Mosque of Muhammad Ali

The temple was built in 1830 and is the largest mosque in Egypt. It is located in the Saladin Citadel of the old city of Cairo. The mosque has a typical Turkish style, and the minaret also adopts the juxtaposition of Turkish and Egyptian styles, which is not found in other mosques in Egypt. The majestic appearance The worship hall of the mosque is square, with a towering dome. The dome is about 52 meters high and 21 meters long in diameter. There are four semi-circular halls on all sides, corresponding to the main hall, and four high columns in them. There are two slender light towers on the diagonal, like two torches extending to the sky straight into the sky, of the tower is 85 meters above the ground, and the broad dome is covered with a layer of tin, making it eye-catching in the sun. dazzling. From a distance, the whole building gives a sober aesthetic feeling. Walking into the mosque, the inner and outer layers of the mosque wall are covered with alabaster, and when you enter the inner city of Cairo Castle, you can see its towering dome and light tower, which is majestic. The mosque is entered from the side door. After entering, there is a huge courtyard surrounded by a circle of cloisters. In the cloisters, you can see tall stone columns and exquisite doors and windows. There is a washroom in the middle of the west side of the mosque. The washroom is a beautiful pavilion with faucets on all sides. It is used for cleansing during worship. The interior and exterior walls of the well-crafted bathroom are also inlaid with alabaster tiles, so it is also known as the alabaster mosque. You can look up and see that of the bathroom is engraved with fine carvings, and there is a petal-shaped object on the side, which is a well. Visit the inner courtyard and in the southwest of the mosque there is a brass fence, which is the tomb of Ali, the governor of Egypt during the Ottoman Empire. He was buried here after his death in 1849, so the mosque was named after him. The hanging bell of the bell tower in the temple was a gift from King Louis Philippe of France. This iron bell tower with stained glass was also very beautiful back then, but now it is rusted and incomplete. The interior decoration of the splendid palace is splendidly decorated, with thousands of large transparent chandeliers hanging from the roof layer by layer, like a starry night sky, shining brightly, showing the splendid momentum of the hall. Countless glass ball lights and quartz glass reflecting the light make people feel the solemnity of the entire mosque under this harmonious light. There are not many interior furnishings, and the scattered stone pillars are very simple, and the traces of the years can be seen. There is the podium of the imam (the person who presides over the prayer) in the hall, and there is a small staircase surrounded by railings on the side. Around the dome, there are discs painted with the names of the four caliphs. After visiting the mosque in Cairo city, you can come to the square in front of the gate. Because the Cairo castle is located on the Mugaitam hill in the eastern suburb of Cairo city, you can also look south at the whole city of Cairo from the square in front of the mosque, with a very good view. If the weather is clear, you can also see the pyramids on the other side of the Nile.