The Egyptian government is working on renovating the shrines of Ahl al-Bayt in Egypt, including the mosques of Sayyeda Nafisa, Sayyeda Zaynab and Al Hussein.
So what are these three mosques, and why are they so significant that they need to be renovated?
The Sayyeda Nafisa Mosque is located at the beginning of the Ahl al-Bayt Road. After Sayyeda Nafisa’s death, her husband wanted to take her to Medina to bury her, but when Egyptians found out, they headed to the governor, requesting that her husband bury her in Egypt where she died.
She currently lays in the Sayyeda Nafisa Mosque, which was built to commemorate her and her life, which was dedicated to Islam as an Islamic scholar.
The mosque is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic Cairo.
As for the Sayyeda Zaynab Mosque, it is considered one of the most important and largest mosques in the history of Egypt.
The mosque is said to be built on top of Sayyeda Zaynab’s grave, making its location one of the most significant places in Islamic history. But scholars are divided on whether she was actually buried in Egypt or in Syria, where the Sayyeda Zaynab Mosque is located in Damascus.
The Imam Hussein Mosque was originally built in 1152, then reconstructed in 1874. It is located near the Khan El-Khalili area, near the Azhar Mosque.
The Hussein Mosque is one of the holiest Islamic sites in the country, with some people believing that Imam Hussein’s head is buried beneath the mosque.
Knowing the historical and religious significance of these mosques and the land they are built on, it is not surprising that the state has assigned a budget for their renovation.
These sites all bear a large significance, meaning that they draw in a number of tourists, local and international, who are interested to see their architecture and to stand somewhere extremely rich with history.
The renovation works include the shrines’ interior yards, decorations, attached utilities, and their surroundings.