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The mosque of al Hussein is an architectural wonder and one of the many sites worth checking out for those interested in Islamic architecture. Al Hussein was the son of Ali, Prophet Mohammed’s cousin and Fatima his daughter.
After his father was killed Al Hussein claimed the caliphate from yazid iibn maawyah and was killed in Karbala’ with 72 of his companions while fighting with Yazid’s enormous army.
The shrine was built in 1154 and it is claimed that the head of Hussein is in the shrine of that mosque but the claim is controversial since shii’is believe it is in the mosque of Imam Hussein in karbala’.
The mosque includes great architectural work but it is hard to relate the restorations to time periods because it was renovated so many times. The remaining part of the Fatimid structure is believed to be the lower part of the gateway at the south corner of the mosque called Bab Al akhdar.
The Ayyubids in 1237 added a minaret with carved panels of arabesque in stucco; it is above the fatimid gateway. Al Husayn’s wooden cenotaph, a magnificent example of
Twentieth century wood carving is at the Islamic museum of art. The mosque’s wood ceiling is supported by forty four white marble columns.
The mosque is a centre for congregational prayers in Cairo today. The Shrine is also a major visiting site for many Muslims. The great silver mashrabeyya screen surrounding the shrine was a gift from the Bohra ismai’li brotherhood in India. The mosque of husayn remains to this day one of the most important sites of Islamic architecture in Cairo-.
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