas, and a ribbed dome.
Eleven gates were initially included in the mosque’s design, which was very few for that period but is standard for mosques constructed in Samarra. According to the Great Mosque of Mahdia (910, Tunis), the most crucial feature of the main facade is the stone mosque in its center. Two steps on each side of the mosque descend through a tunnel with a vaulted ceiling and exit into the mosque’s inner courtyard.
The Fatimids still preserve the 9th-century Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia, designed with a large portico with carved niches and squares at its end (Al-Aqmar Mosque). When it was erected, the Mamluks were in charge (Baybars Mosque).
Although ordinary at the entrance to the pavilion, pointed arches supported by rectangular columns are often reserved for the courtyard and more formal places of the prayer hall, such as the Ibn Tulun Mosque. On other occasions, they are employed in a limited manner throughout the building.
View of Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo
Except for the two pillars on each side, the ancient mihrab has been completely preserved. Previously, a dome stood in its place, but the Mamluks replaced it. Two of the four crowns placed in the hall’s corners disappeared over time (al-Azhar may have provided this peculiarity found in the Maghreb).
Inside the mosque, a riot of color and design. Many Qur’anic inscriptions from the Hakim period are written in a script similar to Kufic, and this origin may be attributed to different periods in Spain, Iran, and Anatolia.
Stylized plants such as flowers and palm fronds coexist with geometric shapes such as angled squares, stars with five or six branches, and interconnecting patterns. The intricately carved wooden tie bars of the prayer hall between the arches refer to the C-style of Samarra, which originated in Iraq but was already in existence in Egypt during the Tulunid Dynasty.
The mosque’s exterior is decorated with bulging column capitals inspired by Ibn Tulun and paintings from Samarra. The balconies that surrounded the courtyard of the mosque were also affected by Ibn Tulun. The Al-Hakim Mosque, built by the Mamluks during the reigns of Baybars and Muhammad bin Qalin, is inspired by the Al-Azhar Mosque.
