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Amr Ibn El-Aas Mosque

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Amr Ibn El-Aas Mosque

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The very first mosque ever built in Egypt. Erected in 642 AD (21 AH) by the leader Amr Ibn alas, the commander of the Muslim army in Egypt, the mosque is also known as Taj al-Jawamie (Crown of Mosques, al-Jamie’al-Ateeq (the Ancient Mosque) and Masjid Ahl ar-Rayah (Mosque of Banner Holders).

The mosque is said to have been built on the site of Amr Ibn el-As’ tent at Fustat, which is the oldest existing mosque, not just in Cairo, but the entire African Continent. Located north of the Roman Fortress of Babylon, it is actually on the edge of Fustat, the temporary city founded by Amr, and was an Islamic learning center long before El-Azhar Mosque. It could hold up to 5,000 students.

The mosque was originally built on an area of 1,500 square cubits, overlooking the Nile. The initial structure was quite simple; with walls bare of any plaster or decorations, but without niche (mihrab), minaret or ground cover. It had two doors on the north and two others facing Amr’s house.

The mosque area remained unchanged until 672 AD (53 AH), when Musallama al-Ansari, Egypt’s ruler on behalf of Caliph Mu’awiya Ibn Abi-Sufian undertook expansion and renovation works for the mosque. Walls and ceilings were decorated and four compartments for “muezzins” (callers for prayers) were added at the corners, together with a minaret, while the mosque ground was covered with straw mats.

In 698 AD (79 AH), the mosque was demolished and expanded by Abdul-Aziz Ibn Marwan, Egypt’s ruler. Once again in 711 AD (93 AH), the mosque was demolished by Prince Qurrah Ibn Shuraik al-Absi, Egypt’s ruler. Upon the orders of Caliph al-Waleed Ibn Abdul-Malek, the mosque area was enlarged, a niche, a wooden pulpit (minbar) and a compartment and copings of four columns facing the niche were gold-coated. The mosque had then four doors to the east, four to the west and three to the north.
Under the Abbasid state, successive additions and repairs were introduced. In 827 AD (212 AH), Abdullah Ibn Taher, Egypt’s ruler on behalf of Caliph al Mamoun ordered an equivalent area to the north to be added to the mosque, thus bringing its total area to its present level of 13,556,25 square meters. (112.3m x 120.5m). However, the Fatimid period was the golden era for the mosque, where gilded mosaics, marble works, a wooden compartment, and a moving pulpit were introduced and part of the niche was silver-coated.

The last structural amendments in Amr Mosque were made during the rule of Murad Bey under the ottoman era, in 1797 AD (1212 AD). Because of the collapse of some columns, the interior of the mosque was demolished and rebuilt. As a result, eastern arcades were repositioned so as to be perpendicular to the mihrab wall. Accordingly, arches were extended across windows. Two minarets were built and are still extant.

Amr Mosque was not merely a place of worship but also served as a court for settling religious and civil disputes. Moreover, teaching circles were organized either for general religious preaching or teaching lessons in Quranic sciences, jurisprudence and Prophet Muhammad’s Tradition (Hadith) as well as letters.

The mosque incorporates elements of Greek and Roman buildings and has 150 white marble columns and three minarets. Simple in design, its present plan consists of an open Sahn (court) surrounded by four Riwaqs, the largest being the Qiblah Riwaq. There are a number of wooden plaques bearing Byzantine carvings of leaves, and a partially enclosed column is believed to have been miraculously transported from Mecca on the orders of Mohammed himself. There are many other ancient legions related to the Mosque.

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Thank you Egypt Fun Tours for a most memorable trip. I admit I didn’t do any of the planning (it was all done by my boyfriend) but as you can read in the reviews below Hani (the owner of Egypt Fun Tours) is superbly organized and accommodating with scheduling.

My boyfriend and I, and our dearest mutual friend, booked the 7Days-6Nights tour. In short time, we visited Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor sailing down the down the Nile, pit stopping to see key sites at these location – and so much more!!! We got to know the ancient and modern egypt in depth thanks to Hani’s impressive knowledge. He also enlightened us on the people and their beliefs and went as far as showing us what a typical life looks like. I cannot express the level of personalized service Hani offered us. He was flexible to adapt to our requirements and added sites to our schedule that was not part of the tour simply to ensure we were 100% satisfied with our experience in Egypt.

I went to Egypt practically blind-folded, not knowing what to expect, especially considering the time we had decided to go (December 2020 – we were the first group that Hani met with after months of having to put his tour agency on hold considering the pandemic) yet he managed to surpass all of our expectations. I felt so incredibly lucky for us to have stumbled on Hani. I would recommend Egypt Fun Tours to anyone and everyone. It was truly, HANDS DOWN, the best cultural experience I’ve ever had. You’ll be in the best of hands.

This Review was posted on Tripadvisor

Nille cruise,Luxor and Aswan where amazing sites to see, specially when you have with you the best tour guide in Egypt .Hamada was absolutely fantastic, lots of information and some of them not spoken by others. This guy was not only a simple tour guide for us, he became a good friend also. Was a one in lifetime experience. Highly recommend Fun Tours. Really a great experience.

This Review was posted on Tripadvisor

Hamada was incredible! So knowledgeable and kind. He had information about every item, street corner, and relic we looked at. Any questions we had, he had answers! He even made sure to give us tips while walking through the crowds so that’s we would feel more comfortable when being approached by vendors. Oh and the food?! He took us to the best places! Delicious food!! We tried Egyptian fried chicken, falafel for the first time, the best shawarma in the city (we love food). We even got to meet his beautiful wife and children and try some “French” Egyptian coffee in their home! Truly made friends for life!! We’ve promised to host him and the family when they travel to America for the first time! Such an incredible experience, and Hamada (and family) made it that much more memorable and amazing!

This Review was posted on Tripadvisor

Excellent trip to historic sites with no one else around. We came to see Egypt while most places still had COVID19 fears. The staff at Egypt Fun Tours were professional, safe, and great to deal with. Very helpful, knowledgeable, and entertaining. I feel like I just got a a year of Egyptology in the last week and we had all the sites to ourselves due to COVID19. While people are shutting down and staying home you should feel safe to come explore with Egypt Fun Tours and have the place to yourself.
This Review was posted on Tripadvisor
 
 

Trip of a lifetime!! COVID SAFE!! Knowledgeable guide who loves to share the magic of Egypt with tourists. Friendly and accomodating. This company goes to the extreme to make clients feel welcome and help you. Family company who takes good care of their support staff. Must book the 7 night trip which gives you a great feel for all of the history in upper and lower Egypt. The guide is an expert photographer and historian. He knows so much about each site and the culture. You MUST take this guide to teach you all about Egypt!

This Review was posted on Tripadvisor

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