Sayeda Aisha Mosque

Mosque in Cairo, Egypt

Sayyida Aisha Mosque
مسجد السيدة عائشة
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Ecclesiastical or organizational status
StatusActive
Location
LocationSalah ad-din Square, Islamic Cairo
CountryEgypt
Map
Interactive map of Sayyida Aisha Mosque
Coordinates30°01′29″N 31°15′24″E / 30.024675°N 31.256782°E / 30.024675; 31.256782
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic
Completed
  • 14th-century (foundation)
  • 1762 (renovation)
  • 1971 (current)
Specifications
Dome1
Minaret1

The Sayyida Aisha Mosque (Arabic: مسجد السيدة عائشة) is a mosque and mausoleum, located near Salah ad-din Square on a similarly named street in Islamic Cairo, Egypt. The mosque contains the tomb of Aisha bint Ja'far al-Sadiq, a female scholar who was one of the daughters of Ja'far al-Sadiq,[1] and the mosque was named in her honour.[2]

History

The mosque is named after Aisha, daughter of Jaafar al-Sadiq, son of Muhammad al-Baqir, son of Ali Zain al-Abidin, son of Hussein, son of Ali ibn Abi Talib. She was the sister of Musa al-Kazim. She died in 145 AH (762/763 CE). Her tombstone reads: "This is the tomb of the honorable Lady Aisha, one of the children of Jaafar al-Sadiq, son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, son of Ali ibn Abi Talib."[3][full citation needed]

The original structure was a small shrine over the grave of Sayyidah Aisha, topped by a dome. When Saladin ruled Egypt, he ordered the construction of a madrasa next to the shrine.[2] When the new city walls of Cairo were built in the same era, the madrasa was separated from the tomb and a new gate was opened in the wall, called Bab Sayeda Aisha or Bab al-Qarafa.[3][full citation needed]

In 1762, a new mosque was attached to the shrine and madrasa by Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda, a Mamluk emir during the time of Ali Bey al-Kabir.[2]

In 1971, the old mosque, madrasa and shrine were demolished. A new mosque was erected in its place, which still stands today.[2] When the Sayeda Aisha Bridge was built,[when?] the Qarafa Gate was demolished and Fayda Kamel renovated the Sayeda Aisha Mosque to its current state.[3][full citation needed]

Architecture

The original building before the Ayyubid period had roughly square plan and had a dome resting on two layers of muqarnas.[2]

The 1971 restoration expanded the mosque into its present form. It has two doors; one for men, which leads to the prayer hall, and another side door for women, which leads directly to the tomb chamber.[1] The mosque has a large dome, which is supported by eight concrete pillars in a circular formation.[1] On the dome is in inscription which reads: "Aisha has a bright light and joy, and her dome in which supplications are answered."[2] The mosque has one minaret.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mosque of Sayyida Aisha in Cairo - Main Destinations in Egypt : Cairo, Much More Than a City : Mosques in Cairo". egyptopia.com. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Sayyida Aisha mosque". sis.gov.eg. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Abdulwahab, Hassan. History of Mosques. pp. 323–326.[full citation needed]

Media related to Sayeda Aisha Mosque at Wikimedia Commons

  • "Home page". Government Website of Islamic artefacts. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014.
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