Mausoleum of Aga Khan

Egyptian architect Farid Shafi'e (1907–1985) designed the mausoleum, who during his career served as an architectural designer; professor and director of the architecture department at Cairo University; and consultant for the King Abdulaziz University, among other roles.[6] Among some of the other buildings that Farid Shafie designed during his career are the headquarters of the Royal Navy in Cairo; the Office of the Sheikh at the Al-Azhar Mosque; and a royal suite in the Abdeen Palace in Cairo.[7]

Farid Shafi'e published numerous journal articles and books during his career, including an article about the Masjid al-Juyushi, the Fatimid building that the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III was designed to resemble.[8][5] Some of Shafi'e's other publications include Characteristics of Decorated Wood in the Abbasid and Fatimid Styles (1954); Arabic Islamic Architecture: Its Past, Present and Future (1981); and Arab Architecture in Islamic Egypt, Volume 2: The Fatimid Era (1982).[8] Shafi'e's past publications indicate that he had studied Fatimid architecture extensively prior to designing the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III.

Masjid al-Juyushi, a Fatimid mosque, served as an architectural inspiration for the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III. Both structures feature a rectangular layout with high walls, a central dome, and numerous smaller domes.

The Mausoleum of Aga Khan III was designed to resemble the Masjid al-Juyushi, a Fatimid mosque and dedicated mausoleum that was constructed in 1085.[5][9] Both the Masjid al-Juyushi and the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III feature a rectangular layout with high walls, a central dome, and numerous smaller domes. Like the Masjid al-Juyushi, the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III also features an interior mihrab for prayer.[10] Despite numerous functional and aesthetic similarities, the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III does not share some of the Masjid al-Juyushi's most revered features, such as its minaret, its muqarnas cornice, or its courtyard.[9]

Based on aesthetic similarities, the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III's architectural style may have also looked to other examples of Fatimid architecture for inspiration, such as the Aswan Necropolis, a collection of tombs constructed between the 10th and 12th centuries.[11] Both the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III and the Aswan Necropolis feature domes with octagonal transition zones, arched doorways, mihrabs, and building materials that blend in with the surrounding desert environment (the Aswan Necropolis tombs were mostly built with mud brick and coated with lime plaster).[11]

Another Fatimid mausoleum that the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III may have looked to for inspiration is the Mashhad al-Sayyida Ruqayya, which was constructed in Cairo in 1133/527 AH.[12] Like the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III, the Mashhad al-Sayyida Ruqayya features a dome with an octagonal transition zone as well as arched tracery windows with geometric patterns.[12]

Given the many distinct shared features between the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III and various Fatimid mausoleums, it can be understood that the design of Aga Khan's mausoleum was largely influenced by Fatimid architecture.

The mausoleum features crenellated parapet walls, a large central dome with tracery windows along the drum, four smaller domes on each corner of the outer wall, and a mihrab for prayer.

The Mausoleum of Aga Khan III is built of pink limestone.[5] Crenellated parapets line the outer wall, and an arched doorway on the western side of mausoleum serves as the only entrance to the mausoleum's interior.[6] The eastern side of the mausoleum features a large central dome with arched tracery windows along the octagonal drum. Four miniature domes are located on each corner of the outer wall.

Quran'ic inscriptions adorn the interior tomb of Aga Khan III, which is made of Carrara marble.[5] The mausoleum's floor plan indicates that the tomb faces a mihrab, which is located under the central dome on the eastern wall of the mausoleum.[10]