The al-Hakim Mosque (), also known as al-Anwar (), is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt. It is named after al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh (985–1021), the 6th Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismāʿīlī Imam. Construction of the mosque was originally started by Caliph al-ʿAziz, the son of al-Muʿizz and the father of al-Ḥākim, in 990 CE. It was completed in 1013 by al-Ḥākim, which is why it is named after him.
The mosque is located in Islamic Cairo, on the east side of al-Muʿizz Street, just south of Bab al-Futuh (the northern city gate). In the centuries since its construction, the mosque was often neglected and re-purposed for other functions, eventually falling into ruin. In 1980, a major restoration and reconstruction of the mosque was completed by the Dawoodi Bohras, resulting in its reopening for religious use.
Finally, its inauguration took place in Ramadan, 1013 CE. It measured when it was finished and was more than double the size of the al-Azhar Mosque. Al-Hakim allocated 40,000 dinars to the construction and then another 5,000 dinars to its furnishings. The al-Hakim Mosque was also known by an epithet, al-Anwar ('the Illuminated'), similar in style to the name of the earlier al-Azhar Mosque founded by the Fatimids. A ziyada, or a walled outer enclosure, was also added around the mosque later, begun by Caliph al-Zahir () but completed much later under the Ayyubid sultan al-Salih Najm al-Din () and the Mamluk sultan Aybak ().
Post-Fatimid era
The mosque in the 1890s, before its restoration in 1980|thumb|left
In 1303, during the Mamluk period, the mosque was severely damaged by an earthquake and was subsequently restored by Sultan Baybars II al-Jashankir. By that time, the mosque was also being used to teach Islamic law from the four Sunni maddhabs.
The use of "unauthentic" materials and additions during the restoration has been criticized by scholars and conservationists, particularly when judged by the standards of the Venice Charter. The mosque was reopened after restorations in February 2023; and in June 2023, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi visited the mosque with the Prime Minister of Egypt, Mostafa Madbouly, and son of Mufaddal Saifuddin, Husain Burhanuddin.
Architecture
General layout
thumb|Floor plan of the mosque
The facades and minarets of the mosque are made from stone, while the rest of the structure is made of brick. This layout is similar to the layout of the older Ibn Tulun Mosque and the al-Azhar Mosque. The mosque's original Fatimid portal has not been preserved; the current portal was reconstructed during the mosque's modern restoration according to earlier descriptions provided by K. A. C. Creswell.<gallery>
File:Al-Hakim Mosque main entrance 2019 Cairo Egypt.jpg|alt=|Main entrance of the mosque
File:Al-Hakem b Amr-Allah mosque - Moez street.jpg|alt=|Courtyard of the mosque, looking towards the southeast to the central aisle of the prayer hall
File:Cairo, moschea di al-hakim, interno 07.JPG|alt=|Interior of the mosque's prayer hall (mostly reconstructed in the 1980 restoration)
File:Moez Mosque (3).JPG|alt=|The central aisle leading to the mihrab
File:محراب مسجد الحاكم بأمر الله 1515852.jpg|alt=|Main mihrab of the mosque (dating from the 1980 restoration)
File:ليست قطعه بورسلين ولكنها القبه اعلى منبر مسجد الحاكم بأمر الله.JPG|alt=|Dome in front of the mihrab
File:Cairo Al Hakim 4.jpg|alt=|Smaller mihrab dating to 1808, near the main mihrab
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The minarets
The most spectacular feature of the mosque is the minarets on either side of the facade. The northern minaret is high while the southern minaret is high. The minarets were originally built in 1003, but the massive bastion towers or salients (referred to as arkān in Arabic sources) that define their lower parts today were added in 1010, after their initial construction, for reasons that remain unclear.
The inner (original) minaret towers have a multi-tier design with different forms: the northern minaret has a square base and a cylindrical shaft above it, whereas the southern minaret is composed of a taller square base with an octagonal shaft above it.
See also
- Early medieval domes
- List of mosques in Cairo
- List of mosques in Egypt
- List of Historic Monuments in Cairo
- Shia Islam in Egypt