Editing Al-Hakim Mosque

{{Short description|Mosque in Cairo, Egypt}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name                  = {{plainlist|
Al-Hakim Mosque
}}
| native_name           = مسجد الحاكم <br> ''Masjid al-Ḥākim''
| native_name_lang      = ara
| image                 = Mosque MG 0823.jpg
| image_upright         = 1.4
| alt                   = 
| caption               = Interior courtyard of the mosque
| map_type              = Egypt
| map_size              = 240
| map_alt               = 
| map_relief            = 1
| map_caption           = Location in [[Cairo]]
| coordinates           = {{Coord|30|03|16|N|31|15|50|E|region:EG_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Islam]]
| locale                = 
| location              = [[Muizz Street]]
| deity                 = 
| rite                  = 
| sect                  = [[Shia Islam|Shia]]
| tradition             = 
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| cercle                = 
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| province              = 
| region                = [[Cairo]]
| country               = [[Egypt]]
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| functional_status     = Active
| heritage_designation  = 
| ownership             = 
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| patron                = 
| religious_features_label = 
| religious_features    = 
| architect             = 
| architecture_type     = mosque
| architecture_style    = [[Fatimid architecture|Fatimid]]
| founded_by            = [[Al-Aziz Billah]], [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]]
| creator               = 
| funded_by             = 
| general_contractor    = 
| established           = 
| groundbreaking        = 990 CE
| year_completed        = 1013 CE
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| dome_quantity         = 1
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| minaret_quantity      = 2
| minaret_height        = 
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}}

The '''al-Hakim Mosque''' ({{langx|ar|مسجد الحاكم|translit=Masjid al-Ḥākim}}), also known as '''al-Anwar''' ({{langx|ar|الانور|lit=the Illuminated}}),<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989">{{cite book |first=Doris |last=Behrens-Abouseif |title=Islamic Architecture in Cairo: An Introduction |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INsmT6zjAl8C&pg=PA63 |chapter=The mosque of Caliph al-Ḥākim bi Amr Allāh (990–1003) |year=1989 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-09626-4 |pages=63–65}}</ref> is a historic mosque in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]. It is named after [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh]] (985–1021), the 6th [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] caliph and 16th [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlī]] Imam. Construction of the mosque was originally started by Caliph [[Al-Aziz Billah|al-ʿAziz]], the son of [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|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.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Bloom |first=Jonathan M. |date=1983 |title=The Mosque of al-Ḥākim in Cairo |journal=Muqarnas |volume=1 |pages=15–36 |doi=10.2307/1523069 |jstor=1523069}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=King |first=James Roy |date=1984 |journal=Islamic Studies |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=325–335 |issn=0578-8072 |jstor=20847278 |title=The Restoration of the al-Ḥākim Mosque in Cairo}}</ref>

The mosque is located in [[Islamic Cairo]], on the east side of [[Muizz Street|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 Bohra]]s, resulting in its reopening for religious use.<ref name=":5" />

== History ==

=== Fatimid construction and modifications ===
The mosque's construction was initiated by the 5th [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] caliph [[Al-Aziz Billah|al-ʿAziz Billah]] in the year 990 CE and the first Friday prayers took place in it a year later, though the building was incomplete.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> This suggests that the [[Mosque#Prayer hall|prayer hall]] or sanctuary, the area where prayers were led, was probably built first.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> His successor, [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh]], and his overseer Abu Muhammad al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa'id al-Misri, resumed construction work in 1002–1003.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Jami' al-Hakim |url=https://www.archnet.org/sites/2316 |access-date=2021-12-07 |website=ArchNet |archive-date=2021-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207151100/https://www.archnet.org/sites/2316 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":6" /> In 1010, the minarets were modified by the construction of large square bastions around them, which hid much of the original towers.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> The chronology of construction in the mosque's interior and the determination of exactly which part was built by which patron, is uncertain.<ref name="auto">{{cite book |last=Pruitt |first=Jennifer |title=Building the caliphate : construction, destruction, and sectarian identity in early Fatimid architecture |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-300-26402-9 |publication-place=New Haven |pages=95–126 |chapter=Construction, Destruction, and Concealment under the “Mad Caliph” |oclc=1262140920}}</ref>{{Rp|location=Note 9 from p. 97}}

