Alabaster Mosque

Without a doubt, one of the most surprising places in this enormous city. It seems doubtful that in such a chaotic city as Cairo, whose death rate relating to traffic accidents is the highest in the world (it's insanity, I can assure you), can have such a marvellous architectural building in the core of the city. The Alabaster Mosque was ordered to be built by Mohammed Ali. Despite the fact that I had read that it was built in honour of his deceased son, it seemed like wherever I went, people told me that it was actually built in honour of his wife.

The Mosque is huge and can even be seen from many different points throughout Cairo. It's located just next to a highway and in its vicinity, it can be seen surrounded by a cemetery which is now occupied by families who coexist there together with the deceased. The mausoleums have been occupied by families without resources who have adapted to make the most out of the conditions in these mausoleums. It's one of the most surprising things about this city.

The Mosque is coated in alabaster stone, one of the most valued stones in Egypt. It's frequently hand crafted by craftsmen who can easily be found in the bazaars in the city. Because of the magnitude of the building, the government invests a lot of money in its conservation and the maintenance of this monument which is actually one of the main attractions in the city as well as the interior.

The gardens that surround the building are very well looked after, but the adjoining buildings have been destroyed by a fire which took place some years before. The first thing that attracts your attention is the minaret, mostly because of its height. After going through the doors of the Mosque, and after having gone through a long hall full of columns and lamps, you find yourself in a purification centre. In Islam, this area is used as a place to cleanse yourself so it's where people clean their hands and feet in order to be purified when they go in to pray.

When you go inside, the first thing that attracts your attention is the dome of the Mosque, which is covered in a lot of lamps as you can see in the following photo. It's great to be able to contemplate the ceiling which has been painted with great care and with accents from the Qur'an or with lamps. The rugs which cover the floor, also made from alabaster, are patched up when they spoil in order to maintain the charm of the Mosque.

Despite the most awesome aspect being inside the Mosque, the Mosque has a gorgeous lookout point where you can take a panoramic of Cairo.