The Ottoman Mosque Built In 1528 In Cairo Is Reopened To The General Age Of Restoration

Suleyman Pasha Al Khadim Mosque. (Wikimedia Commons/Houssam_Daowd_102)

JAKARTA - The oldest Ottoman mosque and a feature of the famous Saladin Fort in Cairo, has reopened after undergoing restoration by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The restoration began in 2018 and cost about 5 million Egyptian pounds to complete, the ministry said.

The mosque, which has the name Suleyman Pasha Al Khadim Mosque, also known as the Sariya Mosque, is famous for its 23 green tiled domes and pulpit inlaid with Iznik tiles.

This is the earliest Ottoman mosque in Cairo. It was built in 1528 AD and registered as an Egyptian heritage site in 1951.

The restoration includes strengthening and cleaning the mosque's stone facade, its minaret and the distinctive marble coating on its walls, the ministry said, according to The National News 18 September.

The mortar layer on the mosque dome was maintained and strengthened, while the open courtyard was repaired.

In addition, the environment around the mosque has also been planned for development, according to Tourism Minister Ahmed Eissa on the sidelines of the reopening of the mosque.

Restaurants, cafes and other parking areas will be built inside the fort to "enhance the tourist experience," Eissa said.

This fort was built by the Muslim general Salah Al Din after he captured Cairo from the Fatimids. Several years later, Salah Al Din continued the conquest of Jerusalem from the Crusaders.

To boost the tourism sector, one of Egypt's most important sources of foreign currency, the government has restored prominent Islamic sites in Cairo's historic quarter, which is home to most of the city's prominent Muslim, Jewish and Coptic sites.

State spending on restoration doubled to $3 million this fiscal year compared to the previous year, the ministry said.

Revenue from tickets to Egyptian heritage sites has increased fivefold, the ministry said.

Previously, the recent restoration of the Sayeda Aisha Mosque, a prominent site in Cairo built in the 9th century, was criticized for erasing Egypt's cultural identity.

The restoration, funded by the Bohras, a denomination of Shia Islam living mostly in India and Pakistan, was also overseen by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, as well as the Egyptian Ministries of Endowments and Tourism and Antiquities.