Al-Rifa'i Mosque
Explore Cairo's great royal mausoleum, where monumental nineteenth-century Islamic Revival architecture houses the tombs of Egypt's Muhammad Ali dynasty and the final Shah of Iran directly opposite the medieval Sultan Hasan Mosque.
Historical Overview
Al-Rifa’i Mosque stands directly opposite the fourteenth-century Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hasan in Salah al-Din Square. The present building was commissioned in the nineteenth century by Hoshiyar Hanim, mother of Khedive Ismail, with Hussein Pasha Fahmi responsible for the design. Construction stopped for a long period and the mosque was ultimately completed in 1912 during the reign of Khedive Abbas Helmi II. Its monumental historicist design deliberately responds to the neighboring Mamluk masterpiece while using imported materials including Italian marble and modern construction methods. Part of the building functions as a mosque, while another major section became the royal mausoleum of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Burials include Khedive Ismail, Hoshiyar Hanim, King Fuad I and King Farouk. The mosque also contains the tomb of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.
Why Visit?
Al-Rifa’i combines monumental Islamic Revival architecture with the royal burial history of modern Egypt and is best experienced together with Sultan Hasan directly across the square.
What to See
- Tombs of Muhammad Ali dynasty
- Tomb of the Shah of Iran
Getting There
Media Gallery
Photo of Al-Rifa'i Mosque