Amr ibn al-Aas Mosque named after the general who conquered Egypt for Islam in AD 640, the original Mosque of Amr ibn al-Aas was the first place of Islamic worship in Egypt and therefore the first mosque on the continent of Africa.
According to contemporary accounts, the mosque was a basic building of mudbrick walls, unpaved floor and a palm-thatch roof supported on palm columns.
It had no mihrab, courtyard or minaret, but it was large enough to hold Amr’s army at prayer.
Apart from the site, however, nothing of the original remains in the present mosque, which is a patchwork of countless rebuildings and restorations.
It is said that no two of its 200 or so columns are the same. The earliest existing parts date to the 9th century, when the original mosque was rebuilt, almost doubling in size.
However, other areas, such as the entrance, were reconstructed as recently as the 1980s.
The mosque has retained an air of simplicity, in keeping with its humble origins and it still fills each day for prayers with a devout congregation.
Visitors to the mosque are welcome at other times.
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