PM Modi’s visit to Egypt: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Egypt from June 24 to 25 on the second leg of his two-nation tour. The visit is at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, which he extended to the Prime Minister. January 2023 when he graced our Republic Day celebrations as the ‘Chief Guest’. This will be the Prime Minister’s first visit to Egypt.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, apart from his talks with President Sisi, the Prime Minister is likely to interact with senior dignitaries of the Egyptian government, some prominent Egyptian personalities as well as the Indian community in Egypt.
Relations between India and Egypt are based on ancient trade and economic links as well as deep cultural and people-to-people ties. During the state visit of President Sisi in January 2023, it was agreed to elevate the relationship to a ‘strategic partnership’.
PM Modi to visit historic Al-Hakim Mosque
During the two-day visit, PM Modi will visit the historic Al-Hakim Mosque built during the Fatimid dynasty in Cairo on June 24. PM Modi’s visit to the mosque is scheduled as the first event on the last day of his two-day programme. in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The Prime Minister will spend about half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque.
About Al-Hakim Mosque
The monument is a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo, named after the 16th Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985–1021). The mosque was originally built by al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah’s father, Caliph al-Aziz Billah, at the end of the 10th century, in the year 990, and was later completed by al-Hakim in the year 1013. .
The mosque is also known as al-Anwar, meaning “the Enlightened”, the style being similar to the name of the earlier al-Azhar mosque established by the Fatimids. It is the second largest and fourth oldest mosque in the city of Cairo. The mosque is located in the center of Islamic Cairo, on the east side of Al-Mu’izz Street, just south of the Bab al-Futuh (one of the northern city gates of Fatimid Cairo).
Al-Hakim Mosque is an example of Fatimid architecture.
The Al-Hakim Mosque is an important example of Fatimid architecture and history in Cairo. The rectangular mosque is spread over an area of 13,560 square metres, of which 5,000 square meters is the large courtyard or Sahan in the centre. The rest of the space is divided into four covered halls, one on each side of the mosque. The Bayt al Salat, or sanctuary area and prayer hall, is the largest of these, measuring 4,000 square meters and containing five bays.
There are two distinctive minarets on the north and west corners of the mosque. Al-Hakim himself modified these minarets in 1010 by enclosing a square around them. They are the oldest still standing minarets in the city. This mosque has the distinction of being the oldest mosque in the world, when it was first built it had two minarets built together.
The mosque has eleven doors, the most important of which is the central door at the main entrance, which is made of stone. The gate has a prominent portico topped by carved niches and squares similar to those of the Mahdiya Mosque in Tunisia. The mosque also has pointed arches supported by rectangular pillars in the courtyard and prayer hall, reminiscent of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo.
Important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community
The Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah Mosque is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo. The latest renovation project was the second such initiative undertaken by the Dawoodi Bohra community after the first renovation and restoration project which was completed almost forty years ago.
The renovation was carried out as part of a large-scale plan by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to promote tourism to Cairo’s Islamic sites. The work was co-funded by the Dawoodi Bohra community.
Work on the mosque began in 2017 and included repairing water damage and cracks in the walls. The wooden fixtures were reinforced, including the mosque’s doors, its platform and the distinctive decorative wooden tiles at the base of its roof.
The mosque’s ornate chandeliers, one of Cairo’s most prominent Fatimid sites, were also restored. Security cameras were installed to serve both the interior areas and the large courtyard the mosque is known for, as well as more efficient electrical wiring. Complex restorations were also carried out on the façades and marble floors of the mosque.
The Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah Mosque, a nearly 1000-year-old structure in the heart of Egypt’s capital Cairo, was reopened on February 27 this year after extensive renovations, which took six years to complete.
(with ANI inputs)