 Completely surrounded by dependencies added as the mosque was used over time , the original structure was 280 feet ( 85 m ) in length and 227 feet ( 69 m ) wide , and comprised three arcades situated around a courtyard . To the southeast of the courtyard , the original prayer hall was built as a hypostyle hall , five aisles deep . Measuring 260 feet ( 79 m ) by 75 feet ( 23 m ) , the qibla wall was slightly off the correct angle . The marble columns supporting the four arcades that made up the prayer hall were reused from sites extant at different times in Egyptian history , from Pharaonic times through Roman rule to Coptic dominance . The different heights of the columns were made level by using bases of varying thickness . The stucco exterior shows influences from Abbasid , Coptic and Byzantine architecture . 
