Al-Rifa'i Mosque (, transliterated also as ''Al-Rifai'', Al-Refai, Al-Refa'i, locally known as El-Refa'i, and in English: the Refaai Mosque) is located in Citadel Square, adjacent to the

Cairo Citadel The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin () is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residenc ...

. Its name is derived from the Ali Abu Shubbak who is buried in the mosque. Now, it is also the royal

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

's family. The building is located opposite the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, which dates from around 1361, and was architecturally conceived as a complement to the older structure as part of a vast campaign by the 19th century rulers of Egypt to both associate themselves with the perceived glory of earlier periods in Egypt's Islamic history and modernize the city.

History

The original structure on the site was a small 12th century

Fatimid The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...

-era mosque, known as the Al-Dakhirah Mosque.Encyclopedia of Egypt’s Mosques and their Righteous Saints, by Suʻād Māhir Muḥammad But later, the grandson of Ahmad al-Rifa'i, Ali Abu Shubbak al-Rifa'i, was buried within it, and the place was converted into a Zawiya for the Rifa'i tariqah. This Zawiya became known as the Al-Bayda Zawiya, and it not only contained the tomb of Ali Abu Shubbak, but also included the tomb of another Sufi mystic, Yahya al-Ansari. The present structure of the Al-Rifa'i Mosque was constructed in two phases over the period between 1869 and 1912 when it was finally completed. It was originally commissioned for Hoshiyar Qadin, the mother of the 19th century

Khedive Khedive ( ; ; ) was an honorific title of Classical Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the Khedive of Egypt, viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Khedive" ''Encyclopaedi ...

Isma'il Pasha Isma'il Pasha ( ; 25 November 1830 or 31 December 1830 – 2 March 1895), also known as Ismail the Magnificent, was the Khedive of Egypt and ruler of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain and France. Shari ...

to expand and replace the old Zawiya. Hoshiyar ordered an extensive renovation of the zawiya, and so the original structure save for the graves of Ali Abu Shubbak and Yahya al-Ansari was demolished. The new structure was also intended to contain the burial place of the Khedive family. The original architect was Hussein Fahmi Pasha, a distant cousin in the dynasty founded by

Muhammad Ali of Egypt Muhammad Ali (4 March 1769 – 2 August 1849) was the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Albanians, Albanian viceroy and governor who became the ''de facto'' ruler of History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty, Egypt from 1805 to 1848, widely consi ...

in 1803, but he died during the first phase of construction, and work was halted after the abdication of

in 1880. Hoshiyar Qadin herself died in 1885, and work was not resumed until 1905 when the new Khedive, Abbas II of Egypt, ordered its completion. Construction work was supervised by the Hungarian architect Max Herz, head of the Committee for the Conservation of the Monuments of Cairo.

Architecture

The mosque was designed in a Neo-Mamluk style, which was fashionable in Cairo at the time and which referenced historic Mamluk architecture. When developing its design, the architects of Al-Rifai Mosque tried to match the Sultan Hassan Mosque next to it in grandeur and heightAbdulwahhab, Hassan (1946). (1946 edition), vol. 1 even though they faced some difficulties that were criticized by archaeologists and which was remedied under the supervision of Max Herz. The interior area of the mosque is 6,500 square metres, the part designated for prayer is 1,767 square metres, and the rest of the space is allocated for the zawiya shrine and the royal mausoleum. The mosque has two minarets built on circular bases, like the minarets of the Sultan Hassan Mosque. As for the entrances, they are towering and surrounded by stone and marble columns with Arabic capitals. Their lintels are decorated with marble, and their tops also covered with polished and gilded arches. In the middle of the western side is the entrance to the royal mausoleum, which is surrounded by stone columns with ornate marble bases. To the right of the interior of this mausoleum is the tomb of

Fuad I of Egypt Fuad I ( ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sultan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Hu ...

in the western front corner of the mosque. It is covered with colored marble, and adjacent to it is the tomb of his mother, Ferial Qadin. At the end of the room, there is a door, which leads to another room that contains the tomb of Sheikh Ali Abu Shubbak Al-Rifa'i. This room is topped by a dome. The grave is covered by a wooden zarih built around it. Between the two front doors is a smaller entrance leading to a room which holds the grave of Yahya Al-Ansari.

Usage

The mosque is the resting place of Ali Abu Shubbak, an important saint of the Rifa'i order who is also regarded as one of the

Ahl al-Bayt () refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daugh ...

, hence it is a very important place for pilgrimage. It also contains the royal mausoleum of the Khedive family, where Hoshiyar Qadim and her son Ismail Pasha, as well as other members of Egypt's royal family, including Sultan Hussein Kamel, Sultan and King Fuad I, and King Farouk, are buried.

Khedive Tewfik Mohamed Tewfik Pasha ( ''Muḥammad Tawfīq Bāshā''; April 30 or 15 November 1852 – 7 January 1892), also known as Tawfiq of Egypt, was khedive of Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt and the Turco-Egyptian Sudan, Sudan between 1879 and 1892 and the s ...

and Khedive Abbas II Hilmi, however, are buried in Qubbat Afandina, a mausoleum built in 1894 in Cairo's Eastern Cemetery, together with other late members of the

Muhammad Ali Dynasty The Muhammad Ali dynasty or the Alawiyya dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan from the 19th to the mid-20th century. It is named after its progenitor, the Albanians, Albanian Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, regarded as the fou ...

. The mosque served briefly as the resting place of

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, who died in exile in the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

in 1944, and was returned to Iran after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Historical Iranian Sites and People
12 December 2010 Part of the burial chamber is also occupied by Reza Shah's son

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

, who died in Cairo in July 1980. He was buried in Cairo following the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

of 1979.

Burials

Sufi mystics * Ali Abu Shubbak al-Rifa'i, mystic of the Rifa'i order and grandson of Ahmad al-Rifa'i. * Yahya al-Ansari, patron saint of Cairo. Royal family of Egypt * Hoshiyar Qadin, Walida Pasha * Ismail Pasha of Egypt, Khedive * Jeshm Afet Hanim, wife of Khedive Ismail * Shehret Feza Hanim, wife of Khedive Ismail * Jananiyar Hanim, wife of Khedive Ismail * Prince Ali Jamal al-Din, son of Khedive Ismail * Princess Zainab Hanim, daughter of Khedive Ismail *

Hussein Kamel of Egypt Hussein Kamel (; 21 November 1853 – 9 October 1917) was the Sultan of Egypt from 19 December 1914 to 9 October 1917, during the United Kingdom, British protectorate over Egypt. He was the first person to hold the title of Sultan of Egypt si ...

, Sultan *

, King * Farouk of Egypt, King * Fawzia of Egypt, daughter of Fuad I Pahlavi dynasty * Reza Shah Pahlavi, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. His body was removed in 1950 and reburied in Iran. * Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, last

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

of Iran

References

External links

Al-Rifa'i Mosque
24 October 2009) {{Authority control Rifa'i Mosque buildings with domes in Egypt Medieval Cairo Mosques completed in 1912 1912 establishments in Egypt 20th-century mosques in Egypt Mosque buildings with minarets in Egypt