Sayf al-Din Ulmas was an amir (commander or high official) under the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad.

[1][2] The mosque Ulmas founded was built in a neighbourhood known as Hadarat al-Baqar, located west of Cairo's Citadel.

[1] According to contemporary writer al-Safadi, Ulmas imported marble from Syria, Anatolia, and other places overseas in order to complete the mosque and its decoration.

[1][2] The mausoleum, whose dome is easily visible from the street, occupies the northwestern corner of the building, close to the entrance.

A small lunette panel of Iznik tiles inserted into the ablaq masonry over the doorway was probably added during an Ottoman restoration, perhaps during the reconstruction of the minaret in the 18th century.

[1] The mihrab in the prayer hall is covered by a combination of different coloured marbles forming various patterns around the semi-dome of the niche and on the spandrels.

[2] The mosque's original minbar was made of stone and featured some of the highest-quality carved stonework to survive from the Mamluk period.