Category: Cairo Attractions

Mosque of Al-Refai

Al Rifai Mosque: There are a few important places in Cairo that stand out to anyone who thinks about going to Egypt. Because of the different civilizations that lived there, Cairo’s attractions are all different. The pyramids show the culture of the Pharaohs. The churches and Coptic Cairo show the culture of Christians. The mosques and Islamic Cairo show Islamic architecture and art.

Cairo is called “the city of a thousand minarets” because Muslim Arabs came to Egypt and built so many mosques. Some mosques have a mix of different kinds of art. The Al-Refai Mosque is a big and well-known mosque in Cairo. This Mosque is the best place to go if you want to see beautiful Islamic architecture.

How Al Rifai Mosque Came to Be

Between 1869 and 1912, it was built. In 1869, Khoshiar, who was Ismael Pacha’s mother, had a mosque built as a place for the royal family to be buried. Engineer Hussien Fahmy Pacha planned and designed the Mosque, but he died while the first part of the Mosque was being built.

In 1881, building stopped so that some plans could be changed. Khoshiar died in 1885, and work on the building stopped. The Mosque is where Khoshiar Hanem was laid to rest. After 25 years, Hatz Pacha was told by Governor Abbas II to finish building the Mosque. The Mosque opened to the public in 1912.

The Building of the Al Rifai Mosque

In the Plaza de la Ciudadela, it was built (the Citadel of Saladin). It’s in front of the Sultan Hassan Mosque (14th century). It took 43 years to finish building the Mosque. The original plan for the Mosque was to expand the Islamic religious school of Zawya of Al-Refai and build a mosque similar to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan as a tomb for the royal family.

There are many doors to the Mosque, but the main entrance is on the west side, under a golden dome. The tombs of Abu Shebak and Ali Al-Ansari are right after the main entrance. Ornaments made of gold and wood are on the doors and windows. Marble from seven different countries was used to make the walls. The ceiling is very high and big. There are almost 44 columns that have verses from the Golden Quran written on them.

The Mosque of Al-Refai

The name of the mosque is “The Royal Mosque.” The Mosque is almost 6500 m2 and has a square dome. Nearly 1700 m2 is used for prayer, and the rest is filled with mausoleums. Even though the Mosque is named after Ahmed Al-Refai, he was not buried there. However, his relative “Abu Shebak” was. There is also the tomb of the last Shah of Iran, Muhammad Reda, and several members of the royal family, such as King Faruk, King Fuad I, and Princess Farida.

See the sights in Cairo.

Check out our tours in Cairo if you are in Cairo and want to go on a tour. You can also visit other tourist spots in Egypt, look at our Egypt travel packages or Nile cruises, and pick the trip of your dreams.

The Ibn Tulun Mosque

Ibn Tulun Mosque: In Cairo, also known as “the City of a Thousand Minarets,” you can find many pharaonic, Coptic, and Islamic sites. The mosques in Cairo are very important because they show Islamic art and architecture and sometimes also have Roman, Coptic, Greek, and Ancient Egyptian influences.

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is one of the mosques that is very important in terms of architecture. This mosque is the oldest in Cairo. The Mosque of Amr Ibn Alas was the first mosque, but it no longer looks like it did when it was first built. The Mosque still looks like it did when it was first built.

How Ibn Tulun Mosque Came to Be

Ahmed Ibn Tulun was a Turkish slave who started his Tulunid dynasty after he got free. After building his new capital city, Al-Qatai, he started building his Mosque. In the 9th century, between 876 and 879, the Mosque was built. Several times, the Mosque was fixed up. In 1177, the Fatimid “Badr El-Din Al-Jamali” ordered the first restoration.

In the 12th century, pilgrims used the Mosque as a place to stay, which caused some damage. The famous minaret was added to the Mosque by Governor Lachin in 1296. It was fixed up in 1999, when the courtyard was paved and a black marble fountain was put in.

How the Mosque of Ibn Tulun Was Built

It is one of the largest mosques in Cairo, and it is the only one left in Al-Qatai, the capital. It was made to the west of Saladin’s Citadel. It’s 140 x 116 m and has a 90 m square courtyard in the middle. Around the courtyard are arcades that lead to the prayer room. In the middle is a marble fountain where people can wash their hands.

Lajin fixed the dome on top of the fountain in 1296. (the original dome fell in 968). There are five aisles in the prayer room that run parallel to the Qibla (the direction that Muslims should face during prayer). The columns are joined together, and the wooden ceiling is flat. There are white plaster decorations all over the Mosque. The spiral staircase minaret is so well-known because it has a very unique design.

About the Ibn Tulun Mosque

On Mount Yashkur, the Mosque was built. There are many stories about where the Mosque is located. Some say it was where Noah put the ark or where Moses saw Pharaoh’s magicians. Others say it is near where Abraham killed Isaac. The design of the minaret is based on the one in Samarra, Iraq (outer spiral staircase). Some of the Mosque’s houses were found outside, but most of them were destroyed in 1928.

