PM Modi Egypt Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach Egypt on a two-day visit from Saturday. During the visit, he will also visit the 11th century Al-Hakim Mosque here. PM Modi’s visit to the mosque is scheduled as the first event on the last day of his two-day program in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
The Prime Minister will spend about half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque. The mosque is named after the 16th Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985–1021). The mosque was originally built by al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah’s father, Caliph al-Aziz Billah, in the year 990, at the end of the 10th century. In the year 1013, Al-Hakim completed the work of the mosque.
Masjid also known as Al Anwar
The mosque is also known as Al-Anwar, which means the Enlightened. It is the second largest and fourth oldest mosque in the city of Cairo. The mosque is located in the center of Islamic Cairo on the east side of Al-Mu’izz Street, just south of the Bab al-Futuh (one of the northern city gates of Fatimid Cairo).
The Al-Hakim Mosque is an important example of Fatimid architecture and history in Cairo. The rectangular mosque is spread over an area of 13,560 square metres, of which 5,000 square meters is the large courtyard or Sahan in the centre. The rest of the area is divided into four covered halls on each side of the mosque, with the Bayt al Salat or sanctuary area and the prayer hall facing the qibla wall, the largest at 4,000 square meters and consisting of five bays.
The mosque also has the distinction of being the oldest mosque in the world.
There are two distinctive minarets on the north and west corners of the mosque, which were modified by al-Hakim himself in 1010 by adding a square nave around them. These are the oldest surviving minarets in the city. This mosque also has the distinction of being the oldest mosque in the world, which had two minarets erected together at the time of its initial construction.
The mosque has 11 doors, the most important of which is the central door at the main entrance, which is made of stone. The gate has a prominent portico topped by carved niches and squares similar to those of the Mahdiya Mosque in Tunisia.
The mosque also has pointed arches supported by rectangular pillars in the courtyard and prayer hall, reminiscent of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo. The Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah Mosque is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo.
PM Modi to visit Egypt on June 24 and 25
PM Modi will pay a state visit to Egypt on 24 and 25 June. Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that this would be Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Egypt. According to the information, during his first visit to Egypt, PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave Cemetery to pay homage to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice while fighting for Egypt during the First World War.
