SJEDS Travels to Egypt

The first mosque we visited was Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, which was built around 1356 A.D. The mosque has a bent entrance, which helps keep out the desert sand that is ever present in Cairo.

Before entering we had to take off our shoes, since they are not allowed inside. Modest dress is required and no shorts or tank tops are allowed; robes are available to cover legs and arms. Our guide informed us that many Muslim homes also have bent entrances to allow the women privacy, so no one can see directly in to the house. With this protection they can comfortably stay in their home without having their head covered.

Some of the stones used in building the mosque were taken from pyramids. This was long before there were laws to protect ancient buildings. Meshka or lanterns are used for lighting and perfumed oils are added to provide a sweet scent.

The entrance opens on to a huge open courtyard with a marble floor covered in rugs. In the middle of the open courtyard is the Dome of Purification where men may wash before praying. The face, hands, and feet must be washed. Women wash in a separate area or at home before coming to the mosque.

Muslims pray five times each day. The exact times vary each day, but are close to 4:30 A.M., noon, 3:30 P.M., 5:30 P.M., and 7:30 P.M.

The prayer area appears very open because there are no chairs and the dome is the highest dome of any other mosque. Prayer is done standing and on knees with head touching the ground, in the direction of Mecca. Men and women do not pray together. Women pray in a separate area. There is a sequence when to stand and bow when praying. Our guide did a demonstration for us and you can see it in this video clip.

During prayer time the imam, sort of like a priest, delivers a khotap which is advice or sermon on Islam. At one time the mosque had four minarets on top. Tragically, one fell and killed 300 onlookers. After that a limit of no more than two minarets per mosque are allowed.

The mosque has a school for children to learn the Qur’an and also has a hospital. When leaving we had to make a small donation to get our shoes back. This money goes to help the poor and needy. One of the main tenets of Islam is that richer people should help the poor and needy. There is no guideline on how much should be given.

The next stop was the Mosque of Al-Rifai, built in 1869 A.D. and Al-Rifai’s tomb is present in the mosque. The tomb of King Farouk is also there. King Farouk was the last successor of Muhammed Ali to die. The last Shah of Iran is also buried at this mosque. Mosques have different styles of minarets and each style is a key to the time period in which the mosque was built, as minarets have changed through the years.

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