EGYPT. Egypt remained for a while outside of this movement, probably because its architecture was still in the hands of native Christian Copts; no domes were used and brick had not yet given place to stone. The most famous mosque of this age was that built by Ibn Tulun when he declared Egypt's independence (S76 to S79). As Ilm Tu Inn objected to destroying so many Christian (-hutches to get the 300 columns required for the mosque, it Christian Coptic architect of fered to build it without using a single column. It is the first mosque with piers in place of col umns. This mosque is of the cloistered type, with two aisles on three sides and five aisles on the Jami side; formed of 160 rectangular piers supporting broad stilted pointed arches, such as the Copts had always employed. The entire con struction was of burnt bricks stueeoed on both sides, the stucco being deeorated with stiff ara besques in relief of the knop and (lower pattern derived from ancient Oriental or Greek models. A tint wooden roof rested on the walls not far above the crown of the aches. The wall inc•los ing the mosque forms a court about 300 feet square. All the brilliant revetment and coloring La v" disappeared. Still this remains the finest fx:Ilnpl, of the early type of mosque. It also has a couple of the earliest minarets, built, as were all the early ones, of brick. There is a small dome in front of the Mihrob, as in the earlier Syrian and Palestinian mosques.
Under another dynasty, another great mosque was built, the El-Azhar or University mosque. in the newly founded capital, Cairo. begun in 9(19. Here the same cloistered plan was used. but the churches were despoiled of columns for it• in place of musing piers. When, in 106, the mosque of El-Hakim was built, however, the quadrangu lar pier was used as in the mosque of 'Tuluh. But its proportions are fan• and higher.
It was about this time (e.1000) that Egyp tian architects adopted the dome. Cairo's great characteristic• is its multitude of domes. They were used mainly over funerary chapels. There now• arose an important class of funerary mosques attached to royal tombs. The Egyptian rulers of the Fatimite dynasty displaced the caliphs of Bagdad as principal patrons of Mohammedan art. and the monuments of Syria, North Africa. and Sicily were inspired from Egypt during the eleventh and twelfth eenturies. Undoubtedly it was the thorough study and application of geom etry by Arab writers of the schools of Bagdad and Cairo that made possible not only the scien tific architecture of this period, but the wonder ful system of geometrical ornament that became so nine]] a part of it A consistent style was finally developed, which spread over the entire Mo hammedan world from Spain and to Persia, and from Asia Minor to India. The
minaret tower. were multiplied and began to lose their early heaviness (see AltN rt and to take on great variety of forms, and. being .ee • as well as brick, they were better adapted to a richer ornaumodathm. The heavy walls were crowned with delicate battlement:.
Most characteristic was the invention of the stalactite pendentive, on the basis of spherical Hyping, as a unique enlist ructive and decorative bond between the square plan and the eireular dome. Often this transition was assisted by a polygonal The historical tendency was PVI-1 to raise the domes higher and make them more pointed. Their numbers multiplied in the thir teenth alid following centuries. The eemeteries of Cairn are fall of ruined hut beautiful domical tombs. The mausoleum mosques of suf. tans Hagan, Barkuk, Knit Bey, Kalaun, EI-Ghurl are the finest examples in Cairo of the domieal style. The use of domes over simple sepulchral chambers had been easy. but its application to the mosque was difficult. Beginning with the tont!) of Esh-Shafi'y in 1211, passing through the stage of the tomb mosque of Es-Salih in 1249, complete success was realized, under the impetus given by the 1\lanielnl:e sultans in the mosque of nasal] in 1356. where the plan is a Greek cross centring about an open court, and with the domed eliapel beyond the otiltrab. This magnificent building was regarded as unequaled in Huluanunedan lands. Its proportions are grandiose; the tunnel vaults over the arms of its eross are bold. Stone and marble have definitely replaced brick. Dur ing this time, however, the type of the old clois tered mosque had been continued in buildings not connected with tombs. such as those of ( 126S), of En-Nasir (131S). 1:tisun (1329). El Alaridany (1339). The system of stalactite con struction passed from pendentive-, to corbel:. :111(1 swan used to fill up gaps between all different planes. Like most of .1olianumedan work, it con ceals under apparent and freedom, not to say vagrant fancy. the most xc•neneilic accuracy of form. The wonderful development of decorative work at this time in niosaie, wood carving, marble inlay, metal, etc.. is noticed later in this article and in special articles.