The Church of the Virgin at Haret er-Rum is rather close to another Church dedicated to
the Virgin at Haret Zuwaila. The original Church of the Virgin was first built on this site
in the sixth century, but was destroyed and rebuilt several times. It served as the seat of
the Coptic Patriarchate from 1660 till 1799.
Situated 1.5m below street level, this church has an iconostasis consisting of the Virgin
and the Apostles. The small church of St. Theodore can be accessed though the north
sanctuary.
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The Refa'i Mosque, located next to Sultan Hassan Mosque and near the Citadel in Cairo
is not an ancient mosque, but nevertheless very beautiful and takes you on an interesting
excursion into Egyptian modern history. The Royal Mosque or also called the Mosque of
the Healers, is an amazing witness of religious tolerance of the 19th and 20th century. As
ornamental elements the cross is often used and in some of the colorful stained windows,
the Jewish Star can be found.
The construction time of the mosque lasted 40 years between 1869 – 1912 and attention
was paid to every single detail in decoration. When a Muslim is praying to God, he is
supposed to look upwards, so the ceilings of the prayer hall were carefully decorated.
Most of the walls in the mosque are covered with colorful marble, impressive in
monumental size. Pointed arches divide the royal mosque into three doorways. The many
doors in the walls are made of expensive and the finest wood.
The construction was initiated by the mother of Khedive Ismail, Khushyar Hanem, in
1869. Built in the Bahri Mamluk style, the mosque sits upon the site of an Islamic saint,
Sheikh Ali al Rifa’i, the leader of a medieval dervish order. Today it contains also the
tombs of the royal family and important Egyptians as well as the mausoleum of the
Iranian Shah.
Until today the mausoleum of Sheikh Ali al-Refa'i attracts worshippers who walk around
his tomb, touching the sandalwood screen and seeking his blessings for their lives. In
different chambers to the left lie the tombs of King Fouad, son of Khedive Ismail, who
ruled Egypt between 1917 to 1936, and his mother. Three years after the 1919 Revolution
under Saad Zarghloul, Britain had to declare Egypt an independent sovereign state with
some reservations and thus Sultan Fouad declared himself King of Egypt. In his reign, the
first national cabinet, headed by Said Zaghloul, was formed.
The mausoleum of the Shah of Iran is currently occupied by Reza Shah's son, Mohamed
Reza Pahlavi, who died in exile in Cairo in 1980. Carpets and wall decorations are
imported from Iran and until today twice a year at his date of birth and his date of death
his wife and family are visiting his tomb, so I was told.
Nearby is a niche where one of the guards performed a prayer call. The acoustic is
incredible beautiful and can never be beaten by the use of today’s modern techniques of
sound systems.
The times I visited the Rifai Mosque, I found the tombs closed and I had to ask a guard to
open the huge wooden doors and to lead me through the little labyrinth of mausoleums.
The first tomb we visited belonged to Khedive Ismail. Khedive Ismail, one of the most
important of his dynasty, was responsible for the building of the Suez Canal. He invested
strongly in modernizing Egypt, its education system and Egyptian infrastructure like
construction of bridges and railways.
In a different chamber three of the wives of Khedive Ismail are buried. The first and last
tombs are just like Khushyar Hanem’s tomb with two, ornamentally decorated steps. The
middle tomb belongs to the French wife of Khedive Ismail, who converted to Islam.
Her tomb, like the other two, is decorated with Quranic verses, but it is includes a shape
imitating the Dome of Notre Dame in Paris and decorated with a cross. Above her tomb
the colorful window shows the Jewish Star of David.
The third room belongs to Sultan Hussein Kamel and his wife. Hussein Kamel was one of
the two Khedives that held the title of Sultan.
The final tomb belongs to King Farouk and the last king, who ruled Egypt for 45 years.
He was toppled during the revolution of 1952. He died in exile in 1965.
The Rifai Mosque is well-known and easy to find. It is certainly worth a visit, not only as
an Islamic monument, but also as a monument of Egypt’s recent historical past.