Islamic Cairo

Mosque of Amr Ibn Al As was founded by Amr Ibn Al in 642 AD, north of the site of the Fortress of Babylon, it is considered to be the first mosque in Egypt. Simple in design, it represents schools of architecture of different periods.

Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun is the oldest entirely preserved Islamic monument. It is the largest mosque in the country. It was built between 876 - 879 AD. The mosque has a unique feature of an external spiral staircase winding up a minaret.

The Mosque of Al-Azhar, the first fatimid mosque in Cairo, was constructed between 970 - 973 AD. The mosque is considered to be the oldest Islamic university comprising more than 80,000 Islamic manuscripts in it's libraries. In it's present form, the mosque is a collection of buildings and several exensions, added during various periods. Today it is one of the leading centres of Islamic teachings.

The Mosque of Sultan Hassan was founded by Sultan Hassan, to be a mosque and madrasah for the four schools of Islam, built between 1356 - 1362 AD.

         

The mosque is composed of an open court, surrounded by four iwans for the four schools.

The Mosque of Mohammed Ali (Alabaster Mosque) was built inside the Citadel of Saladin on the site of an old palace. Construction began 1824 AD and was completed 1857 AD. It is also known as the "Alabaster Mosque", since alabaster was used to cover the interior and exterior walls of the mosque. It was modelled on the classical mosques in Istanbul.