Finally, its inauguration took place in [[Ramadan]] of the year 1013.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Wilber |first1=Donald N. |last2=Creswell |first2=K. A. C. |date=December 1954 |title=The Muslim Architecture of Egypt, I. Ikhshids and Fatimids, A.D. 939-1171 |journal=The Art Bulletin |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=304 |doi=10.2307/3047582 |issn=0004-3079 |jstor=3047582}}</ref> It measured 120 meters by 113 meters when it was finished and was more than double the size of the [[al-Azhar Mosque]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bloom |first=Jonathan M. |date=1983 |title=The Mosque of al-Ḥākim in Cairo |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1523069 |journal=Muqarnas |volume=1 |pages=15–36 |doi=10.2307/1523069 |jstor=1523069 |issn=0732-2992 |access-date=2021-12-07 |archive-date=2021-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119023003/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1523069 |url-status=live }}</ref> Al-Hakim allocated 40,000 dinars to the construction and then another 5,000 dinars to its furnishings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sanders |first=Paula |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fnBFANHMn4C&dq=al-hakim+mosque+dinars&pg=PA55 |title=Ritual, Politics, and the City in Fatimid Cairo |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-7914-1781-2 |pages=55–60 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> At the time of inauguration, al-Hakim permitted a celebratory procession which made its way from al-Azhar to al-Anwar and from al-Anwar back to al-Azhar.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}

The mosque originally stood outside the walls of Cairo, but when the Fatimid vizier [[Badr al-Jamali]] rebuilt and extended the city walls in 1087, the northern side of the mosque, including its minaret, was incorporated into the northern city wall (between the newly-built gates of [[Bab al-Futuh]] and [[Bab al-Nasr (Cairo)|Bab al-Nasr]]).<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Raymond |first=André |title=Le Caire |publisher=Fayard |year=1993 |pages=63–65 |language=fr}}</ref> A ''ziyada'', or a walled outer enclosure, was also added around the mosque later, begun by [[Al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah|Caliph al-Zahir]] (r. 1021''–''1036) but completed much later under the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] sultan [[As-Salih Ayyub|al-Salih Najm al-Din]] (r. 1240–1249) and the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk]] sultan [[Aybak]] (r. 1250–1257).<ref name=":42">{{Cite book |last=Behrens-Abouseif |first=Doris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INsmT6zjAl8C&pg=PP1 |title=Islamic Architecture in Cairo: An Introduction |publisher=E.J. Brill |year=1989 |isbn=9789004096264 |location=Leiden, the Netherlands |pages=63–65 |access-date=2023-01-29 |archive-date=2023-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224072406/https://books.google.com/books?id=INsmT6zjAl8C&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> 

=== Post-Fatimid era ===
[[File:Arab Museum in mosque of al-Hakim.jpg|The mosque before the 1980 restoration |thumb|left]]
In 1303, during the Mamluk period, the mosque was severely damaged by an earthquake and was subsequently restored by Sultan [[Baibars II|Baybars II al-Jashankir]]. By that time, the mosque was also being used to teach Islamic law from the four [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] ''[[Madhhab|maddhab]]s''.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> In 1360, the mosque was restored again by Sultan [[An-Nasir Hasan|Hasan]]. In the 15th century, a merchant sponsored the construction of a third minaret for the mosque, though this minaret has not been preserved.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" />

The interior of the mosque fell into ruin over many centuries until its modern renovation, and the building was only intermittently used as a mosque.<ref name="auto" /><ref name=":03" /> At various times, it was used as a prison for captured Franks (i.e. Latin crusaders) during the [[Crusades]], as a stable by [[Saladin]], as a fortress by [[Napoleon]], as an Islamic arts Museum in 1890, and as a boys' school in the 20th century during [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]'s presidency.<ref name=":03" /><ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> In the early 19th century, the mosque underwent a restoration sponsored by '[[Umar Makram]]. The restoration also added a small mihrab to the interior that is still preserved today, dated to 1808.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /><ref name=":03" />

