Sultan Qaytbay was a prolific builder of various institutions in
Egypt during his reign, much like al-Nasir Muhammad in the fourteenth century. In fact, some eighty-five structures have been attributed to him in Syria, Palestine, Mecca, Alexandria and
Cairo. Qaytbay's monument remains a fine example of architecture during a period when decorative arts had reached their zenith. It was once a vast desert complex that included a commercial center on the main north-south trade route with Syria and the east-west trade route with the Red Sea. This complex, built between 1472 and 1474 AD.Not all of the several structures that comprised Qaytbay's complex have survived, though the best preserved is the mosque, which also contained a madrasa together with the founder's mausoleum. It has two free standing facades, and is actually a rather small structure relative to many other complexes. On the south side is a groin vaulted trilobed portal adorned with ablaq inlay and some stalactites. To the left of the portal is a sabil-kuttab, and on the right is a minaret. Rising from the structure on the southeast side is a small but magnificent mausoleum dome. Its surface is adorned with a carved straight-lined star pattern superimposed on another carved network of undulating arabesques.
