What is Al Rifai Mosque?
Al Rifa’i Mosque is a magnificent Muslim mosque located in Cairo, Egypt.
It is also referred to as the Royal Mosque because it is the last resting place of various members of the Egyptian royal family.
The Al Rifa’i Mosque, located near the Saladin Citadel in Cairo, is direct across from its ancient counterpart, the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, and is open to the public.
The massive hall of worship constructed over 43 years, with the last phase finished in 1912.
It built as part of the Egyptian rulers’ plan to modernize the capital city while also embracing the glory years of Egypt’s Islamic history in the nineteenth century.
The mosque’s design, particularly its dome and minaret, is heavily influenced by Mamluk architecture, particularly noticeable in the interior.
The temple is sometimes referred to as the Royal Mosque since it is the last resting place of numerous contemporary Egyptian royals, including the current president of Egypt.
History of Al Rifai Mosque
The Al-Rifa’i Mosque ticket includes entry to the Sultan Hasan Madrasa Mosque.
It is worth seeing both to appreciate how similar the two structures are, even though they were built over 500 years ago in different places.
Suppose you are looking for a more in-depth exploration of the Islamic monuments in Cairo.
In that case, we offer a specially guided English language tour of the Islamic history of the Egyptian capital:
In 1869 Khushyar Khanum, mother of Khedive Ismail, commissioned Husayn Fahmy Pasha al-Maar (the engineer), a prince of the royal family.
He had traveled to France in 1840 as part of Muhammad Ali’s fifth and most significant.
An educational mission to replace the Al-Rifai zawiya and its mausoleum with a mosque from the ruling family
On the other hand, he died during the first phase of construction, which stopped abruptly immediately after Khedive Ismail surrendered in 1880.
Abbas Helmy II, the ruler of Egypt, ordered the mosque to be reconstructed in 1905 and commissioned Max Herz Bey, a Hungarian architect working on the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Antiquities in Cairo.
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Al Rifai Mosque’s Architecture and Design
Herz aided by Italian architect Carlo Virgilio Silvani and directed by Ali Pasha Mubarak, Minister of Public Works under Khedive Ismail. The mosque built in 1912, according to historical records.
This monument believed to commemorate a watershed moment in Egypt’s cultural and political history.
It overlooks straight streets and broad squares, two characteristics of the design of European cities adopted during the rule of Muhammad Ali and his successors.
They intended to transform the traditional society of Egypt into a cosmopolitan one.
Designed as a self-contained monument, Al-Rifa’i Mosque responds to its location by displaying four fully articulated facades and a highly ornate Mamluk-style dome and tower.
It is the architectural embodiment of the new ruling family’s desire for legitimacy, which pursued through the employment of national symbols represented by the mosque.
The mosque’s connection to Mamluk history evidenced by the remarkable repetition of crowds, materials, colors, and the details of the nearby Sultan Hassan Mosque, which is right across the street.
When the dynasty chose to incorporate it into the popular context of the corner, it was a clear sign that they were trying to garner much-needed public support in the face of the increasing British dominance of the country at the time.
Ironically, this rediscovery of the past is made possible by European scholarship and the systematic study of the Mamluk architectural heritage in Egypt, best represented in the description of Egypt produced by the Napoleonic expedition and the Arab Architecture of Antiquities in Cairo for Muhammad.
French architect Ali Pascal Coste was a member of Muhammad Ali’s court. Despite the historical presence in this mosque, it reduced to a few eclectic surface decorations.
The centrality of the mosque and the abandonment of complex Mamluk spatial formations in favor of a rational scheme reflect the architect’s preoccupation with the classical beaux-arts revival movement of the nineteenth century.
Touring Al Rifai Mosque
Enter the Al-Rifai Mosque with a combination ticket to the Sultan Hassan Mosque, just across the street: Al-Rifai built to complement the ancient mosque.
The two buildings have a strong sense of belonging together.
The Al-Rifa’i Mosque, located beyond the walls of Cairo’s ancient citadel, is often visited as part of a tour of Islamic Cairo, which may also include the Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, and maybe the Ibn Tulun Mosque, among other sites.
Day tours mix Islamic Cairo with Coptic Cairo, with additional stops at sites such as the Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the Church of Saints Sergio and Bacchus to round out the itinerary.
What you should know before you go
- The Al-Rifai Mosque and the Sultan Hassan Mosque are must-see destinations for anybody interested in Islamic architecture.
- When visiting Islamic religious places, dress in modest attire and cover your shoulders, arms, and legs completely.
- Women will need to cover their hair, as they usually do when visiting a mosque, and everyone will need to take their shoes off before entering.
How to get to Al Rifa’i Mosque
The Al-Rifai Mosque and the Sultan Hassan Mosque are situated in Salah El-Din Citadel’s Citadel Square, north of Bab Al-Azab, and are both mosques.
Several buses depart from the Abdel Moneim Riad Square bus stop, located behind the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
However, you must be fluent in Arabic to use these services.
When you get to Al Rifa’i Mosque
Sunday through Thursday mornings are the hours of operation for the Al-Rifai Mosque. On Fridays, the mosque is closed for mid-morning prayers.
It’s a popular tourist destination for Egyptians and Muslim travelers to Egypt, so it’s worth paying a visit even if you’re not there during the Islamic weekend (Friday to Saturday).
Don’t miss to check our related Egypt vacation packages for more tour packages.