=== 20th century restoration ===
[[File:Al Hakim Mosque Courtyard.jpg|thumb|The courtyard of the mosque today]]
In 1980, the mosque was extensively reconstructed and refurbished in white marble and gold trim by [[Mohammed Burhanuddin]], the head of the [[Dawoodi Bohra]], an international [[Shia]] sect based in [[India]]. The restoration took 27 months and the mosque was officially re-opened on 24 November 1980, in a ceremony attended by Egyptian president [[Anwar Sadat]], Mohammed Burhanuddin, and other high-ranking Egyptian officials.<ref name=":5" /> 

Remnants of the original decorations, including [[stucco]] carvings, timber tie-beams, and [[Quran|Quranic]] inscriptions were preserved, but most of the mosque's present interior dates from this reconstruction.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":03" /> Among other things, the restoration introduced a new marble mihrab whose motifs imitated the appearance of the Fatimid-era stucco mihrab in the al-Azhar Mosque.<ref name=":6" /> It also involved the demolition of the Mamluk-era tomb of Qurqumas, which stood right in front of the mosque and which was subsequently relocated to the [[City of the Dead (Cairo)|Northern Cemetery]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Sanders |first=Paula |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BFy5Drdpp8kC&dq=tomb+al-hakim+mosque+relocation+cairo&pg=PA123 |title=Creating Medieval Cairo: Empire, Religion, and Architectural Preservation in Nineteenth-century Egypt |date=2008 |publisher=American University in Cairo Press |isbn=978-977-416-095-0 |pages=118–123 |language=en |access-date=2022-06-21 |archive-date=2023-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224072406/https://books.google.com/books?id=BFy5Drdpp8kC&dq=tomb+al-hakim+mosque+relocation+cairo&pg=PA123#v=onepage&q=tomb%20al-hakim%20mosque%20relocation%20cairo&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> 

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]].<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":03" /><ref name=":4" /> The issue has elicited scholarly debate about the relative merits of different philosophies on the restoration and reconstruction of historic sites.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" /> Some scholars, like James Roy King and [[Bernard O'Kane (scholar)|Bernard O'Kane]], have noted that the restoration has at least had the benefit of converting the building from a ruin to a functioning mosque that can be visited by anyone, even if some of the details of the restoration remain problematic.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> 

===21st century===
In 2017, a new restoration project began, undertaken through a partnership between the Dawoodi Bohra community and the [[Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt)|Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]]. The project encompassed various tasks such as addressing water damage, strengthening wooden structures, refurbishing chandeliers, installing security cameras, and updating electrical wiring. Efforts were made to restore the mosque's facades, marble floors, and interior inscriptions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Al-Jamiʿ al-Anwar: A Spiritual Landmark for the Dawoodi Bohras |url=https://www.thedawoodibohras.com/al-jami-al-anwar-a-spiritual-landmark-for-the-dawoodi-bohras/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=The Dawoodi Bohras |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618034640/https://www.thedawoodibohras.com/al-jami-al-anwar-a-spiritual-landmark-for-the-dawoodi-bohras/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The mosque was reopened after restorations in February 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=28 February 2023 |title=Egypt reopens newly restored historic mosque |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/words-visuals-egypt-reopens-newly-restored-historic-mosque-2023-02-28/ |access-date=2023-07-07 |archive-date=2023-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707173230/https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/words-visuals-egypt-reopens-newly-restored-historic-mosque-2023-02-28/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On June 25, 2023, Prime Minister of India, [[Narendra Modi]] visited the mosque along with Prime Minister of Egypt, [[Mostafa Madbouly]] and son of [[Mufaddal Saifuddin]], [[Husain Burhanuddin]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sanskriti |first=Falor |date=June 25, 2023 |title=In Cairo, PM Modi visits 11th century mosque restored by India's Dawoodi Bohra community |work=Hindustan Times |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/narendra-modi-state-visit-egypt-al-hakim-mosque-dawoodi-bohra-community-101687682951179.html |access-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705114346/https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/narendra-modi-state-visit-egypt-al-hakim-mosque-dawoodi-bohra-community-101687682951179.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 June 2023 |title=PM Narendra Modi visits Egypt's historic 11th century Al-Hakim Mosque |url=https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/pm-visits-al-hakim-mosque-restored-with-dawoodi-bohra-community-s-help-123062500360_1.html |access-date=7 July 2023 |website=Business Standard |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707173230/https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/pm-visits-al-hakim-mosque-restored-with-dawoodi-bohra-community-s-help-123062500360_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Architecture ==

