Egypt's Mohammed Ali Mosque
Egypt, Culture, 12/14/1999

Mohammed Ali¹s mosque, located at Al-Qalaa district in Cairo is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture.

Mohammed Ali, founder of a dynasty named after him who ruled Egypt up to 1952 , was born in 1182 AH (1768 AD) in Macedonia where the governor took care of him after the death of his father. Mohammed Ali demonstrated noticeable courage and wit in the army, and then joined a Turkish navy campaign dispatched to Egypt to evict the French, defeating them at the battle of Abu Qir.

The Ottoman ruler then sent Mohammed Ali to Egypt to fight the Mamelukes, but he joined forces with the leader and managed to overthrow the ruler in 1803 AD . In 1220 AH (1805 AD), he also succeeded in raising Albanian soldiers against Khorsheid Pasha who was discharged from his post and Mohammed Ali was appointed in his place as the ruler of Egypt.

In 1841 AD, the Ottoman Sultan Abdel-Maguid issued a decree that titled Mohammed Ali's descendants to inherit the throne of Egypt. Hence, Egypt gained independence from Ottoman rule.

Over 45 years of Mohammed Ali's rule considerable changes in various aspects of the political, social and economic life occurred. The period is now known as the beginning of the Egyptian renaissance.

After the restoration and renovation of the Citadel, Mohammed Ali decided to build a mosque modeled on Sultan Ahmad Mosque in Turkey. Work on the mosque lasted from 1246 AH (1830 AD) until 1265 AH (1848 AD).

When Mohammed Ali died he was buried in the tomb he built for himself inside the mosque. However, the mosque remained unfinished until 1264 AH (1848 AD) when Mohammed Ali's successor, Abbas Pasha I, completed it.

The mosque is rectangular in shape and is divided into two sections, with the prayer hall in the eastern section and the ablution fountain in the western side.

The decorations and ornamentation of the mosque are those common in Turkey in the 18th century AD. The ornaments include colored flowers and leaves around the tomb of Mohammed Ali in the western corner of the mosque beneath a gold-plated stall with Turkish and Egyptian engravings.

In the middle of the mosque's forecourt is the ablution dome built in 1263 AH (1844 AD) rising on eight marble pillars with decorations representing various scenes from nature.

In the middle of the western hall there lies a copper tower decorated with lighted glass and engravings inside of which is a large clock given as a present to Mohammed Ali by the French King Louis Philip in 1262 AH (1846 AD).

The Egyptian ruler King Fouad I took great care of the mosque, rebuilding the domes with cement and steel and renovating the mosque's two minarets. A marble minbar was built in addition to the old one, which is considered the largest minbar to be found in any Egyptian mosque. King Fouad I also restored the mosques fine marble and engravings.

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