The Sayyida Zeinab Mosque is a Shia Muslim mosque and the shrine of the granddaughter of the Prophet Mohamed through his daughter Fatima and son in law Ali. It is not a tourist attraction but an important place of worship for pilgrims from Iran, Pakistan and other parts of the world where Shia Muslims reside. It is also a popular religious destination for those belonging to the Sufi sect.
The Sayyida Zeinab Mosque was built in 1256 AD and dedicated to Sayyida Zeinab who is also the patron saint of Cairo. It was rebuilt four times and the present structure was constructed in 1942. The façade, minaret and cupola have a Mamluk style of architecture. The rest of the mosque has a style typical of mosques in Iran. The door is made of pure gold and the roof and walls have intricate mirror work. The prayer hall has a painted wooden ceiling with several columns. The cenotaph of Sayyida Zeinab is surrounded by an ornate bronze grille.
The Sayyida Zeinab Mosque is popular among women in Cairo. The larger entrance is for women while the smaller entrance is for men. There is a large market in front selling religious objects for the convenience of visiting pilgrims.

This religious school established by Amir Sayf al-Din Sarghatmish al-Nasiri who was the chief of the corps of Mamluks or slaves in 1356. The complex consists of the school, a mosque and the mausoleum of Sarghatmish.
The Sarghatmish Madrasa is one of the finest examples of Mamluk architecture. The layout is cruciform or in the shape of a cross. It has an ornate 15.5 meter façade that contains the main portal leading to the interior of the complex. The rectangular windows in the upper walls of the façade and rear of the complex are placed in the living quarters of students. There are three stories of student cells, some looking over a courtyard and others with a view of the street. The dome over the mausoleum of Sarghatmish has a drum shape that reflects a Persian style rather than an Egyptian style. The Mosque inside the Madrasa has marble interior walls decorated in Mamluk style. There is a courtyard with a fountain at the center of the complex.
The Sarghatmish Madrasa was a place where students learned law according to the Hanafi School which is one of the Sunni schools of law under the Shariat. It also became a place of refuge for Sunni students from Persia at the time. The Madrasa is open to visitors from 9 to 4 daily.

The Ibn Tulun Mosque is one of the largest, oldest and best preserved mosques in Egypt. Some scenes of the James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me was filmed here.
The Ibn Tulun Mosque was built between 870 and 879 by the Abbasid Governor Ahmad Ibn Tulun. He was a slave who founded the Tulunid Dynasty that ruled Egypt between 868 and 905. After the fall of the dynasty, the mosque was neglected for many years. It was restored in 1296 by the Mamluk Sultan Lajin. A recent major restoration was carried out in 1999 and the courtyard was paved and the fountain was covered with black marble.
Ibn Tulun Mosque covers an area of 6 acres. It is the third largest Mosque in the world. The galleries have intricately carved stucco arches. It was the first time that stucco was used in Egypt. The unique feature of the building is the minaret. Unlike other minarets, it has a spiral structure. The model is from the minarets found in Samarra, Iraq. A spiral staircase is found on the outside. The minaret arches have a horseshoe shape resembling the type of arches found in Spain and showing the influence of Muslim refugees who fled here after the Re-conquest of Spain from the Moors.

The Refa’i Mosque was built on the site of a small shrine dedicated to the medieval Islamic saint Al Refa’i. It was later called the Royal Mosque because part of the complex houses the mausoleum of members of the royal family and serves as a storehouse of many royal treasures.
The Refa’i Mosque was commissioned by Khushyar Hanim, the mother of the then Pasha, Khedive Isma'il Pasha. It was built between 1869 and 1912. The building has many architectural styles from the Mamluk period of Egyptian history. The dome and the minaret are particularly reflective of Bahri Mamluk Architecture that was popular in 19th and 20th century Egypt. It consists of a large prayer hall, shrines for the three Islamic saints, Al Refa’i, Ali Abi-Shubbak and Yahya al-Ansari and a mausoleum where members of the royal family are interred. It has a rectangular shape and covers an area of 6500 square meters.
The Al Refa’i Mosque is the final resting place of the Egyptian Royal family and other Royals. Kushyar Hanem who commissioned the mosque and her son, Ismail Pasha and the last reigning King of Egypt, King Faroukh are interred in the mausoleum. The last remains of Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran were first interred in the mausoleum until they were returned to Iran after World War II. The burial chamber is today the final resting place of his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The Al Refa’i Mosque is the living reminder of Egypt’s royal past.

