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Al-Azhar Mosque

General Information
Monument Number: 97 
Construction Date: 359-361AH/970-972AD 
Construction Era: The Fatimid Period 
Constructor Name: El-Moez Ledin Allah and Gawhar El-Seqilly 
Monument Kind: Mosque/Masjid 
Status: Preserved 
Region: El-Darbel Ahmar 
Address: El-Azhar Street

The Mosque of El-Azhar lies in El-Azhar Street few meters away from the complex of El-Ghuri. It is the headquarter of theology in the Islamic World and one of the oldest universities all over the world. This mosque was used for teaching the Islamic rules and Prophetic traditions and the principles of the main four schools of Islamic rites for Muslim Students from Egypt and other countries. El-Azhar played a great and influential rule in the political life of Egypt and Arab World as well. The subjects that were studied in El-Azhar have been recently modeled to cope up with the development of life and more faculties were added including the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of girls and others. The number of students and the teaching staff in El-Azhar is increasing and the system is continuously remodeled. the mosque was established by Gawhar El-Seqilly in the 10th century. 


One of the most attractive features of the mosque is the three Minarets standing next to the main entrance of it. The first one was built by Aqbughawiya as a part of his complex nearby the mosque. The second one was established by Sultan Qaytbay and it dates from 1475, while the third was erected by Sultan El-Ghuri. Those two Minarets are similar in their design since both of them have two staircases on their sides used for ascending to the upper floor for seeing the surrounding area of the mosque. Yet the Minaret of Qaytbay is distinguished by its double finial in its end. 

Next to the main entrance of the mosque one can see two Madrasas that were established in the Mamluk period standing on the either sides of the way that leads to the interior plan of the mosque:
Firstly, the Mosque-Madrasa of Emir Seif El-Din Aqbugha that dates back to the early 14th century. It was constricted by Emir Aqbugha who was the brother of Sultan El-Nasir Mohammed's favorite wife and he served as Majordomo and as Commander of Royal Mamluk. This School was designed by the famous architect of the court El-Muallim Ibn El-Seyufi. It 

is admired for its two Mihrabs that are luxuriously decorated with Pearl 
and glass mosaic patterns. 
Secondly, the Mosque Madrasa of Taybarsiya that lies next to El-Azhar opposite to Aqbugha Madrasa and dates from 1309. It was erected by Emir Alaa El-Din Taybars and restored by Emir Abdul Rahman Katkhuda in 1753. The Qibla wall of the mosque belongs to the original Madrasa while the façade and Mihrab with its marvelous decorations were added in a later renovation process. The walls of the Madrasa are handsomely decorated with Quran Inscriptions and the name of God in a charming way. 
One can enter El-Azhar mosque through the Gate of Qaytbay that date back to the 15th century and is regarded as a good example for the Mamluk style of decoration for its interlacing stalactites. There is another entrance called Bab El-Saayda marked by a Minaret next to it and it was constructed by Abd El-Rahman Katkhuda in his renovation of the mosque. The Sahn of the mosque with its keel arches that date back to the days of the Caliph El-Hafiz reflects the Fatimid period style of decoration. On the right side of this Sahn or main courtyard appears a. The mosque includes also some rooms standing behind the beautiful Mashrabiya window that were dedicated to the students of El-Azhar to live in for free during the time of study. 
The interior part of the mosque is illuminated by a number of windows, and the ceiling is excessively decorated with stucco forms that traces back to the restoration of Caliph El-Hafiz. It has a cruciform, and the main aisle is distinguished from the other surrounding aisles in its height and width. The hood of the Mihrab is beautifully ornamented with stucco forms that date back to the 10th century.

Since the construction of the mosque in 970, till now it had witnessed a large number of restorations and enlargements and this forms a building with various types of decorations. The Façade of the mosque highlights that since the right part of it was added by Khedive Tawfik, while the left one was added by Khedive Abbas Helmy. The central part of the façade that contains the gate that is supported with two arches date back to the mid 18th century. 

After 1303 earthquake Emir Salar added some panels with stucco carving over the niche to support it. Later on, the area under the niche was restored by the Boharas and handsome marble decoration was added. The mosque was enlarged in 1751 by Abd El-Rahman Katkhuda who is buried in a tomb on the right side from the mosque in a small mausoleum preceded by a number of stair-steps. During the restoration of 1999, beautifully colored niche-patterned carpeting was added to the interior plan of the mosque. 
The Tomb-Madrasa of Emir Gawhar Qunqubay is one of the prominent monumental places that can be found next to the El-Azhar. This tomb that date back to the 15th century was constructed by the Eunuch Emir Gawhar who served as a treasurer of Sultan Barsbay. Of special interest in this complex are the marble paving and the handsome wooden door and widows of stained glass that reflect the spirit of the mid-fifteenths century decoration. The Madrasa is admired for its carved stone dome with its arabesque interlacing scrolls and floriated motifs. This complex was renovated in the late 20th century. 

