Egypt Opens Newly Restored Ottoman-Era Mosque
16:51 17.09.2023 (Updated: 10:22 25.04.2024)
© Photo Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
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The restoration of the Suleiman Pasha Al-Khadim Mosque comes as part of the country's commitment to rehabilitate all archaeological sites in Cairo and improve the city's image as a major tourist destination. The project took five years under the supervision of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has officially inaugurated the newly restored Ottoman Pasha Al-Khadim Mosque, also known as the Sariyat Al-Gabal Mosque, in the Al-Khalifa district in south Cairo.
The 2,360-square-meter complex stands on the site of the Fatimid-era tomb of Sayed Sariya. The mosque was built in 1528 by the Ottoman governor Suleyman Pasha al-Khadim. During the Ottoman period, the mosque served the Janissaries, an elite unit of the Ottoman armies that conquered Egypt in 1517.
Sariyat Al-Gabal is considered the earliest Ottoman-style mosque in Egypt and is characterized by domes, semi-domes, pencil-shaped minarets, and ceramic tiles. In particular, it has 22 green-tiled domes and a prayer niche inlaid with Iznik tiles.
The complex consists of a prayer hall, a kuttab (a Muslim elementary school) and a mausoleum, with most of the tombs dating from the Ottoman period. It has an open courtyard of colored marble surrounded by four domed porticoes in the classical Turkish style.
"To distinguish the Ottoman mosques, the minaret is usually pencil-shaped," said Mostafa Waziri, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, adding: "The mosque consists of the prayer area, the vicinity, the Fatimid cemetery and the Kuttab [Quran school]."
The inauguration ceremony was led by Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel-Aal. It was also attended by other high officials from the ministry.
Speaking at the event, the minister stressed that the mosque is a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture and an invaluable part of Egypt's cultural heritage. Issa noted that the government is spending three billion Egyptian pounds on various restoration projects in the current fiscal year as part of the plan to boost the tourism industry.
The Sariyat Al-Gabal (Pasha Al-Khadim) Mosque in Cairo, Egypt
© Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
He described the opening of the mosque as a major investment in the field of tourism, as it contributes to providing a special tourist experience for visitors and tourists from all over the world. Over the past two years, Issa said, revenue from tickets to historical sites has increased fivefold.
Waziri, for his part, noted that work on the project began in 2018, and took about five years at a cost of around 5 million pounds. He elaborated that the architectural restoration work was done under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
"The restoration is a self-financed project carried out by SCA restorers using the latest scientific techniques, and with reference to the original mosque design," he said.
Hisham Samir, assistant to Minister Issa for archaeological projects, said that the restoration included removing plasterwork added over the centuries, strengthening engravings, strengthening and insulating wood, cleaning the masonry, repairing the mosque's walls, and decorative elements.