The Al-Nasr Muhammad Mosque was built in the 14th century located at the Citadel in Cairo. It was here that the Sultans of Egypt performed their Friday prayers.
The Mamluk Sultan, Al-Nasr Muhammad constructed the mosque in 1318 as a place of worship for the ruler and members of the armed forces. The original structure was improved and the height increased in 1338. In the 16th century, the dome over the prayer niche collapsed. When the Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt, they ransacked the mosque and took away most of the marble paneling to Turkey. It remained a neglected structure until the British took over the administration of Cairo in the late 18th century.
Sultan Al-Nasr Muhammad constructed the mosque in Bahri Mamluk style. It had a hypostyle structure with a roof supported by columns. There is a side private room enclosed by intricate iron work for the Sultan. The call of prayer was broadcast from the north minaret so that the armed forces and palace troops could hear it. The building is square shaped with a central courtyard that could hold up to 5000 worshippers. The two minarets have intricately carved bulbous portions. The ceilings are covered with glass mosaics, a form of decoration used extensively by Sultan Al-Nasr Muhammad in all structures that he commissioned. The Mosque is unique in that the funds available to build it exceeding the actual cost of building. It remains a place of worship today and is rarely visited by tourists.

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha is located at the top of the Salah-ad –Din Citadel in Cairo. It is one of the most visited sites in Cairo.
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha was commissioned by the founder of modern Egypt and the last dynasty that ruled Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha. It is also called the alabaster mosque because of the extensive use of the material in the structure. Unlike other mosques in Egypt that were built in the Mamluk architectural style it had the style of Turkish Mosques especially the Yeni Mosque in Istanbul. It was designed by the Turkish architect, Yusuf Bushnak.
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha has a central dome surrounded by four small domes and four semicircular domes. The slender minarets have a Turkish architectural style and are 82 meters high. The tomb of Muhammad Ali Pasha is located at the center of the courtyard and is made of Carrara marble. The arcaded courtyard offers a spectacular view of the city across to the pyramids at Giza. The large prayer hall is covered by large Turkish style dome. The Southwestern parapet offers views of Cairo, the Sultan Hassan Mosque and the Ibn Tulun Mosques.

The Cairo Citadel on Mokattam Hill is a large Islamic fortification commanding spectacular views of the city. Many landmark Mosques and museums are located here today.
The Cairo Citadel served as a place where Sultans from the Mamluk Dynasties came for the cool air and to enjoy the spectacular views. It was the Ayyubid Ruler Salah-ad-Din who realized the strategic advantage of fortifying the citadel to protect the city from the crusaders. The wall around the citadel was constructed between 1176 and 1183. It served both as a fortress and a Royal City at the time. The Mamluk Sultan, Al Nasir Muhammad regained power in the 1330s and destroyed most of the Ayyubid structures. Later the Ottoman rulers, tore down most of the Mamluk buildings in the 1800s.
Today, only the walls of the Ayyubid fortress and the Bir Yusuf or St. Josephs Well remain from the original structure. The green domed Mosque of Al Nasir Muhammad and a portion of his striped palace remain from the Mamluk era. All other structures are built by the Ottoman Rulers, in particular Muhammad Ali Pasha the founder of the last dynasty that ruled Egypt. The four museums that are now located within the Citadel are the Police Museum, the National Military Museum, the Carriage Museum and the Al-Gawhara Palace museum.

The Suleiman Pasha Mosque was the first mosque built by the Ottoman rulers of Egypt in 1528. It is located in a cramped corner of the Citadel and was the place of worship of the Janissary Corps of the Ottoman army.
The Suleiman Pasha Mosque is named after Suleiman Pasha al Khadim, a court eunuch who became the commander of the Janissary Corps and later the Wali of Egypt. He dedicated the Mosque as the place of worship of the corps and stipulated that the Sheik should always come from Turkey. It is located at the northern enclosure of the citadel where the Janissary corps was stationed.

The Suleiman Pasha Mosque is one of the finest examples of 16th century Ottoman design and has a free standing structure with a central dome. It is surrounded by an enclosure and gardens. The Mosque has a rectangular shape. One half of the building is the prayer hall while the other half is a courtyard. Unlike other Ottoman Mosques, the entrance leads directly to the prayer hall. The carvings on the balconies and the marble covered Mihrab resemble Mamluk architecture. A door in the western wall of the prayer hall leads to a marble covered courtyard. Visitors are welcome when prayer is not in session.