Tomb of Kait-Bey
Among the tombs of the Caliphs the first and most imposing is the Tomb-Mosque of Kait-Bey, with its lofty dome and beautiful minarets.
Within the mausoleum are two stones, one of red and the other of black granite, which are said to have been brought from Mecca by Kait-Bey and to bear the impressions of the prophet’s feet. Over one is a wooden canopy, over the other a bronze dome. The minaret is a striking feature. It is very elegant, and from its galleries may be heard, five times a day, the melodious call to prayer. The dome itself is a work of art, richly sculptured.
Kait-Bey was one of the last independent Mameluke Sultans of Egypt. His reign lasted from 1468 to 1496, and was, on the whole, successful. As a general and a statesman he held his position against the Porte, and inflicted serious losses on the Turks. He was, however, greatly hindered in his undertaking by the discontented Mamelukes, who at last compelled him to abdicate in favor of his son Mohammed, a boy but fourteen years old.
The mosque occupies a conspicuous place among the tombs of the Caliphs on the eastern side of Cairo. “Looked at externally or internally nothing can exceed the grace of every part of this building * * * It is, perhaps, unrivaled by anything in Egypt and far surpasses the Alhambra or the Western buildings of its age.”—Ferguson. Travelers call attention to the “elaborate lace-like sculpturing of its well constructed dome.”
In the picture above we see the beautiful minaret with its several galleries, and beyond it the dome so widely praised.
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