Al-hakim mosque

Al-hakim mosque

 Al -Hakim bi- Amr Allah, literally "Ruler by God's command," was known to many by his dictatorial and eccentric eccentric decrees, at some point itself a divine entity, unique among its peers in the rule medieval ages Cairo said. Al -Hakim then went on a mysterious tour through Mokattam hills and never returned .

 

The painting of the mosque El Hakim Roberts

The mosque where he finished , El -Hakim is the second largest Fatimid mosque in Cairo. The mosque began in 990 by Caliph Al Aziz Billah son of famous Khalifa Al Moez Lideen Allah Al Fatimy , and was completed by al- Hakim bi- Amr Allah and his overseer Abu Muhammad al- Hafiz 'Abd al- Ghani ibn Sa 'id al- Misri in 1013.To ensure the serenity and solemnity during the Fatimid era, loggers with their camels, mules and carts loaded with straw and wood logs were banned from walking down the street that was lit all night by lanterns hanging from the facades of buildings and shops.During his life, the building served as a prison for Crusaders in captivity ( although we also said to be used as a church by them too), the warehouse of Napoleon , Salah al- Din stable, factory lamps and boys ' primary school under Nasser , when a basketball court was marked off in the yard. Napoleon's soldiers at the end of the 18th century left a mosque in a poor condition and it fell into disrepair . It was then revived during the reign of Khedive Tawfik as the basis for the first Islamic Museum before the museum was transferred to Bab al- Khalq in 1903. Before the modern era, the last time he was mentioned as being used as a mosque was in 1452 AD.

 

ancient writing

Courtyard of the mosque El Hakim

Courtyard of the mosque El Hakim

 The wall structure of the mosque El Hakim

Originally the mosque was located outside the walls closing Fatmid Cairo to Badr al- Gamali rebuilt the north wall to include al- Hakim mosque within the walled city .This is a good example of a congregational mosque that was typical of the early Islamic architecture . The mosque is built of brick with stone facades and minarets , and covers about the same area as the Ibn Tulun mosque. It has an irregular rectangular plan with a central rectangular courtyard surrounded by open arches supported by pillars made ​​with a prayer hall whose arcades are also carried out on compounds pillars. The front of the North Central received a monumental portal project . The mosque has three domes and a central nave in the prayer hall qibla , higher and wider than the aisles , with a basilica layout . Termination of this went to the mihrab is marked by a dome made ​​of tubes and domes mark the outer corners of the prayer hall as well .

 

 The portal ( entrance) to the mosque El Hakim

Another view of the entrance to the El Hakim Mosque

Both different in shape and decoration corner minarets, were locked in the projection structures trapezoidal stone projects in the street, under the reign of al- Hakim in AD 1002-3 (although some set dates for coating structures to 1010 AD ).

The , the lower part of the oldest Minaret within the outer casing

Looking at the minaret of Al- Hakim Mosque

Minaret with its outer surface on the lower part

These minarets are the oldest surviving minarets in Cairo, state the exterior walls of the mosque. The bases are original and can be seen within the foothills , where the peaks were replaced in 1303 by Baybars II al- Gashankir during Mumluk after an earthquake destroyed the upper floors.

 

Image early El -Hakim Mosque

Baybars was also responsible for mabkhara florets and the polychrome marble facing mihrab in the qibla wall to the right of the main mihrab . An internal staircase leads to the city walls and a walkway which date from the 12th century.Given the strong affiliation of the Fatimids in North Africa and in particular in Kairouan in Tunisia, al- Hakim has built a mosque in the tradition of the Great Mosque of Kairouan. However, it can also be said that the mosque was modeled on that of Ibn Tulun if clerestoried mihrab nave follows the style of the Al -Azhar mosque.Very few of the original decorations remaining after restoration by Ismaili Shi -i sect . The mosque was locked in stone and wood tie beams , stucco carvings in the clerestory and Koranic inscriptions remain original decorations .Today, every Friday mosque hosts hordes of faithful who go to every week to perform their midday prayers, and give the Al Hakim mosque its reputation as the most popular mosque in Old Cairo .