A tour of the Ibn Tulun Mosque

The Ibn Tulun Mosque is the third largest mosque in the world and the only one still standing in Egypt. If you want to visit the mosque, you can check out our travel packages to Egypt, where you can also visit Cairo, Alexandria, and take a cruise on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Amr Ibn Al-Mosque As’s

Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-As: Because Egypt has many different cultures, it is the best place for most tourists to visit. Egypt’s history is full of building projects that draw people from all over the world. Egypt did well during the early Islamic dynasties, which was one of its best times.

The Islamic culture was very big in Cairo, especially in Old Cairo (Fustat). Muslim rulers spent a lot of money on building mosques, which is why Cairo is called “the city of a thousand minarets.”

You can see how rich the architecture and Islamic art are in the old streets and mosques of Old Cairo. The Amr Ibn Alas Mosque is the most well-known mosque because it was the first mosque built in both Egypt and Africa.

Amr Ibn Al-As from inside the mosque Other Names of the Mosque

It is the first mosque in Egypt and all of Africa, so it has other names like “the Opening,” “the Ancient Mosque,” and “the Crown of the Mosques.”

The history of the Amr Ibn Alas Mosque

Caliph Umar sent Amr Ibn Alas to Egypt. When he got there, Amr Ibn Alas was in a tent with his army, getting ready to attack Alexandria. When he won the war, he chose the spot where the tent was to build a mosque where people could pray, where the government would meet, and where he would preach about Islam.

Around this area, the Islamic capital of Egypt, Fustat, was built. The first mosque was not very big and was made of wood and palm leaves. But in later dynasties, the rulers kept it going until the Vizier Shawar burned down the mosque and the city of Fustat to keep the Crusaders from taking them over. Saladin put it back together in 1179. Even though the last time it was fixed up was in the 20th century, the mosque was built using Islamic design.

How the Mosque of Amr Ibn Alas Was Built

• The first one was built in 642 and was 29 m long and 17 m wide. It was made from the trunks of palm trees and mudstones. The roof was made of palm leaves and wood. It looked like the floor of a grave.
• In the year 673, Governor Maslama Al-Ansari added four minarets to the corners of the mosque so that the call to prayer could be heard.
• In the year 698, Abd Al-Azis Ibn Marwan doubled the size of the mosque by adding on to it.
• In 711, the flat prayer niche was changed with a concave one.
• In the year 827, seven parallel passages were added to the Qibla wall (the direction that Muslims should face during prayer). Abd Al-lah Ibn Taher built the south wall and made the mosque bigger in the same year.
• In the 9th century, during the Abbasid dynasty, Caliph Al-Mamun added a 120-m-by-112-m section on the southwest side.
• Saladin ordered the mosque to be rebuilt in 1175, after it had been burned down and the Crusaders had left.
• After an earthquake destroyed the mosque in 1303, it was fixed up in that year.
• In the 1800s, Mourad Bey tore down the mosque and then rebuilt it in 1796. During this reconstruction, the building was turned around and the number of aisles of pillars was changed from seven to six.
• The mosque was fixed up by Abbas Helmi II in the 20th century. In the 1980s, the front door was redone.
• About the Amr Ibn Alas Mosque

Tradition says that Amr Ibn Alas chose the spot for the mosque because a pigeon laid an egg in his tent. When he came back as a winner and found the sacred dove, he chose this place to build his mosque and the capital. Some beams along the southern wall are the oldest part of the Mosque. At one of the mosque’s corners is the tomb of Amr Ibn Alas’s son.

Tours of the Amr Ibn Alas Mosque

At the moment, prayer is still going on in the Mosque of Amr Ibn Alas. It is one of the most interesting places in Cairo, and you can visit it along with other magical places if you book one of our vacation packages to Egypt. You can also end your trip with a cruise on the Nile and see the pharaonic sites in Luxor and Aswan.

Masjid Sultan Hassan is a mosque.

Sultan Hassan Mosque: It’s very interesting to learn about Egypt’s great culture. Egypt’s tourist spots are all different (historical, Christian, and Islamic). Especially in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, people from many different cultures live together.

Many people visit Egypt all year long to see the pharaonic sites, churches, and mosques. People think that the most important thing about Cairo, also known as “the city of a thousand minarets,” is that it has so many mosques.

The Sultan Hassan Mosque is one of the biggest mosques in Cairo. It is a great example of Mamluk style architecture. People say that this mosque is the most beautiful one in Cairo.

How the Sultan Hassan Mosque came to be

Al-Naser Muhammad Ibn Qalaon built a Yelbugha palace on the same spot in 1356. Sultan Hassan was in charge of Cairo as a Mamluk governor. In the 14th century, between 1356 and 1363, Sultan Hassan gave the order to build the Mosque.

