Al Aqmar Mosque/Cairo/Egypt

Al Aqmar Mosque/Cairo/Egypt Al A Mosque is a small Mosque, however it more than makes up for it’s size with the Historical and Archetectual importance. It was the first Mosque in Cairo to have an ornate Façade, and also the first to make and lay out plans to accommodate the Street. This Mosque really is stunning with the delicate and intricate carvings and reliefs you will find on it’s walls, façade and Minaret. Constructed in 1125, the Mosque’s name means Monnlight in Arabic, the reason being is the way the walls shine in the Moonlight. The Mosque is one of the Mosques of Fatimid in Cairo. The Mosque was constructed in the place of one of the Monasteries that was called The Well of Azmah, because it contained the Bones of some of the Coptic Martyrs, and in 1993 the Mosque was seriously refurbished by the Dawood Bohra. Some of the most prominent sights of Islamic Cairo can be located in Al-Muizz Al-Deen Street, constructed in the eleventh Century the Street was the main Street in the City, and also includes where Palaces and Mausoleums were built. The Northern Division of the Street , which is between Bab El-Fotouh and Al-Azhar Street has been recently refurbished and has opened to the Visitors.Considered to be one of the most attractive sections of Cairo makes it the reason why so many people enjoy spending time there, also there is another splendid sight in the City which is the Qala’un Complex, which hosts a Hospital, a Mousaleum and a Madrass. In the Southern section of Islamic Cairo is where you will find some of Cairo’s largest Islamic Monuments, and the construction of Cairo’s Islamic Citadel is one of the best examples. The construction of Cairo’s Citadel started under the Ayyubid General Salah Ad-Din Al Ayyubi which was in the twelth Century. Consisting of three significant Mosques inside the walls of the Citadel which are, Al Nasir Muhammed Mosque, Suleyman Pasha Mosque, Muhammed Ali’s Alabaster Mosque and Al Aqmar Mosque. One of the oldest and imposing buildings of Old Islamic Cairo down El Moez Street is Al Aqmar Mosque. This small scale but distinctive Mosque along Al-Muizz Street is one of the oldest constructions in Islamic Cairo. The builders of Al-Qahira, the Walled City that today shapes the centre of Islamic Cairo, were the Fatimids , who controlled Egypt from 969 untill 1171 , stemming from present day Tunisia , they conquered Egypt and positioned their Shi’a Islamic Ideology as the Religion of the State. Who built Al-Aqmar Mosque.? The Al-Aqmar Mosque, or the Moonlight Mosque as it is also known, has several distinct archetectual characteristics, it was the first Mosque in Cairo to use counterbalance Façade, which allowed the Façade to remain square to the Street Front, whilst the remainder of the Building sits at an angle , which aligns with the Qibla, meaning the direction of Prayer towards Mecca. The Al Aqmar Mosque was constructed throughout the Fatimid Period in 1124AD under the control of Al-Ma’mun Al Bata ‘ihi. However some Historians believe that the Mosque was initially constructed during the Caliphate of Imam Al Amr-bi-Ankami i-Lah, whereby others still profess that it was constructed during the Caliphate of Al Mustansir. The Construction of Al-Aqmar Mosque. The Façade itself is also fairly distinctive embellished with three fluted Hoods surrounding the Portal and to either side as well as beautiful inscriptions. Many of the characteristics of this Mosque later became familiar in Caireno Mosque architecture. The Façade of the Mosque is also known for the thorough stonework whilst the interior section greets all of the Visitors with a fresh,calming breeze. In the History of Old Cairo Al Aqmar Mosque is believed to be one of the first Hanging Mosques of Old Cairo, and was originally constructed higher than Street Level, which was above a Shopping Area and a Souk. The Mosque now though appears to be at Street Level, reason for this being that the Shops kept getting higher, The Mosque was the first of it’s kind to be depicted with an entrance parallel to the Street and adjusted to align with the exsisting Street plan, as against to facing the Prayer’s Qibla, Mecca. Afew Historians maintain that the ceiling of the Mosque was re-done through the restorations of Mamluk Amir Yallugha Al-Salami as this sort of architecture was unknown during the Fatimid Period.