The … is entral part of the the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay. The complex was built by the Mamluk sultan Al-Ashraf Qaytbay in Cairo’s Northern Cemetery. It was built between 1470 and 1474. The main building is a mosque (originally a madrasa) attached to Qaytbay’s mausoleum, while other parts of the complex include residential structures, a drinking trough for animals, and a smaller tomb. The complex is considered one of the most beautiful and accomplished monuments of late Mamluk architecture and it is pictured on the Egyptian one pound note

The mosque, along with the mausoleum of the sultan, forms the main building of the complex and is considered exceptional for its refined proportions and the subdued yet exquisite decorations. The entrance to the mosque faces north and deflects the main road slightly easterly around the walls of the mausoleum, perhaps to accentuate its visual effect. The façade is in ablaq-style stone (alternating dark and light stone) and the entrance gate is enhanced by a high groin-vaulted recess with muqarnas. The minaret stands above the entrance on the west side and is beautifully carved in stone, divided into three storeys with richly carved balconies. The eastern corner of the façade is occupied by a sabil (from which water could be dispensed to passers-by) on the ground floor and by a kuttab (school) on the top floor. The former is marked by large windows with iron grilles, while the latter is marked by a loggia with open arches on two sides.

The building was thoroughly restored by the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l’Art Arabe in the late 19th century, and then again recently: the conservation of woodwork was still ongoing in 2014.