Al-Hakim Mosque

Located near Bab al-Futuh, at the beginning of Al-Mo’ez Street, you’ll find one of the largest Fatimid mosques in Cairo: the Al-Hakim Mosque.

Named after the sixth Fatimid Caliph, and 16th Ismaili Imam, the controversial Al-Hakim bi Amr al-Lāh who reigned between 996 and 1021. Al-Hakim was the first Fatimid Caliph born and bred in Cairo, the imperial Fatimid capital.

A famously eccentric caliph, Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah, ordered its construction in 990 AD. Towards the end of his reign, he disappeared without a trace at the age of 36. The mosque has since then been used as a warehouse and an elementary school before being reconverted into a mosque in 1980.

The al-Hakim Mosque which stands on the east side of Muizz Street, just south of Bab Al-Futuh (the northern gate) is one of very few examples of the architecture of the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) that survived the Ayyubid purge and the test of time. The Mosque was originally built as an enclosure by the Fatimid vizier Gawhar Al-Siqilli, but was incorporated into the extended fortifications built by Badr al-Gamali. It consists of an irregular rectangle with four arcades surrounding the courtyard. An unusual feature is the monumental entrance with its projecting stone porch. The sanctuary's most impressive features are its minarets, the oldest "surviving" minarets of all Cairo, and the mosque's spectacular entrance resembling a pro pylon which is more of an Ancient Egyptian architectural feature.

Al-Hakim is a central figure in both the Ismaili and Druze sects. Although the mosque is in use by local Egyptians, it is a place of pilgrimage and is the seat of the Ismaili Bohra congregation in Cairo. Amongst the Ismailis, the mosque is known as Al-Anwar, or "The Most Illuminated".