Muhammed Ali Mosque

12/18/2009

One of the stops in Cairo that invloved a more modern site was when we got to see the Muhammad Ali Mosque. This mosque blew my mind because it was absolutely huge. It first did not seem as large because it was nestled deeply in a large fortress that they called the citadel. This structure itself was mindbogglingly large. The citadel was built in the 12th century by saladin and he used it as a fortress for 700 years to rule egypt. The Mosque was not built there until the 1800's when the Ottoman Muhammad Ali took control with the help of the Mamluk soldiers, and that is when the mosque was constructed in the middle of it. The inside of this mosque is even more impressive than the outside of it with all the color that they used was breathtaking. The thing that you notice from the outside and can be seen in full view on the inside is the domes. On the outside the domes are cover in lead which just adds to the architectural feet that this building is, lead is a heavy element and putting it on top of a dome and then supporting it could not have been an easy task. The symbolism that was played in on building the mosque was also cool, in side their are five pillars that are made in representing the five pillars of Islamic faith. We got to sit on the carpet and talked about Islam with our guide Adel and that was one of the coolest experiences. Anyone can read a book about a religion and what your are supposed to do but when a person can describe the religion and you can see the passion in how much they care about it, it becomes an unique experience.


Posted at 9:40 AM by Anthony Jahr