Fodor's Expert Review Mosque and Khanqah of Shaykhu

This mosque and khanqah (shrine) were built by the commander in chief of Sultan Hassan's forces. The khanqah has a central courtyard surrounded by three floors where 150 rooms once housed 700 Sufi adherents. As in the mosque, classical pillars support the ground-floor arches. Tuman bay II, the last Mamluk sultan, hid here during the Ottoman conquest, so the mosque was badly damaged by shelling. Nevertheless, its qibla liwan (hall in the direction of Mecca) still has its original marble inlay work. To the left of it are the tombs of Shaykhu and the first director of the school. Today, this is an active neighborhood mosque.