The red-and-white-striped Mosque of al-Mu'ayyad (the Red Mosque), built on the site where its patron Mamluk Sultan al-Mu'ayyad had earlier been imprisoned, displays a particularly grand entrance portal, dripping with stalactite vaulting; the interior is equally lavish. The mosque was completed in 1421 and was considered the finest built in Cairo.
It is one of the finest examples of Mamluk architecture in Egypt with a dome and two minarets standing at the southern gate. Originally all four sides were equally decorated and all considered front facades and entrances. It has intricate stone carvings, bronze doors, inlaid mosaic patterning and a painted floral pattern ceiling. The central pavilion with the ablutions fountain is unusually large. Inside an entrance hall leads to the tombs of Sultan al-Mu'ayyad and his son.
The best way to get around Cairo is to hire a private car and guide.
