Gawhar Al-Lala Mosque

The mosque was founded by the Circassian Mamluk prince Gawhar Al-Lala, an Abyssinian slave who entered the service of Prince Barsbay before he took power. When Barsbay assumed the sultanate in 825 AH he appointed Gawhar to the post of "Lala" — a Persian word meaning tutor to the sultan's children. The mosque was built in 833 AH / 1430 AD.

Built on the model of Mamluk madrasas, it stands in Salah El-Din Square in the Khalifa district. Despite its small footprint and irregular walls, the architect succeeded in laying it out on the cruciform madrasa plan, with a central courtyard covered by a timber roof flanked by two iwans and two side recesses.

The mosque has two façades. The main one, onto Darb Al-Labban, divides into three parts: the sabil, the main entrance, and the exterior of the qibla iwan. The minaret rises above the main façade and can be reached from the roof; it is not from the period of construction, and the date of its renewal is unknown. Restoration began in 2022 as part of the Darb Al-Labbana historic district development.