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| Egypt Flights Home »Tourist Attractions in Alexandria »Abu el-Abbas |
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Abu el-Abbas |
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Abu el-Abbas is one of the most beautiful and the most important historic mosque in Alexandria. This mosque was constructed by Algerians during 1775. The mosque was built over the tomb Murcia Andalusan, who was a saint in the thirteenth century. Later Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi (Abu'l 'Abbas) joined Murcia Andalusan and became a devout leader of Sufi. The entire name of Abu el-Abbas was Sheikh Shehab El Din Abu El Abbas Ahmed Ibn Umar Ibn Mohamed Al Ansary El Mursi. Abu el-Abbas was born in Andalusia during 1219 AD. He belongs to a wealthy business trading family. Abu el-Abbas was also known for his humbleness, for his honesty and contributions to the needy. During the Christian domination in Spain many Muslim scholars and religious people chose to live in Alexandria and the family of Abu el-Abbas was one of them.
The mosque of Abu el-Abbas has its long history to share. Firstly it was only the tomb of Abu El Abbas El Mursi (which remains today on its original site). Later a visit by El Sheikh Zein El Din Ibn El Qattan during the year 1307 AD who was one of the richest traders of Alexandria, along with a reverent of the Muslim scholar ordered his men to build a mausoleum and a dome for the tomb.
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The mosque has become a place of pilgrimage for many Muslims from Egypt and Morocco who passes through Alexandria during their Haj journey to and from Mecca.
In the year 1477 Gaqmas El Zahry, the ruler of Alexandria renovated the mosque; again in 1596 AD, the mosque was renewed after a visit by Sheikh Abu al Abbas El Khurzemy, who also built himself a tomb in the complex. More over most of the original structure does incorporate older elements, but it was Sheikh Abu el Hassan El Maghreby who, after visiting the small mosque in 1775, ordered the building of the current one on this site.
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Internally the main part of the mosque is an octagon. The walls inside are also dressed in artificial stone, though there is a mosaic dada 5.60 meters high. The mosque has two main entrances. The one on the north looks across the square and faces the street ahead to the Royal Palace of Ras at-tin. The eastern door also overlooks the square.
The stairs of the entrances are made of Egyptian granite and the ceilings are decorated with arabesque. The upper domes measure 7.5 meters in diameter and stand 11 meters above the lower domes. The floors are surfaced in white marble. The doors, minbar and windows are all made of joined and finely carved teak, citronia and walnut. The minbar is 6.35 meters high, crested by a dome, and has verses of Quran written at the top in French gold. The mihrab of the mosque, located in the Qibla wall, stands at the base of the mosque's minaret.
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