The necropolis greatly expanded during the Mamluk period (1250–1517). The impetus for the growth was the wish of Sultan Barquq (r. 1388–99) to be buried next to the tombs of Sufi shaykhs to receive continuous baraka. Subsequent sultans also built impressive complexes, which not only included their mausoleums, mosques, madrasas, and Qur’anic schools but also khanqas. These large architectural ensembles attest to the popularity of Sufism after 1300. Dotted with funerary structures and bustling with life, the desert was gradually transformed into residential neighborhoods and places for commercial activities.

One of these typical tomb complexes was built for Sultan Barquq by his son Faraj (r. 1400–11). It included a Friday mosque, a Qur’anic school, two mausoleums, water dispensaries, and small apartments for the founder’s family. It took eleven years to complete the construction. A distinctive trait of such Mamluk complexes is the inclusion of a khanqa, a permanent space for a community of Sufis.

It is unclear which specific tariqa was hosted there, and it may have changed over time as sultans and the elites would favor various orders. To ensure the necessary seclusion for the tariqa’s members, their living quarters were oriented away from the public; windows of the khanaqa face toward the desert and the tombs rather than the city.

Since the thirteenth century, Sufi shaykhs emerged as authoritative figures and were revered equally by the aristocracy and the populace. An eminent specialist of Mamluk art, Prof. Doris Behrens-Abouseif discusses how architecture mirrors the social changes which accompany the patronage of Sufis in the Mamluk sultanate.

According to sources, visitation (ziyara) to the burials of awliya’ like Dhu’l-Nun al-Misri and Rabi‘a al-Adawiyya by Muslim devotees started as early as the tenth century. They also visited tombs of the ahl al-bayt, some of whom are buried in Cairo, such as the Prophet’s granddaughter Zaynab. A major shrine is al-Husayn Mosque, which holds the head of Husayn (son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law), who was martyred at Karbala in 680. The performance of ziyara to these sites in order to receive baraka through the intermediary of the deceased became institutionalized in the Ayyubid period (1171–1260) in Egypt and continues to the present day, especially among Sufis.

Major processions of Sufi orders take place in the streets of Cairo near these shrines for special festivals, such as the mawlids, which are celebrated throughout Egypt. There is also the celebration of al-Muharram which marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year, a tradition established in the eighteenth century. On these occasions, dhikr and sama’ are often performed.

When Abu’l-Hasan al-Shadhili passed away, the new spiritual leader of the tariqa was his favorite disciple and son-in-law, Abu’l-Abbas al-Mursi (d. 1286). He was responsible, along with his student Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari, for the compilation of the order’s doctrines. Al-Mursi’s shrine is enclosed in the eponymous mosque in Alexandria, which was extensively renovated in the 1930s in a neo-Mamluk style, whereas al-Iskandari’s shrine is located in Cairo.

Over half a million visitors a year visit the tomb of the tariqa’s founder Abu’l-Hasan al-Shadhili on his mawlid. However, it is located neither in Alexandria nor in Cairo. Al-Shadhili died on his way to Mecca in 1258 in the remote valley of Humaithara in Upper Egypt and was buried there. The shrine at the base of the valley became a destination for Shadhilis but also followers of other orders. Locals and pilgrims alike compare the site to the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, which is surrounded by seven distinct mountains.

The sanctuary, which has been recently restored and extended to accommodate more visitors, is flooded with pilgrims on the occasion of festivals and mawlids in particular. Egyptian directors Seif Abdalla and Mohamed Mahdi offer a poetic and evocative take on the Humaithara valley, whose lunar landscape appears transformed by the presence of the shrine.

The original title of the poem is al-Kawakib al-durriya fi madh khayr al-bariyya (The Celestial Lights in Praise of the Best of Creation). In 162 verses, it illustrates the reverence to the Prophet and emphasizes the fundamental concept in Sufism (and more generally in Islam) of the sunna, Muhammad being considered as the ultimate model to follow and to emulate.

Al-Busiri’s tomb is located in Alexandria not far from the one of Abu’l-‘Abbas al-Mursi. A particularly unusual feature of the funerary chamber and the prayer room is the whole poem of al-Busiri that runs across the walls instead of the traditional verses from the Qur’an.

The nature of the poem’s mystical content has long been debated. Some have suggested the poem was not intended to have Sufi overtones but is a straightforward account of how Muslims traditionally perceive the Prophet’s life. Others argue it is undeniably a repository of Sufi doctrines. Regardless, the poem is widely popular among Muslims across the world and not only in Sufi circles. Its verses also are said to have prophylactic and curative virtues. Over time, the Qasida al-burda became the most widely recited poem in the Islamic world. 

The work was translated into more than ninety languages, including Turkish and Turkic languages, Urdu, and Swahili. It also led to a multitude of commentaries, imitations, and new subgenres in both Arabic and vernacular languages. The Burda’s success transcended geographic and linguistic borders. It continues to unite Muslims around the world beyond sectarian differences in their shared reverence to and love for the Prophet Muhammad.