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If you are visiting Cairo to only see the pyramids and the sphinx, you will be missing a thousand dazzling experiences that can blow your mind away.
No wonder Cairo is called The City of A Thousands Minarets!
Almost everywhere you set your foot; you will find yourself surrounded by numerous mosques with their intriguing and ancient designs.
Mosque of Amr ibn Al-As was the first mosque built in Africa as well as the first university in the whole world. It is located in Al-Fustat in the old Cairo. The mosque was rebuilt more than once in several periods of other rulers. Its new design is different from its old form which had ceiling made of palm fronds and pillars from palm stumps.
Mosque of Ibn Tulun is the oldest mosque in Cairo built during the Abbasids era. It is built of gypsum – covered adobe. It has a wide court with several corridors on all four sides. You can visit the mosque in El-Sayeda Zainab.
Al Azhar Mosque, built by the Fatimids, is the most important one not only in Cairo but Egypt and it has a very high position in the Islamic world. It enjoys different architectural styles including the five minarets representing the congregations that have occupied the mosque over the centuries.
Al Hakim Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Cairo and the second great Fatimid Mosque in Egypt. It has four arcades surrounding its interior courtyard, and the facade has a striking elevation with Cairo’s oldest surviving minarets on opposite sides. you can visit the mosque at Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi, El-Gamaleya.
Many people visit Al Hussien mosque especially to pray for their needs as it is considered one of the most sacred mosques in Egypt. It is situated in the old city of Cairo in Al Hussein neighborhood. The mosque has been renovated over the ages. Its ceiling was made of wood decorated with geometric forms. There are also thirty big windows of gold coated brass in the mosque. The mosque’s area now is about 3340 square meters.
Sultan Hassan Mosque was built during the Mamluk Islamic era in Egypt. This masterpiece Mosque includes madrasa Sultan Hassan (school), congregational mosque, and mausoleum. It is located in the center of downtown near the Citadel. the Mosque has a big entrance and grand domes.
Muhammad Ali Mosque is one of the archaeological mosques in Cairo. It was built on the basis of the Ottoman style. It is very distinguished Mosque because it was built inside the Citadel of Saladin and it is surrounded by other great mosques namely the Sultan Hassan mosque, the Rifa’i Mosque, and other mosques in Islamic Cairo. It has double minarets, a grand central dome, and a clock tower in the central courtyard.
Al Rifai mosque is a Fatimid mosque. It is adjacent to the Cairo Citadel. It is located in Midan Al-Qalaa in Cairo. It has three vestibules and mihrab which was decorated with cut marble mosaics and shells. Beautiful Arabic calligraphy ornamented the top part of the mihrab.
Al-Ashraf Mosque is a great mosque including madrasa (school) built in the Mamluk period. You will be surprised by its characteristic Islamic architectural design; it has marble and stained-glass windows. Moreover, it is built over an area of 1760 square meters.
Aqsunqur Mosque or the Blue Mosque is not very known although it is a largest Mosque located in the Bab al-Wazir district of Cairo. It is an example of early Mamluk religious architecture it has a mausoleum and majestic courtyard for prayer.
The mosque of Al Zaher Barquq, from the Fatimid Dynasty’s rule, is a medieval religious complex also known as the Sultan Barquq mosque. It entails madrasa (school), mausoleum and khanqah (a building for Sufi spiritual retreat). It is located in the Muezz street adjacent to Khan el Khalili. it is an architerical masterpiece; it has a featured octagonal minaret and its ceiling is decorated with intersecting white and blue marbles in the stones.
Consequently, we can say that Cairo mosques are a piece of art that reflect the grandeur of their founders. You can go to a trip over the time to Cairo Mosques, they will take you to other eras when they were founded. Although we have reviewed the most beautiful and greatest mosques in cairo, there are also other majestic mosques that deserve to be visited.