Mosque of Ibn Tulun

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun features a pointed brick minaret with a spiraling outer staircase that sets it apart from the surrounding skyline. Built in the late ninth century by Ahmad ibn Tulun, a governor of Egypt who broke away from the Abbasid Caliphate, the structure uses massive brick piers rather than traditional columns to support its vast arches. Legend says that Ibn Tulun designed the spiraling ramp himself, reportedly sketching it into the air while absentmindedly twisting a piece of parchment.