1781.b.39, 18(54)

Inscription: Inscribed in the negative, 'Frith 148.'

Genre: Architectural Photography

General view of the Sultan Barkuk Mosque: 'The Mosque of Barkook was the first royal mosque built in the Eastern Cemetery of Cairo; and the buildings around it are...those of many of the kings of the dynasty which he founded...The mosque was erected by his son Farag, who succeeded him as Sultan. It is of good architecture, though apparently badly built, and in a state of great dilapidation. Within it, is a spacious court, surrounded by handsome colonnades, with two dome-covered sepulchral halls at the extreme angles, and a small dome over the niche. The latter is very rare in Cairo; indeed, we are not aware of any other example. It is just visible above the walls of the mosque in the view...Between the spectator and the Mosque of Barkook is another tomb of unusual height. The general proportions, and those of the dome, are decidedly inferior, in many respects, to those of the generality of Arab buildings; its character is mixed, and of an uncertain period; and its date, in the absence of the name of its founder, is uncertain.'