The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo

elow: The khanqah of Baibars al-Jashankir.
148 The Art and Architecture of Islamic Cairo
orders and many of the early madrasas in Persia had their origins in
Sufi foundations. However, Sufi teaching was based on a mystical
theology that was frequently at odds with the law-based thinking of
Sunni orthodoxy. The Sufis were much esteemed, but their manner
of organization and the transcendental nature of their theology were
perceived by the orthodox as potentially subversive.
Nothing remains of Salah al-Din’s Dar Sa’id al-Su’ada, and the
oldest surviving khanqah in Cairo is that established by Salar’s part-
ner and rival, Baibars al-Jashankir (1307–10). Despite his short and
turbulent reign, Baibars was a generous patron of architecture, as
his restoration work on the mosque of al-Hakim shows, particularly