Al-Hakim Mosque

Al-Hakim Mosque
Interior courtyard of the mosque
Basic information
Location	Cairo, Egypt
Affiliation	Islam
Year consecrated	928
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mosque
Leadership	Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Architectural description
Architectural type	Mosque
Architectural style	Fatimid
Completed	992
Specifications
Dome(s)	1
Minaret(s)	2

Al-Jam`e Al-Anwar (Arabic: الجامع الانور‎‎, Anwar Mosque, literally:The Enlightened Mosque) also Al-Hakim Mosque is a major Islamic religious site in Cairo, Egypt. It is named after Imam Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985–1021), the sixth Fatimid caliph,16 th Fatimid/Ismaili Imam and the first to be born in Egypt.

The mosque was originally built as an enclosure by the Fatimid vizier Gawhar Al-Siqilli (c. 928–992), but was incorporated into the extended fortifications built by Badr al-Jamali. It consists of an irregular rectangle with four arcades surrounding the courtyard. An unusual feature is the monumental entrance with its projecting stone porch. It is located in "Islamic Cairo", on the east side of Muizz Street, just south of Bab Al-Futuh (the northern gate).

The most spectacular feature of the mosque are the minarets on either side of the facade, reminiscent of the propylon to a pharaonic temple.

Originally the two minarets stood independent of the brick walls at the corners. These are the earliest surviving minarets in the city and they have been restored at various times during their history. The massive salients were added in 1010 to strengthen their structure, and the northern minaret was incorporated into the city wall. Inside, these strange structures are hollow, for they have been built around the original minarets, which are connected with brackets and can still be seen from the minaret above.

At various times, the mosque was used as a prison for captured Franks(i.e. Latin crusaders) during the Crusades, as a stable by Saladin, as a fortress by Napoleon, and as a local school. As a result of this the mosque had fallen out of use.