Mosque of Mohamed Ali
The Citadel is sometimes called Mohamed Ali Citadel, because it contains the Mosque of Mohamed Ali,
which was built by Mohamed Ali Pasha between 1828 and 1848 and is located on top of the Citadel.
This Ottoman mosque was built in memory of Tusun Pasha, the second son of Mohamed Ali who died in 1816.
However, it also represents Mohamed Ali’s attempts to erase symbols of the Mamluk dynasty he replaced.
The mosque was built between 1830 and 1848, although not completed until the reign of Said Pasha in 1857.
The architect was Yusuf Bushnak from Istanbul and the model was the Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque from that city.
Mohamed Ali Pasha was buried in a grave carved from Carrara marble, in the courtyard of the mosque.
The mosque is also called the alabaster mosque, because of the alabaster that is incorporated into the mosque.
The alabaster comes from the alabaster quarries at Beni Suef, the Sannur caves
When Ottoman ruler Mohamed Ali Pasha took control of
the Mamluks, he changed many of the additions to the Citadel that reflected Cairo’s previous leaders
An obvious change that Mohamed Ali determined,
related to the use of the northern and southern quarters in the Citadel
During the Mamluk period, the southern enclave was the residential area,
but Mohamed Ali claimed the northern enclave as the royal residence when he took power.
He then opened the southern rampart to the public and effectively established his position as the new leader
After the royal residence, the mosque is the second important monument on the Citadel that reflects the reign of Mohamed Ali
This mosque, with its grand dome and overtly Ottoman architecture, looms over the Citadel to this day
Thanks to the destroyed Mamluk palaces within the Citadel, space was created for the formidable mosque,
which was the largest structure built in the early 19th century.
Placing the mosque on a spot where the Mamluks had once ruled,
was an obvious attempt to erase the memory of the older rulers and establish the importance of the new leader
The mosque also replaced the Mosque of al-Nasir as the official state mosque.
Al Gawhara Palace
Also known as “Bijou Palace”, a palace and museum commissioned by Mohamed Ali Pasha built in 1814
The palace was designed and built by craftsmen from different countries, including Greeks, Turks, Bulgarians and Albanians.
Ali’s official divan or audience hall, where the pasha receives guests, contains a chandelier weighing 1,000 kg that was sent to him by King Louis-Philippe I of France.
The palace also contains the throne of Mohamed Ali Pasha which was a gift from the King of Italy.
