Following on from the Fatimids, the Mamluk sultans built numerous mosques in Cairo. This one, erected in 1279, is a masterclass in the Islamic art aesthetic, which places the onus on sumptous decors and noble materials: stucco, polychrome marbles, porphyry and mosaics raise the beauty stakes both inside and out. An interior corridor leads to the madrasa. Note the fine mausoleum of Sultan El-Mansour Qalaoun.