=== General layout ===
[[File:Al-Hakim Mosque plan.svg|thumb|Plan view of the mosque]]
The facades and minarets of the mosque are made from stone, while the rest of the structure is made of brick.<ref name=":0" /> The mosque's rectangular layout consists of an open courtyard surrounded by [[Arcade (architecture)|arcades]] (''[[Riwaq (arcade)|riwaq]]''s) on four sides. Behind these arcades are roofed areas divided into aisles by more arcades that run parallel to the sides of the courtyard. The space on the northwest side of the courtyard (the entrance side) is two aisles deep, the spaces along its southwest and northeast sides are three aisles deep, and the main prayer hall on the southeast side is five aisles deep.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=O'Kane |first=Bernard |title=The Mosques of Egypt |publisher=American University of Cairo Press |year=2016 |isbn=9789774167324 |pages=17–19}}</ref> This layout is similar to the layout of the older [[Mosque of Ibn Tulun|Ibn Tulun Mosque]] and the al-Azhar Mosque.<ref name=":3" /> A special aisle, running perpendicular to the others, cuts across the five aisles of the prayer hall and leads towards the ''[[mihrab]]'' (niche indicating the ''[[qibla]]'' or direction of prayer). This central aisle is further emphasized by its greater width and height, as well as by the presence of a dome, carried on [[Squinch|squinches]], that covers the space directly in front of the mihrab.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to the main mihrab (which dates entirely from the 1980 restoration), another smaller mihrab to the right, covered in polychrome marble, was added by 'Umar Makram in 1808.<ref name=":03" /> 

An unusual feature of the mosque is the monumental main entrance (on the western side) with its projecting stone portal, similar to the older Fatimid-built [[Great Mosque of Mahdiya|Great Mosque of Mahdia]] in present-day [[Tunisia]] and most likely similar to the original entrance (no longer extant) of al-Azhar Mosque.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> The decoration and high-quality stonework of the portal, however, was quite different from that of other Fatimid mosques of this period. Scholar [[Doris Behrens-Abouseif]] suggests that this may be due to the employ of foreign craftsmen, perhaps from Syria.<ref name=":45">{{Cite book |last=Behrens-Abouseif |first=Doris |title=The World of the Fatimids |publisher=Aga Khan Museum; The Institute of Ismaili Studies; Hirmer |year=2018 |isbn=9781926473123 |editor-last=Melikian-Chirvani |editor-first=Assadullah Souren |location=Toronto; Munich |pages=51–54 |language=en |chapter=The Fatimid Dream of a New Capital: Dynastic Patronage and Its Imprint on the Architectural Setting}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pruitt |first=Jennifer A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wE6_DwAAQBAJ&dq=al-hakim+mosque+inscription&pg=PA73 |title=Building the Caliphate: Construction, Destruction, and Sectarian Identity in Early Fatimid Architecture |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-300-24682-7 |pages=73 |language=en |access-date=2023-01-29 |archive-date=2023-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021161025/https://books.google.com/books?id=wE6_DwAAQBAJ&dq=al-hakim+mosque+inscription&pg=PA73 |url-status=live }}</ref><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
</gallery>