Photos From Mosques Ibn Tulun and Mohamed Ali

Mosque of Al Rifai

General Information 
Monument Number: 640 
Construction Date: 1286-1328AH/1869-1910AD 
Construction Era: The Dynasty of Mohammed Ali Pasha 
Constructor Name: Lady Khushyar Hanem
Monument Kind: Mosque/Masjid 
Status: Preserved 
Region: El-Khalifa 

Address: El-Rifaey Square, Facing Salah El-Deen Square, El-Qalaa (The Citadel)
The Mosque of El-Rifaey lies in Maydan El-Qalaa facing the Mosque of Sultan Hasan. The mosque was established by Princess Khushyar who was the wife of Ibrahim Pasha and the mother of Khedive Ismail. She asked Hussein Pasha Fahmi to construct that mosque and attach the mausoleum of Shaykh El-Rifaey and Shaykh Abdullah El-Ansari to it. She also ordered him to build a funerary chamber for herself and her family next to the mosque. The death of Princess Khushyar and architect Hussein Fahmi made the erection of the mosque stop for a number of years. In 1905, the foreign architect Max Herz Bey followed the design and the style of decoration that was planned by Hussein Pasha before,and completed the construction of the mosque.

One of the eye-catching features in this mosque is the neo-Mamluk style of decoration. The sanctuary, with its large size, is beautifully decorated with stalactites and various forms of marble ornate from different countries. Of special interest in this monument are the luxuriously ornamented window grills, the gilded ceiling and the 44 huge pillars in the courtyard of that mosque.
The mosque has two doors one of them in the west and another one in the southern side of the mosque and only the southern one can be used now. Once you enter the mosque, you would find the cenotaph of Shaykh Ali El-Rifaey who is supposed as a saint and people still visit his tomb and walk around it till now. The cenotaph is covered with a beautiful sandalwood screen. Behind an oblong room on the left side of this cenotaph appears a mausoleum that gathers the bodies of many members of the royal family including the tombs of King Fuad, and his mother Ferial, and the tomb of the last shah of Iran Muhammad Pahlavi, and the last king of Egypt. King Farouk. 

On the left of the Qibla stands the door leading to the mausoleum of princess Khushyar's family that exists along the north wall. It contains a large tomb for the princess and her son Ismail Pasha, a larger tomb for Sultan Hussein Kamil and his 
wife, and a small tomb for the three wives of Ismail Pasha.

Cairo

The city of Cairo is the capital of the governorate with the same name and also is the capital of the country. It is the biggest city in Egypt and in Africa. It lies on the head of the Delta of the Nile River, on its east bank. On the west bank, lies Giza. Both, with Shoubra in the north, form the Greater Cairo, a metropolis with more than 20 millions inhabitants.
Greater Cairo, is the union of many cities and villages, some dating back to the prehistoric periods. The district of Maadi (Now in Helwan governorate) had an ancient civilization called Maadi Cluture, that dates back to aprox 3500 BC. Heliopolis was a big city of the Lower Egypt Kingdom, before the unification of the country. Memphis, became the capital of the country in 3100 BC. Babylon, now in Old Cairo district with the military and administrative center of the Byzantine Empire. In the neigbourhood of Babylon, the Arabs, built Fustat, in 648 AD. Qatae and Askar were also built. 
It was in 969 AD, when Jawhar Al Sikilli, General of the Fatimide Army, built the new city (Now in The area of Al-Azhar, known as Islamic 


Cairo), to be the capital of the Fatimide Califate. He called it Al-Qahira (The Victorious). The ayyubid fortified the city and the Maeluke enriched it with handreds of Mosques, Madrasas (Shools), Khanqas(Shelters for the Sufis), Maristans ( Hospitals), Sabils (Fountains for the thirsts), Wikalas (Markets) and more. In the Ottoman period the city declined, until the campaign of Napoleon, when the city sufferd a great destrction. Muhamed Ali, and Khedive Ismael in the 19th century, modrenized the city with European and colonial style. Palaces, Parks, Bridges were built.
After the revolutions of 1952 and because of the, war, the abandon of many palaces of the Royal Family, the increase of the population, the city suffered a great degradation and now, its trying to recover the lost time. Subways, bridges, tunels, buisiness centeres, new districts are now being built.