Sisi Inaugurates Al-Hussein Mosque after Renovation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi inaugurated the Imam Hussein Mosque in central Cairo
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi inaugurated the Imam Hussein Mosque in central Cairo
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Sisi Inaugurates Al-Hussein Mosque after Renovation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi inaugurated the Imam Hussein Mosque in central Cairo
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi inaugurated the Imam Hussein Mosque in central Cairo

After 21 days of non-stop work, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi inaugurated the Imam Hussein Mosque in central Cairo. The mosque has recovered its charm as one of the most prestigious, historic, and religious landmarks in Egypt following a renovation project that cost 150 million Egyptian pounds (1$-18.5 Egyptian pound).

Accompanied by Sultan of the Bohra sect in India Mufaddal Seif Al-Din, Sisi visited the mosque and examined the renovations including the new cabin in the Imam Hussein shrine.

“The development of the Imam Hussein Mosque came in light of the president’s directives to restore the shrines of Ahl al-Bayt including the tombs of Imam Hussein, Sayyida Nafisa, and Sayyida Zaynab. The renovations included repairing the interior halls of the mosques and their architectural decorations, along with developing services and facilities surrounding the sites including roads, squares, and entrances leading to them. This project aims at supporting the government’s efforts to develop the historic sites in the capital,” said Presidential Spokesperson Ambassador Bassam Rady in a statement.

The project kicked off in mid-March. The mosque was closed and the renovations were launched based on a protocol signed in December with the Ministry of Awqaf, syndicate of Al Ashraf, the Sufi Association, and Mawadda association for the development and embellishment of the Imam Hussein Mosque. According to the protocol, the Masajid Development Foundation pledged to fund the project with 150 million Egyptian pounds.

Sisi and the accompanying delegation started their visit with prayers, and then examined the Imam Hussein Shrine where he read Al Fatiha. Then, he visited the chamber featuring the memorabilia of the Prophet Muhammad including hair strands, kohl tool, a sword and a cane, in addition to a Quran written by Imam Ali on deer leather, comprising 501 pages and weighing 4.5 kg.

The project manager briefed the president on the renovation, saying “the development works were accomplished in a record time. They took 21 days with the participation of 300 workers. The works included restoring walls, replacing damaged parts, selecting colors matching the historic columns, painting over 4,000 square meters of ceilings, changing electricity grid and improving its efficiency, equipping the mosque with a central cooling system, replacing the lightning and sound systems, expanding women’s praying space to accommodate 450 instead of 85, adding an external space that accommodates 3,000 worshipers, building a fence featuring six entrance gates and four parking gates, and adding a Qibla in the external space and a stage for Eid prayers.”

The president assured that ‘the landmark was preserved during the project,” stressing that “all the works were implemented in coordination with the ministry of tourism and antiquities.” For his part, the project manager emphasized that “all the implemented works were executed in coordination with the ministry, even the controversial restoration of the dome and its improved air conditioning system.”

The restoration of the Imam Hussein Mosque sparked some controversy over the past weeks. Archeologists and heritage advocates shared photos of the projects on social media and criticized equipping the dome with an air conditioner, and constructing a wall around the mosque for fear of “affecting the historic identity of the mosque.” The closure of the mosque before the Holy Month was also criticized, which prompted the ministry of Awqaf to reopen it for prayers as of the beginning of Ramadan.

“According to historic writings, the head of Imam Hussein ibn Ali ibin Abi Talib was transferred from Ashkelon to Cairo, on 8 Jumada al-Thani in 548 AH/1153 AD. It was carried in a cellar to the Emerald Palace, then it was buried in the Mashhad Dome, which was constructed for this purpose in 549 AH (1154 AD). When Saladin took the rule of Egypt in 1171 AD, he built a school near the dome, which was later turned into the current Imam Hussein Mosque,” said Dr. Abdullah Kamel, professor of Islamic antiquities, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“In 1235 AD, Abu Al Kassem bin Yahya bin Nasser al-Sukari, launched the construction of a minaret that was completed in 1236. It’s a decorated gypsum minaret above the green door, dating to the Fatimid Caliphate, and it was constantly renewed and maintained. The current mosque was built during the rule of Isma'il Pasha. It took 10 years and was completed in 1873. The area of the mosque was expanded from 1,550 meters to 1,840 meters in the 1950s,” Kamel added.

Ambassador Rady hailed “the appreciated efforts of Sultan of the Bohra sect to renovate and restore the shrines of Ahl Al Bayt and other historic mosques in Egypt, in addition to contributing to various charity works such as supporting the ‘Tahya Masr Fund’.”

Egypt has built great ties with the Bohra sect. Over the past years, the Egyptian president and Bohra Sultan met several times: in August 2014, July 2019, and in 2018. During each of the three meetings, Sultan Mufaddal Seif Al-Din donated 10 million Egyptian pounds to the ‘Tahya Masr Fund’, according to official reports.



Greece to Create New Marine Reserves to Protect Underwater Wildlife

Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP
Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP
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Greece to Create New Marine Reserves to Protect Underwater Wildlife

Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP
Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday said that his government was creating two new protected marine areas, fulfilling a promise he made at a United Nations conference on the oceans in June.

The new protected areas -- in the Ionian Sea and in the Southern Cyclades in the Aegean Sea -- would be "among the largest marine protected areas in the entire Mediterranean", he said in a video message in English.

The prime minister said that the "hugely damaging practice of bottom trawling" by commercial fishing boats would be banned within the new marine reserves and in all Greece's marine protected areas by 2030, making it the first country in Europe to take such a significant step in preservation, reported AFP.

Fishing is generally allowed in protected marine areas worldwide, even by trawlers which scrape the seabed with a huge funnel-shaped net, to devastating effect.

Mitsotakis said that he had "made a promise to honor (Greece's) unique marine heritage" at last month's UN Oceans Conference in southern France, "and to protect it for generations to come".

"Today I am delivering on that promise with the establishment of two new marine national parks... because when we protect our ocean, we protect our own future."

Greece is located in the eastern Mediterranean and has around 13,600 kilometers (8,450 miles) of coastline and thousands of islands.

Greece, Brazil and Spain all used the UN conference in Nice, to announce new protected marine reserves and measures to ban bottom trawling, in order to better protect marine wildlife.

Mitsotakis said that the size of the new Greek marine reserves "will enable us to achieve the goal of protecting 30 percent of our territorial waters by 2030".

He said that the government would work with "local communities, local fishermen, scientists (and) global partners (to) make these parks examples of what is possible".

The oceans are 'life itself'

In May, Athens banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs that are exceptionally rich in marine wildlife.

Neighboring Türkiye, whose western coast is close to the Aegean islands, responded to Monday's announcement by criticizing such "unilateral action".

"International maritime law encourages cooperation between the coastal states of these seas, including on environmental issues," the foreign ministry in Ankara said.

It said that Türkiye was willing to cooperate with Greece and would soon announce its own plans to protect maritime areas.

Greece and Türkiye, both members of NATO, have historical disputes over maritime boundaries in the Aegean Sea.

They signed an agreement in 2023 aimed at easing tensions.

Mitsotakis said that "Ocean", a new documentary by British natural history broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, had inspired Greece to accelerate efforts to protect life below the waves.

"Ocean", which features spectacular footage of undersea habitats and marine life, emphasizes the importance of healthy seas for tackling climate change and the current sweeping loss of wild species across the planet.

Mitsotakis said "Ocean" showed that the sea was "not just beautiful scenery".

"It is life itself. Delicate. Powerful. And under threat."