The head of the Egyptian syndicate for Quran reciters and learners, Sheikh Mohamed Mahmoud El-Tablawy, died at his home in Menoufiya governorate on Tuesday at the age of 86 after a long illness.

Syndicate spokesman Mohamed El-Saaty said the funeral of the famous chanter will take place on Wednesday at his family's tomb in El-Basatin in southern Cairo.

Born on 14 November 1934, El-Tablawy memorised the whole Quran by the age of nine and became a professional reciter when he was 15.

He took nine successive tests to become a reciter on the radio and finally succeeded.

He went on to become one of the main Quran reciters in the country, performing at the most prestigious religious ceremonies, attended by successive presidents since the era of president Anwar Sadat.

El-Tablawy also released many versions of his recitation of the Quran in different official variants (qira’at).

The sheikh was a master in breathing techniques and had a musical ear, allowing him to move smoothly between different scales.

He is the only reciter to have gone inside the Kaaba in Mecca at the request of Saudi Arabia’s King Khaled bin Abdel-Aziz in order to recite the whole Quran.

He had visited many countries in the course of his career, and had been honoured numerous times for his contributions and talent.

He retired when he turned 84.

"One of the most outstanding icons of Quran readers. He will always remain in the hearts and mind of Muslims, with his sweet voice that urges contemplation of the verses of the Wise Quran," said the grand imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, in a statement.

Dar Al-Ifta and the Islamic Chanters Syndicate also released statements of condolence on his death.