in all its magnificence, having
been the metropolis for five centuries, perished, a portion of the old
Mosque of Amr alone remaining. Kahira then took its place as the
official centre of Egypt.

Saladin, the King of Jerusalem, now became ruler of Egypt, and he at
once adopted strong measures to win the apostates back to the true
faith. With a wisdom far in advance of his time, he planned to educate
the followers of Shi'aism by the introduction of madrasah mosques and
colleges. Heretofore we have had the Gami, or congregational mosque,
with a severely plain exterior. The madrasah mosques of this period
contained a smaller court, which was frequently capped with a cupola in
the centre; the sides of the court, instead of being surrounded by
arcades, were formed of four transepts, each spanned by a single lofty
arch. The transept toward the east was deeper than the others, forming
the niche for prayer; it was also furnished with the usual mihrab,
pulpit, and tribunal. Fine facades, minarets, and domes took the place
of the usual plain exterior; the dome was generally utilized as the
covering of a tomb or was intended for future memorial use. The
religious exercises (daily prayers, except on Friday, with sermons) were
in the nature of a school training in the interest of the true
Mohammedan faith.

The exterior of the madrasah college was not unlike the mosque
described, but the interior included facilities for theological
lectures, together with classrooms and libraries for general study; the
students were received on the very terms described in connection with
the university Mosque of El Azhar. These, in general, were the means
employed by Saladin to win all back to the true faith; in time he was
successful, and Kahira no longer rested under the stigma of heresy.

The dignity of the Fatimid age was lowered by Saladin's quartering the
officers of his army in the magnificent palaces, while he occupied the
house of the Viziers. Shortly every monument of the brilliant Fatimid
period had vanished, with the exception of four mosques and the three
gates previously alluded to. Saladin, however, inaugurated a new era of
building, and during his nominal reign of twenty-four years three
mosques and sixteen colleges attest his zeal to the "cause." He also
built the citadel, and the great wall which was to enclose not only
Kahira but the remains of the old cities. To him the present city of
Cairo owes its form and extent.

The tom