Mosque of Amr ibn al-As
Cairo Governorate, Egypt
Open to visitors
The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.
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Located in the Fustat neighbourhood of Old Cairo, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As is an Islamic architectural landmark named after the Arab Muslim commander who founded Egypt's first capital. Built around 642 CE, it was the first mosque constructed in Egypt and among the earliest in Africa, serving initially as the religious and administrative centre of Fustat. For six centuries, it remained a vital hub of Islamic scholarship until superseded by al-Muizz's Al-Azhar Mosque in Islamic Cairo. The structure rose on the site of Amr ibn al-As's original tent, and one chamber within commemorated his son, Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As. Extensively rebuilt over the centuries, nothing of the original survives, yet the mosque remained prominent enough to rank as the fourth largest in the Islamic world through the twentieth century. Today it continues as an active place of worship while welcoming visitors between prayer times.
Movement
- Type
- mosque
- Place
- Cairo Governorate, Egypt
This building on
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Location