The dome
Lead-covered wood, topped by a copper boat.
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The Mausoleum of Imam al-Shafi'i is an Ayyubid tomb in Cairo's Southern Cemetery, over the grave of Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, founder of the Shafi'i school of Islamic law, who died in Egypt in 204 AH (820). Sultan al-Kamil built it in 608 AH (1211). It is the largest free-standing mausoleum in Egypt, under a double wooden dome that ranks among the country's oldest. Saladin had already founded a madrasa beside the grave and, in 1178, ordered the carved teak cenotaph that covers it. Al-Kamil raised the mausoleum after the death of his mother, who is also buried here. Sultan Qaytbay added decoration, muqarnas and a fourth mihrab in 1480; Sultan al-Ghuri repaired it, and Ali Bey al-Kabir added painted decoration in 1772. The latest major conservation began in 2016 and ended in 2021. The tomb rests on a square base 15 m wide inside. The lead-covered dome is topped by a small copper boat, said to have been filled with grain for birds. Inside, look up at the painted wooden muqarnas, then at the marble walls and the cenotaph, whose Kufic inscriptions give the imam's lineage and date of death. Three other cenotaphs include that of al-Kamil's mother. The tomb stands in the heart of the cemetery and adjoins the Mosque of Imam al-Shafi'i, where people pray today. Come by taxi and allow 30 to 60 minutes. Sayyida Nafisa Mosque lies 1.3 km north-west and the Citadel 2 km north, in a straight line.
Lead-covered wood, topped by a copper boat.
Carved teak with Kufic inscriptions, from 1178.
Carved wood filling the dome's corners.
Imam al-Shafi'i Street, Southern Cemetery, Cairo
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No. The tomb is Ayyubid, while the adjoining Mosque of Imam al-Shafi'i is a later building. The dome reopened in 2021 after its restoration.