The Emir Qurqumas Complex is located in Medieval Cairo, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, in the City of the dead. It is one of the largest mausoleums in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

.

Overview

About 200 meters south of Qansuh's tomb stands a massive complex which is actually two mausoleums joined together. That on the north is sultan

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 Inal's. Built in 1450–1456, it is in a ruinous state but is a good example of a Mamluk

Mamluk

A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...

 mausoleum, with a domed funeral chamber, a Madrasa, a Sabil, a monumental door, and a minaret

Minaret

A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....

. The complex also includes a Khanqah

Khanqah

A Khanqah, Khaniqah , ribat, zawiya, or tekke is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation...

, or monastery for the Sufi Darvishes. Inal had been a slave of Sultan Barquq and could neither read nor write. He ruled from 1453 to 1460 and does not appear to have any distinction other than his lack of education. Adjoining Inal's Mausoleum is that of Qurqumas, built in 1507. It is in a much better condition and more elegant that Inal's, which is heavier in style.

Qurqumas

Qurqumas was the commander-in-chief of the armies, also called Grand Amir, at the time of his death in 1510, the following is Ibn Iyas describing his funeral, where the four qadi

Qadi

Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...

s (judges) attended, and it was a funeral without equal. Qurqumas enjoyed the respect and the consideration of all. A former Mameluk of Ashraf Qaitbay, he was manumitted by that monarch and subsequently progressed through promotions, beginning with the job of second equerry. He had been a commander of a thousand, commander of the guard, and appointed governor of the province of Aleppo

Aleppo

Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...

, under the reign of Amir Tumanbay, when the latter was proclaimed Sultan of Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

. He suffered a common fate.