=== The minarets ===
{{Multiple image
| total_width = 400
| image1      = Al-Hakim Mosque DSCF5907.jpg
| caption1    = The southern minaret
| image2      = Al-Hakim Mosque DSCF9218.jpg
| caption2    = The northern minaret
}}
The most spectacular feature of the mosque is the minarets on either side of the facade. The northern minaret is 33.7 meters high while the southern minaret is 24.7 meters high.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} 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.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name="auto" /> The two bastions, built of brick, are shaped like two superimposed cubic sections with an austere appearance and little decoration.<ref name="auto" /> The center of these bastions is hollow, as they were built around the original towers, whose original lower levels have been preserved inside.<ref name=":6" /> The inner towers are braced against the outer towers by supporting arches between them.<ref name="auto" /> 

The outer wall of the southern encasing bastion also features an Arabic inscription in foliated [[Kufic]] carved in marble, from the Fatimid period.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /><ref name=":7" /> The top edge of this bastion's lower section also has ornate crenellations designed in an interlacing motif that resembles the crenellations found at the older Ibn Tulun Mosque.<ref name="auto" /> The northern minaret was later incorporated into the city wall by Badr al-Jamali in 1087, at which point the Kufic inscription on its encasing bastion was either moved to or recarved on the outside of the city wall.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=James Roy |date=1984 |title=THE RESTORATION OF THE AL-ḤĀKIM MOSQUE IN CAIRO |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20847278 |journal=Islamic Studies |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=325–335 |jstor=20847278 |issn=0578-8072 |access-date=2021-12-07 |archive-date=2021-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207151205/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20847278 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mosque of al-Hakim bi Amrillah - Discover Islamic Art - Virtual Museum |url=https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;eg;mon01;4;en |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=islamicart.museumwnf.org |archive-date=2023-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021161027/https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;eg;mon01;4;en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":6" /> These sections, now hidden, have extensive carved decoration: the northern tower with horizontal bands with lozenge motifs, whereas the southern tower has decoration similar to the mosque's main entrance, including a carved inscription in floriated Kufic that mentions al-Hakim's name and the date of construction.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> The design of these towers was highly original and would have made them distinctive from other minarets that existed in this part of the Islamic world at the time.<ref name="auto" />

{{Multiple image
| total_width = 400
| image1      = Al-Hakim Mosque DSCF5901.jpg
| caption1    = Floriated [[Kufic]] inscription band on the southern minaret (1010)
| image2      = Bab al-Futuh al-Hakim inscription DSCF9959.jpg
| caption2    = Kufic inscription from the northern minaret, moved next to Bab al-Futuh circa 1087
}}

