Back in the main courtyard, I was drawn to the main, eastern iwan, known as the Qibla Iwan because here prayers face the direction of Mecca. Not only
Back in the main courtyard, I was drawn to the main, eastern iwan, known as the Qibla Iwan because here prayers face the direction of Mecca. Not only is this the largest of the iwans, it is the largest vaulted hall of the medieval Muslim world. The use of polychrome marble paneling is one of the most characteristic features of Mamluk decoration and here the mixture of soft colors in flat rectangles contrasts strikingly both with the dusty plastering of the walls and with the deep relief carvings of the inscriptions. The style of the columns that flank the decorations indicates that they may have been trophies from Crusader buildings in Palestine Taken @Cairo, Egypt
Size: 6026px × 4026px
Photo credit: © Tjetjep Rustandi / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: aerial, africa, african, ancient, arab, arabic, arch, architecture, art, building, cairo, citadel, city, courtyard, culture, denomination, dome, downtown, egypt, egyptian, faith, famous, hasan, hassan, historic, history, islam, islamic, landmark, lantern, minaret, monument, mosque, muslim, north, panoramic, pray, prayer, religion, religious, sky, skyline, stone, sultan, tourism, town, travel, windows
