The mosque was officially inaugurated by Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA); Hisham Abdel Azizi, head of the religious sector at the Ministry of Religious Endowments; and Mofadel Mohamed Hassan, representative of Bohra community in Cairo.

Waziri said that the opening of the mosque is yet another achievement of the SCA’s Islamic, Coptic, and Jewish Antiquities Sector’s efforts to restore important archaeological edifices.

He also pointed to the restoration of the neighbouring Al-Hakim Mosque, which was inaugurated in February.

He explained that work on the Al-Aqmar Mosque began in October 2020 and cost EGP 14 million, which was provided by the Bohra community in Cairo.

The Bohra, a Shia community based out of India with a substantial presence in Cairo, has funded the restoration of various historic mosques in Egypt, including the Al-Hussein Mosque and the Al-Sayeda Nafisa Mosque.

Hisham Abdel-Aziz revealed that Friday prayers will be broadcast from Al-Aqmar Mosque for the first time since the completion of its restoration.

The restoration work included the maintenance of the main stone facade, as well as the removal of dirt and bird waste from walls. It also included cleaning marble pillars, restoring plaster engravings, replacing missing parts of the construction plaque with historically accurate replacements, as well as restoring wooden doors and windows.

New lighting and metal window grilles, to protect the architecture from birds, were installed. The walls of the minaret and glass decorations were also strengthened.

Fatamid legacy
 

The mosque was commissioned by Fatimid Caliph Al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah in 519 AH/1125 AD. Construction was supervised by the Vizier al-Maamun Al-Bataihi, and it was renewed during the reign of Sultan Barquq in 799 AH/1397 AD under the supervision of Prince Yalbugha Al-Salmi.

The main facade of the mosque is one of the oldest surviving stone facades in Egypt. Its architecture is characterized by its intricate stone carvings and the repetition of the phrase “Muhammad and Ali,” in addition to Quranic verses written in the Kufic script. The most ingenious engineering detail is the way the building’s facade is oriented towards the street, while the interior is still oriented in the direction of prayer.

When the Coptic Museum was built in the 20th century, its facade was inspired by Al-Aqmar Mosque’s architecture, but with Biblical verses and Christian iconography.

The mosque consists of an open courtyard at its center surrounded by four riwaqs (arcades) topped by shallow domes, the largest of which marks the qibla, the direction of prayer.

An inscription above the mihrab (niche in the wall of a mosque marking the direction of prayer) records the renovations that were undertaken by Yalbugha Al-Salmi.