14th century Cairo mosque restored

Developers unveiled the restoration of a 650-year-old mosque in Cairo’s old city, part of an effort to revitalize the impoverished district and boost tourism to the country’s treasure trove of Islamic sites.

The three-year, $1.4 million project restored the Aslam al-Silahdar Mosque, built in 1344-1345 by Aslam al-Bahai, an amir or nobleman who rose to the position of “silahdar,” or “swordbearer” for Sultan al-Nasir Mohammed, one of the most powerful of Egypt’s Mamluk rulers.

It is tucked into Cairo’s al-Darb al-Ahmar district, a dense warren of narrow, dusty alleyways.

A handful of American donors contributed to the conservation efforts, including the American Research Center in Egypt with a grant from USAID, and the U.S. Ambassador Fund.

A square adjoining the mosque was also renovated.

AP

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Tags: 14th Century Cairo, American Research Center in Egypt, cairo, islam, Mosque

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Tourism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.