Al-Rifa'i Mosque

Al-Rifa'i Mosque was built in the nineteenth century to rival its fourteenth-century neighbour. It takes its name from Imam Ahmed Al-Rifa'i, founder of the Rifa'i Sufi order — and although the Imam is not buried there, the mosque hosts the annual celebration of his birth.

The site was a Fatimid-era building known as Zakhirat al-Malik, later converted to the shrine of Sheikh Ali Abu Shubbak. Khoshyar Hanim, mother of Khedive Ismail, ordered its construction in 1286 AH / 1869 AD and entrusted execution to Hussein Pasha Fahmy. Work halted in 1298 AH / 1880 AD and Khoshyar Hanim died in 1303 AH / 1885 AD, leaving the project suspended for some twenty-five years until the reign of Khedive Abbas Helmy II, when Ahmed Khairy Pasha was tasked with completing it. Hertz Pasha was appointed to finish the building in 1329 AH / 1911 AD.

The mosque stands in Citadel Square beside several historic mosques, most notably Sultan Hassan.