At the time it was built, it was known for having beautiful architecture. It was thought to be one of the four schools of Sunni law—Hanafi, Shafi, Hanbali, and Malki. After working on the building for five years, a minaret fell and killed 3,000 people. This is why Sultan Hassan was killed in 1361.

After he died, it took two years to finish building his mosque. In 1915, the Mosque’s courtyard, walls, and marble were all fixed up. The Ministry of Antiquities of Egypt fixed up the Mosque in 2012.

The Building of the Sultan Hassan Mosque

The Mosque is well-known for its size, which is 8,000 m2. It’s 35 metres tall and 150 metres long. The Mosque’s tallest minaret is 68 metres high. It was built in the style of the Mamluks. The entrance has a dark hallway that leads to a Sahn that is lit up (courtyard). The Sahn’s floor plan is in the shape of a cross.

In the middle of the courtyard, there is a dome-topped fountain for washing (it was an Ottoman addition). Where the four schools used to be, there are now four vaulted rooms called Iwans. There are chain lamps and red and black borders on the Iwans.

Kufic writing is used to decorate the top part of the Iwan. Each Iwan has its own courtyard and four floors of cells for students. Stone and coloured marble are used to make the walls. Behind a door with stars on it is the mausoleum of Sultan Hassan.

About the mosque of Sultan Hassan

The Mosque is one of the world’s best mosques. It is in Old Cairo at the Square of the Citadel of Saladin. Every day, 30,000 dirhams were spent on building the Mosque.

The limestone and marble from the Giza Pyramids were used to build the Mosque. Sultan Hassan’s Mosque was so beautiful that the Egyptian royal family built the Al-Rafai Mosque to look like it.

The Sultan Hassan Mosque trip

During your tour of Cairo, you can visit places that are important to Islam. You can also look at our Egypt travel packages or take a cruise on the Nile to see other places, such as Aswan, Luxor, and Alexandria, which were important to the Pharaohs.

Mosque of Al-Azhar

Al-Azhar Mosque: Cairo is the capital of Egypt and one of the cities that brings people from all over the world. You can find evidence of the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Christian, and Islamic periods in Cairo. Each era has its own style and way of building, which can be seen in the buildings from that time.

The Islamic architecture can be seen in the bazaar of Khan El-Khalili, the Citadel of Saladin, and especially in the mosques. The Al-Azhar Mosque is one of the oldest and most important mosques in Cairo. This mosque is thought to be the first Islamic university in Cairo and the second in the world.

How Al-Azhar Mosque Came to Be

During the Fatimid dynasty, the Mosque was built. In 969, Al-Muiz, who was the caliph, told Gawhar Al-Seqely to build a new city called Cairo. The next year, in 970, Al-Muiz gave the order to build Cairo’s first mosque. When the Mosque was done being built in 972, it was first used for prayer. In the Mosque, a school was started in 988, and it was thought to be the centre of Shiite doctrine.

The mosque was a place to study not only religion, but also science, medicine, and other things. Saladin started the Ayyubid dynasty when the Fatimid dynasty ended. Saladin wanted to end the Shiite doctrine, so it didn’t matter that the Mosque was there. Since the Mamluks came, schools were built, minarets were built, and the Mosque was enlarged and fixed up. So, until now, the Mosque was the centre of the Sunni faith.

The Building of the Al-Azhar Mosque

In the middle of Islamic Cairo, where the Mosque is, was built. The construction of the Mosque as monuments of Ancient Egypt, the Romans, and the Greeks shows how Egypt’s government changed over time. The first mosque was small and square, measuring 85 m by 65 m. In the middle, there was a prayer room and a courtyard with a wall around it. The new Mosque is bigger than the one that was there before.

The current mosque has almost six doors, but “Bab Zewela,” or the barber’s door, is the main entrance (it was built in the 18th century). There is a large courtyard made of white marble that is surrounded by old pillars. There is also a place to study and a library with 100,000 books, some of which are old manuscripts from the eighth century. Different dynasties built each of the five minarets (14th, 15th, and 16th centuries).

Al-Azhar Mosque Facts

It was said that the Mosque was called “Fatima Al-Zahraa” because that was the name of the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter. Al-Zahraa means the one who shines or is bright. Even though the Mosque has been changed and remodelled, it still has some Fatimid decorations, such as plant designs, geometric shapes, and Kufic writing. The mosque is similar to the mosque of Amr Ibn Alas in some ways (the first mosque in Egypt and Africa).

Explore Cairo, the city that will never die.

Don’t miss our day trip to Cairo, which gives you the chance to see more of the city and learn more about its history. You can also take a Nile cruise in Luxor and Aswan, or use our Egypt travel packages to visit other places along with Cairo. Pick your favourite vacation now.