Mosque of Al Aqmar

Cairo


This petite mosque, the oldest in Egypt with a stone facade, was built in 1125 by one of the last Fatimid caliphs. Several features appear here that became part of the mosque builders’ essential vocabulary, including muqarna (decorative stalactite-type stone carvings) vaulting and the ribbing in the hooded arch. If you climb to the roof, you’ll have a great view along the Bein Al Qasreen section of Sharia Al Muizz Li Din Allah.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo attractions

1. Beit El Suhaymi

0.05 MILES

With its fully restored paving stones and elaborate mashrabiyya (wooden lattice screens), Darb Al Asfar alley conjures up the Middle Ages – if the Middle…

2. Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda

0.06 MILES

The Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda is one of the iconic structures of Islamic Cairo, depicted in scores of paintings and lithographs. Building this…

3. Mosque-Sabil of Suleiman Silahdar

0.06 MILES

This 19th-century complex, built by Mohammed Ali's chief of armoury, combines a baroque-styled kuttab (Quranic school) and sabil (public fountain) at…

4. Qasr Beshtak

0.07 MILES

At the Sabil-Kuttab of Kathkuda, take the little alleyway that leads to Qasr Beshtak (Palace of Amir Beshtak), a rare example of 14th-century domestic…

5. Hammam Inal

0.07 MILES

One of the few well restored examples of Cairo's once vibrant hammam (bathhouse) culture, the Hammam Inal dates from 1456. The marble-clad central room is…

6. Wikala Al Bazara

0.08 MILES

This is one of about 20 remaining wikala (merchants’ inn) in the medieval city, down from about 360 in the 17th century, when this one was built. All were…

7. Mosque of Gamal Ad Din

0.1 MILES

Built in 1408, the facade of the Mosque of Gamal Ad Din has a row of shops below, the rent from which contributed to the mosque’s upkeep.

8. Egyptian Textile Museum

0.1 MILES

The only one of its kind in the Middle East, this interesting museum features textiles from ancient Egypt and the Roman, Coptic and Islamic eras. The…