Egypt reopens capital's oldest Ottoman mosque after 5-year-restoration plan

Following a five-year restoration plan, the oldest mosque built under Ottoman rule in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, has been reopened in the presence of the country's top officials.

Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters during the inaugural ceremony of Sulayman Pasha Al-Khadim mosque, held over the weekend, that the restoration process of the building's unique architecture first kicked off in 2018 and utilised state-of-the-art scientific methods to maintain its historical value.

The renovation of the mosque, located inside Salah El-Din Citadel, cost five million Egyptian pounds (about US$162,000) and was undertaken cooperatively with the Bohra Shia community living in Egypt.

The 2,360-square metre mosque, also known as Sariat al-Jabal, was built in 1525 by Suleiman Pasha al-Khadim, a prominent Ottoman statesman, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Lawgiver who ruled Egypt twice between 1520 and 1566. It was registered as an Egyptian heritage site in 1951.

In recent years, the Bohra community has become known as a group contributing millions of pounds to the restoration of the historic Fatimid mosques in the country, including Al-Hakim Mosque,  Juyushi Mosque,  Al-Aqmar Mosque and Al-Lolola Mosque in Cairo.

On 8 August, Sultan Mufaddal Saifuddin, the leader of Bohra in Egypt, joined Egyptian [resident Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in inaugurating the historic mosque of Sayida Nafisa, Muslim Prophet Muhammad's granddaughter, after restoration work funded by the community.

One day earlier, Sisi awarded Saifuddin the Nile Sash, one of Egypt's highest orders, in recognition of the Bohra community's financial support of restoring the shrines of Ahl al-Bayt, the family of the Prophet Muhammad.

Earlier, the group donated 10 million EGP to the Tahya Misr (Long, Live Egypt) fund, established by Sisi in 2014.