Description of the attraction
The Amr ibn Al-Asa mosque was founded in 641-642. in the new capital of Egypt - Fustat, this building was the first Muslim temple in the country. The site for the mosque was chosen where the tent of the general of the occupation army Amr ibn Al-As was located.
According to legend, a bird chose the location of the temple. The tent of the commander-in-chief Amr stood on the eastern bank of the Nile, in the southern part of the delta, and shortly before the decisive battle, the dove laid an egg inside. After the victory, the general chose where to found the new capital, declared the egg a sacred sign and made it the center of his new city, Misr Al-Fustat ("Tent City"). Later, the Amr Mosque was built here.
The original structure was rectangular in plan - 29 x 17 meters. It was a low house with an earthen floor, supported by chipped palm trunks, the main material of the walls was stones and mud bricks, and the roof was covered with date leaves. There was no mihrab inside, no orientation towards Mecca and no decorations. There was also no minaret; the building had two doors - to the north and east.
The mosque was completely rebuilt in 673, during the renovation four minarets were added and the size of the structure was doubled. In 698, the religious building was again expanded by about two times. Reconstructions and changes continued until 1169, when the building, along with all Fustat, was burned down. The fire was started by order of the vizier of Egypt, so as not to give the city to be torn apart by the crusaders. Ten years later, the area was conquered by the army of Nur al-Din, and the mosque was rebuilt. For several centuries, the mosque performed its functions, undergoing minor repairs, restoration after earthquakes, and minor alterations.
In the 18th century, one of the Mamluk leaders, Murad Bey, ordered the demolition of a dilapidated mosque and its conversion. At this time, the number of pillars with inscriptions decreased from seven to six, the orientation of the aisles was changed, and minarets that have survived to this day were added. In 1875 the mosque was rebuilt again. In the 20th century, during the reign of Abbas Helmi II, another restoration was carried out in the mosque; in the 1980s, the entrances were partially repaired.
The few ancient parts of the mosque structure that can still be seen, visible along the southern wall, were added during reconstruction in 827. Today the place of worship includes elements of Greek and Roman buildings, and has 150 white marble columns and three minarets. Its simple design consists of an open space surrounded by four rivaks (galleries), the largest of which is a qibla arcade.
