Built in 1340 CE by Emir Al-Tunbagha Al-Maridani under the patronage of Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Mohamed, Al-Maridani Mosque is an enduring example of Mamluk architecture. It features a courtyard surrounded by four aisles, with the deepest aisle in the direction of prayer. The mosque includes a marble fountain, a marble-clad northern aisle façade, and a prayer wall adorned with fine marble and mother of pearl. Additionally, it boasts three entrances, a dome supported by eight pillars, an interior garden, mashrabiya screens, and stained-glass windows.

Al-Mardini Mosque is one of the finest examples of Bahri Mamluk architecture in Cairo and it contains a large number of high-quality ornaments such as a beautifully carved wooden screen separating the Qibla Riwaq from the rest of the mosque, monumental granite columns and capitals, reused from the Roman period, a Mihrab of colour marble with bands of thin tracery, inlaid with mother of pearl of the finest craftsmanship, ceilings painted and gilded with geometrical designs.

Similar to the sultan’s mosque in the Citadel, the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani is constructed using hypostyle and riwaq designs and has three axial entrances as well as a dome over the mihrab. But due to the limitations of urban development, the mosque is not square. In particular, the north-eastern corner was constructed so that it would not obstruct Al-Tabanna Street or a nearby little road. Notably, the only indication of when building began comes from the foundation: a band of writing at the mosque’s west door shows that construction began in 739/1338-9.

The exterior of the mosque built by Amir al-Maridani is typical of an urban Mamluk mosque, with “recesses capped with stalactites featuring double-arched windows.” The main entrance is on the north side of the mosque and is on the same axis as the prayer niche. The mosque has three entrances, each of which is shaped like an Iwan with a pointed arch and is crowned with a medallion of faience mosaics. The main entrance is a deep recess with a muqarnas cresting that is lavishly decorated and panelled in marble. The small window enclosed by colonettes and the joggled door lintels are also typical elements of Mamluk architecture. The small exterior window in this instance corresponds to an interior window with a grille made of blue and white tile.

The main entrance’s crown, the west entrance, and the prayer hall, the sanctuary, all display the construction date. A dawn pattern is used to embellish the muqarnas pendentives on the west entrance using the ablaq technique, which alternates light and dark stone courses. A medallion with a smaller medallion in its centre is adorned with tile mosaics between the pendentives. The entire south entrance is unadorned.

The Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l’Art Arabe repaired the mosque between 1895 and 1903. But ever since, it has declined gradually as a result of neglect. In addition to the regular build-up of dust and filth from Cairo’s desert environment and urban pollution, the mosque has also experienced humidity and water damage because of the area’s increasing water table and sewage leaks. The prayer hall, or sanctuary, is particularly dilapidated. The marble panel design on the walls has become especially fragile due to the appearance of cracks in the walls. The wooden insets that make up the decoration of the minbar were stolen between 2007 and 2010.

Recently, Al-Maridani Mosque has been fully refurbished following years of restoration work overseen by the Egyptian government in collaboration with Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the European Union. The restoration project began in 2016 with an examination by a French expert, leading to a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018 between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and The Aga Khan Foundation, funded by the European Union. This project, part of ‘Creating Access to Cairo’s Islamic Cultural Heritage’, included conservation work, the creation of a visitor path, and the development of local products and services related to cultural tourism. It focused on restoring the prayer hall and aimed to integrate the mosque into a tourist route along the Darb al-Ahmar district. The first phase of the project, including restoration of the prayer hall and the eastern parts of the mosque, was completed in June 2021. The second phase began 2022. The fully restored 14th-century Al-Maridani Mosque was re-opened with an official ceremony on 28 May 2024.