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.
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