The reasons behind al-Hakim's decision to encase the original minarets in thick outer walls, while still preserving the original towers inside, have been debated by scholars.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="auto" /> Bernard O'Kane has proposed that the reason for the unusual decision to encase the minarets in these bastions may have been political and symbolic. At the time of construction, the only other mosques that had multiple minarets and had minarets with multi-level designs were the [[Masjid al-Haram|Haram Mosque]] in [[Mecca]] and the [[Al-Masjid an-Nabawi|Prophet's Mosque]] in [[Medina]], both located in the [[Hejaz|Hijaz]] under Fatimid control at the time.<ref name=":6" /> O'Kane suggests that the minarets of al-Hakim's Mosque were designed to reflect and symbolize Fatimid sovereignty over those holy sites at the time. However, by 1010, the [[Abu'l-Futuh al-Hasan ibn Ja'far|ruler of Mecca]] had rejected Fatimid authority in support of a rebellion in the [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] region, thus undermining Fatimid claims over those sites. Accordingly, al-Hakim may have ordered the new minarets in Cairo to be hidden in order to obscure this embarrassing political setback.<ref name=":6" /> In another analysis, art historian Jennifer Pruitt suggested that the modification to the minarets was due to al-Hakim's shifting ideologies and policies in his later reign.<ref name="auto" /> Both Pruitt and [[Jonathan M. Bloom|Jonathan Bloom]] note that the inscriptions on the original minaret towers (from 1003), which include Qur'anic verses that feature prominently in the Ismai'ili ''[[Esoteric interpretation of the Quran|ta'wīl]]'' of the Qur'an, differ strongly from the inscriptions on the outer towers (from 1010), which include Qur'anic verses that are focused on universal justice and on criticizing [[Kafir|unbelievers]].<ref name=":7" /><ref name="auto" /> According to Pruitt, these latter inscriptions are relevant to al-Hakim's puritanical policies in his later years as well as his unusual order to destroy the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]], which happened around the same time in 1009 or 1010. She also notes the austerity of the encasing bastions in contrast with the richly-decorated original towers, as well as their resemblance to other Sunni (i.e. non-Fatimid) minarets of the era. Accordingly, she suggests that al-Hakim's decision to obscure the original minarets was part of his complex shift away from traditional Fatimid Isma'ili doctrines, his re-imagining of himself as a universal ruler and purveyor of justice, and his will to symbolize this in his architectural program.<ref name="auto" /><!-- Note: Pruitt's points are a little hard to summarize succinctly and perhaps a little too abstract for Wikipedia. This description could possibly be improved or, if too challenging, removed. The purpose in including it (see June 2022 edits) was to offer another significant scholarly analysis of this issue. --> 

The upper parts of the minarets, which extend above the thick square towers that encase their lower sections and are visible today, have octagonal bodies culminating in a "''[[mabkhara]]''"-style head with carved ''[[muqarnas]]'' decoration. They are similar in design but not identical.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> These tops were rebuilt by the Mamluk sultan Baybars II al-Jashankir after an earthquake in 1303 and reflect an early [[Mamluk architecture|Mamluk style]] instead of an original Fatimid style.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Caroline |title=Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide |publisher=The American University in Cairo Press |year=2018 |isbn= |edition=7th |location=Cairo |pages=242–243}}</ref><ref name=":6" /><ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" /> An Arabic inscription band in [[Naskh (script)|Naskhi]] script on the outer eastern flank of the northern minaret likely dates from the time of Baybars II.<ref name="Behrens-Abouseif1989" />
=== Inscriptions ===
[[File:Al-Hakim Mosque DSCF4630.jpg|thumb|Examples of Kufic inscriptions (top) inside the prayer hall of the mosque]]
One of the artistic elements of the mosque are [[Quran]]ic inscriptions done in floriated Kufic script – many of the inscriptions are preserved while many are lost. Of those lost, many have been replaced or restored. Due to various restorations made, the Kufic styles have differed from time to time. The mosque is said to have had twelve thousand feet of Kufic adornment. Kufic inscriptions feature on all four sides of each of the five bays of the prayer hall. The square bases of the three domes and the ''qibla'' wall (southeast wall) underneath the windows also carry the Kufic gypsum band of Quranic inscriptions. At the top, colonnades of the arches of the mosque are embellished with a gypsum band of floriated Kufic inscriptions of the Quran which averages approximately 52 cms in width.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=Al -Jami' Al – Anwar – The Luminous Masjid |publisher=Aljamea tus Saifiyah Publications}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=June 2022}}

== See also ==
* [[List of mosques in Cairo]]
* [[Lists of mosques]]
* [[List of mosques in Africa]]
* [[List of mosques in Egypt]]
* [[List of Historic Monuments in Cairo]]
* [[History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Al-Hakim Mosque}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lpSS91lkzo PM Modi Visited Al-Hakim Masjid in Cairo, Egypt] (Youtube)

{{Mosques in Egypt}}
{{Islamic Cairo}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mosques in Cairo|Hakim]]
[[Category:Fatimid architecture in Cairo]]
[[Category:10th-century mosques]]
[[Category:Muizz Street]]
[[Category:10th-century establishments in the Fatimid Caliphate]]
[[Category:Historical Monuments in Cairo]]