Islamic heritage · Cairo
Al-Hakim Mosque
A majestic Fatimid mosque beside Bab al-Futuh on Al-Muizz Street, known for its two unusual minarets set inside massive square bastions.
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The story
Caliph al-Aziz of the Fatimids began the mosque around 990 CE outside the Bab al-Futuh gate, and his son al-Hakim completed it around 1013, hence its name. It stands in Islamic Cairo on the east side of Al-Muizz Street, just south of Bab al-Futuh. Over the centuries it was neglected and put to other uses until it fell into ruin, before the Dawoodi Bohras restored it in 1980 and it reopened for worship; it was reopened again in February 2023 after a restoration project begun in 2017. It has a pillared prayer hall, a wide courtyard and a projecting entrance, and its original ornate multi-tiered minarets were soon encased in the square bastions still seen today.
Good to know
- Construction began under al-Aziz around 990 CE and was completed by his son al-Hakim around 1013.
- The mosque has two unusual minarets, encased not long after their construction inside massive square bastions for reasons that remain unclear.
- A major restoration by the Dawoodi Bohras was completed in 1980, reopening it for religious use.
- The mosque was reopened in February 2023 after a restoration project that began in February 2017 and cost about EGP 85 million.