Discover the best mosques in Cairo and spend the finest spiritual times in Islamic Cairo as well as enjoy the beauty and splendor of Islamic architecture. Cairo is called the city of a thousand minarets because it is the major Islamic capital, home of such a large number of God’s houses.
The Best mosques in Cairo:
- Mosque Of Muhammad Ali
- Al Azhar Mosque
- Mosque Of Ibn Tulun
- Al-Hakim Mosque
- Amr Ibn Al As Mosque
- Sultan Hassan Mosque
- Al Rifai Mosque
- Al-Hussein Mosque
- Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque
1- Mosque of Muhammad Ali
One of the famous archaeological mosques in Cairo. It was built by Muhammad Ali Pasha in the Ottoman style, sometimes called the Al-Marmar mosque or Al-Alabaster mosque for the large use of this type of marble in the cladding of its walls.
The mosque was built inside the Citadel of Saladin and is surrounded by the Nasser al-Qalawun Mosque. Outside it and near the castle wall are several other mosques, namely the Sultan Hassan mosque, the Rifai Mosque, and other mosques in Islamic Cairo.
The mosque is composed of the square-shaped prayer vestibule with a dome erected on four rafts, surrounded on the four sides by semi-domes in addition to the dome covering the protruding mihrab. Four small domes were set up over the mosque’s corners while two slim minarets, 84 meters long, were constructed, after the Turkish model, over the wall facing the mihrab. West of the mosque, there is a court with a place for doing ablution. On the western wall the tower of the clock, presented by French, King Louis Phillipe, is erected. From this court, the capital, the Nile River and the pyramids can be seen.
2- Al Azhar Mosque
The most important mosques in Egypt and the most famous mosques in the Islamic world. A mosque and university for more than a thousand years. The first mosque was built in the city of Islamic Cairo, which gained the title of the city of a thousand minaret, the oldest Fatimid effect in Egypt.
Al Azhar mosque has long been a beacon of spiritual light to the entire Islamic world and an inseparable part of Cairo’s history.
A characteristic landmark of AI Azhar is its tall minaret which is considered unique among the minarets of the age. This minaret has sixteen sides on its topmost part while the sides of other minarets do not exceed eight in number. The minaret is further decorated with beautifully designed ceramics on the sides outside. The minaret has two, instead of one, heads. Sultan AI – Ghori, the last of the Mamluk sultans, built the minaret in the Hijra year of 920 ( 1514 AD.).
Wherever you go in Cairo high and towering mosque minarets come into view the minarets seem to be almost reaching out to heaven, with the name of Allah high on top, calling Muslims to come out for prayers.
3- Mosque of Ibn Tulun
The oldest mosque in the city survives in its original form and is the largest mosque in Islamic Cairo in terms of land area. Ahmed Ibn Tulun was ordered to build it to become the third mosque built in the Islamic capital of Egypt.
The entire mosque is built of gypsum – covered adobe. The mosque’s internal arches and ceiling are kept in place by supportive rafts, not pillars. A combination of geometric and plant forms decorates the mosque. The mosque’s decorations follow a repeated pattern which fills up all spaces with gracious Kufic calligraphy.
The staircase of the minaret was built on the outside so people would say that in Tulun ascended the minaret on horseback. The mosque of ibn tulun has a wide court with several vestibules on all four sides. Each of the four sides is some one hundred meters long with raised arches on brick pillars.
The mosque has a beautifully shaped pulpit that is considered a model of Islamic decorative art. Annexed to the mosque is Al Kridaliya House of Anderson museum. The museum is made up of two small houses where a man by the name of Anderson once lived and collected Arab and Islamic objects d’art.
4- Al-Hakim Mosque
Al-Hakim Mosque is the second major Fatimid Mosque in Egypt and one of Cairo’s older mosques. The mosque was completed during the reign of AI Hakim’s son, after whose name the mosque was called. The mosque’s minarets are among the oldest in Egypt. The design of the mosque’s main entrance stands unique among other mosques in Egypt.
5- Amr ibn Al As Mosque
The first and oldest mosque to be built in Al Fustat. When Amr ibn Al-As built it in the Hijra year 21, its ceiling was made of palm fronds and its pillars were formed from palm stumps. In the Hijra year 1211, Prince Muhammad Bey gave orders to pull it down and rebuild it. The mosque’s new design was a far cry from its old form. Little of its original form has survived till the present time.
6- Sultan Hassan Mosque
One of the famous archaeological mosques in Cairo. Is described as the Jewel of Islamic architecture of the East, and the most important effects of Cairo Islamic consistent and harmonious.
Located at the intersection of Al Qalaa Street with Saladin Square. Muhammad ibn Qalawoon gave orders to build the mosque and make it a religious school. The mosque is considered one of the finest Islamic monuments in Egypt. The mosque has an open court surrounded by four booths in the middle of its four schools. The mosque is, on the whole, an aristocratic architectural masterpiece.
7- Al Rifai Mosque
One of the largest archaeological mosques in Cairo. This mosque is the place where many members of the Egyptian royal family settle, including the last king, King Farouk. The last Shah of Iran was buried in this mosque in 1980.
Al Rifai mosque located in Midan Al-Qalaa in Cairo, it’s an old Fatimid mosque that built on a 1767-meter square with two rows of pillars. The mosque has three vestibules. In the middle of the mosque, there is a neck with windows topped by a big dome. In the middle of the eastern wall, there is a large recess, indicating the direction of prayer, surrounded by two marble pillars, one white and the other dark green. The inside of the recess, or mihrab, is decorated with delicately – cut marble mosaics and shells. The topmost part of the mihrab is decorated with beautiful Arabic calligraphy.
8- AL Hussein Mosque
One of the most famous sacred mosques in Egypt. Located in the old city of Cairo, in the neighborhood called Al Hussein neighborhood. Next to the mosque is the famous Khan Al Khalili Bazaar.
The mosque has been renewed over the ages. When Sultan Abdul Aziz came to Egypt and visited AI Hussein mosque, he ordered Khedive Ismail to reconstruct the mosque as best as he could. Marble pillars were brought from Constantinople and a wooden pulpit, coated with gold was designed for the mosque. Its ceiling was made of wood decorated with multicolored plant and geometric forms. The walls of the mosque carry thirty large windows of gold coated brass. The area of the mosque now stands at 3340 square meters.
9- Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque
Al Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo is one of the largest and most famous mosques in Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
The mosque lies in Al Sayeda Zeinab Square in the neighborhood of Sayeda Zeinab, one of the most popular neighborhoods in Cairo, where crowded with cafes and restaurants, and the people of Cairo, especially in Ramadan to go to the cafes of this neighborhood and eat meals Suhour, especially there. The mosque’s facade was discovered in the Hijra year 1315 or 1898 AD. Ever since that date the surrounding neighborhood was named after Aqilat Bani Hashem (Sayyeda Zainab).
Conclusion
Islamic Cairo is the high- light of the city; it’s minarets and domes, bazaars and alleyways recall scenes from 1001 Nights. It’s full of archaeological areas that need more time to enjoy the great spirit of Islamic civilization.
Don’t forget to check our day tours and enjoy visiting Islamic Cairo.