Cairo
开罗
Chambers of Tulun
图伦堡The Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun is located in Cairo, Egypt. It is arguably the oldest mosque in the city surviving in its original form, and is the largest mosque in Cairo in terms of land area.
“艾哈迈德·伊本·图伦”（Ahmad ibn Tulun）清真寺位于埃及开罗。它可能是开罗按原样保存下来的最古老的清真寺，也是开罗按占地面积算，最大的清真寺。
The mosque was commissioned by Ahmad ibn Tulun, the Abbassid governor of Egypt from 868-884 whose rule was characterized by de facto independence. The historian al-Maqrizi lists the mosque's construction start date as 876 AD, and the mosque's original inscription slab identifies the date of completion as 265 AH, or 879 AD.
这个清真寺由阿巴斯（Abbassid）王朝的总督“艾哈迈德·伊本·图伦”（Ahmad ibn Tulun）建造，他于868-884年在位，他的统治是事实上独立的。历史学家 al-Maqrizi 列出这个清真寺的始建时间是公元876年，从清真寺的原始碑文可以确定：它的完成时间是伊斯兰历265年，即公元879年。
The mosque was constructed on a small hill called Gebel Yashkur, "The Hill of Thanksgiving." One local legend says that it is here that Noah's Ark came to rest after the Deluge, instead of at Mount Ararat.
清真寺位于一个叫“Gebel Yashkur”的小山上，意思是“感恩的小山”。当地一个传说中：在大洪水后，这里才是诺亚方舟的停靠地点，而不是阿勒山。
The grand ceremonial mosque was intended as the focal point of Ibn Tulun's capital, al-Qatta'i, which served as the center of administration for the Tulunid dynasty. The mosque originally was backed by ibn Tulun's palace, and a door adjacent to the minbar allowed him direct entry to the mosque. Al-Qatta'i was destroyed in the early 10th century, AD, and the mosque is the only surviving structure!
这个宏伟的、用作典礼的清真寺是要作为伊本·图伦的新首都，图伦王朝的行政中心 Al-Qatta'i 城市的核心。清真寺原本与伊本·图伦的宫殿相邻，并在“宣礼塔”（minbar）处有一个门，使他能够直接进入清真寺。【译者注：minbar，“宣礼塔”，清真寺里一种常有的建筑，阿拉伯语的原意为“尖塔”，就是下图中的建筑。】Al-Qatta'i 城市毁于公元10世纪初，这个清真寺是唯一留下来的建筑！
There is significant controversy over the date of construction of the minaret, which features a helical outer staircase similar to that of the famous minaret in Samarra. It is also told that using these stairs one can climb up on a horse. Legend has it that ibn Tulun himself was accidentally responsible for the design of the structure: supposedly while sitting with his officials, he absentmindedly wound a piece of parchment around his finger. When someone asked him what he was doing, he responded, embarrassed, that he was designing his minaret. Many of the architectural features, however, point to a later construction, in particular the way in which the minaret does not connect well with the main mosque structure, something that would have been averted had the minaret and mosque been built at the same time. Architectural historian Doris Behrens-Abouseif asserts that Sultan Lajin, who restored the mosque in 1296, was responsible for the construction of the current minaret.
对尖塔的建造时间有很大的争议。这个尖塔的特色是外面有螺旋型的阶梯，就像著名的萨迈拉（Samarra）尖塔。【译者注：萨迈拉，伊拉克城市。】据说，从这些阶梯，可以骑着马上去。传说，伊本·图伦自己偶然的成为了这个尖塔的设计者：据想象，他和他的官员们坐在一起时，走神了，将羊皮纸卷在手指上。当人问他在做什么时，他不好意思的回答：在设计尖塔。然而，建筑学上的许多特征都表明是后来建造的：尤其是尖塔未能与清真寺的主体建筑很好的联结在一起，这也许会否定尖塔与清真寺是一起建造的说法。建筑历史学家 Doris Behrens-Abouseif 断言：于1296年修复清真寺的 Sultan Lajin 是现在这个尖塔的建造者。
Fun fact: not only Tomb Raider has the right to use Egypt as a source of course. The mosque of Tulun has also been used in Serious Sam 3 although the minaret is absent from the game design. This is also actually the courtyard where Lara traps the hammer-guy. You have to use your imagination as its totally different. Obviously you cannot compare the graphics from these games.
有趣的事：当然，不仅仅《古墓丽影》有权使用埃及作为来源。图伦清真寺也被用在了《英雄萨姆3》里，只是游戏里没有尖塔。这个庭院也是劳拉困住牛头怪的地方：你必须展开想象力，因为它们完全不同。显然，你不能比较这些游戏的图形技术。
Inside the courtyard of the Chambers of Tulun level where you lock the hammer-guy you see several Mihrabs. Mihrab is the name of a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla: that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. The use of this texture is far from realistic but he its Tomb Raider right?
在“图伦堡”这关，困住牛头怪的庭院里，有几个“米哈拉布”（Mihrabs）。“米哈拉布”是清真寺墙上凹进去的半圆形壁龛，它标明了“qibla”，也就是穆斯林祈祷时应该的朝向：麦加的“Kaaba”的方向。游戏中这个图案的朝向不太对，但它只是《古墓丽影》，不是吗？
Some intriguing ceiling design from the Mosque of Al-Nasir Muhammad used in Tomb Raider.
《古墓丽影》里用到的 Al-Nasir Muhammad 清真寺的一些引人兴趣的房顶上的图案。
