Al Hussein Mosque

Mosque Cairo, Egypt

The al-Ḥusayn mosque (Arabic: "Mosque of our Lord al-Ḥusayn") is a mosque built in 1154 in Cairo, near the souk called Khān el-Khalīlī. It takes this name in honor of Muhammad's nephew, al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, fathered through his daughter Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ and his paternal cousin ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, whose head is believed to be buried inside. The Shiites think that al-Ḥusayn's head and body are instead located in the Shrine of Imam al-Ḥusayn in Kerbelā. The mosque is considered one of the main Islamic shrines in Cairo and was built by the Fatimid Imams, as discovered during archaeological excavations in the area. The mausoleum (which dates back to before 1154) is the oldest part of the complex. The current building dates back to the 19th century and was influenced by the so-called "Gothic Revival architecture".