- Silence

- The genius of a place

- Music

- Good evening to you, dear viewers.

- When we walk in the land of our beloved Egypt we feel pride for all Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic treasures

- that our ancestors left us and that amaze and attract the whole world.

- Dear viewer, we invite you to join us in this new touristic promenade.

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- Among Islamic shrines of the city of Cairo there is the mosque of El-Refaei part of which is actually an old mosque

- built in the Fatimid era known as El-Dhakhira.

- El-Mokrizi says that El-Dhakhira mosque is located before the Citadel of Saladin, on the square El-Ramila, next to the school of Sultan Hassan Ibn Mohammad Ibn Qalawun.

- It was built by police and Hisbah chief Jaafar in the year 516 AH.

- El-Mokrizi added that the mosque was also known as "Labillah."

- Jaafar brutalized people he arrested in the street and so people implored him with these words: "La, billah!" This means «No, for God’s sake!" He forced them to work on the construction site without pay.

- All those who have worked on its construction were either forced artisans or chained labourers.

- In the book "El- Khotat El-Tawfikiya", it is said that part of the mosque was occupied by a Zawiya known as the white Zawiya or El-Refaeia.

- It houses several tombs like those of Ali Abi Chibak, Sidi Yahya Al-Ansari and Sidi Hassan Al-Chaykhouni, former sheikh of the Refaeia.

- Many people from Egypt and around the world came to visit Sidi Ali Abi Chibak the nephew of Imam El-Refaei,

- especially those with neurological diseases, also called "natural winds".

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- In 1286 AH, Madame Khouchiar, the mother of Khedive Ismail, has purchased the land of El-Dhakhira mosque and around the Zawiya El-Refaei,

- including the hammam and "the court of Borda" now known as the "court of blacksmiths."

- Ali Mubarak says that the mosque is not called Khouchiar but kept the name El-Refaei in reference to Zawiya.

- Madame Khouchiar ordered the construction of tombs for Sidi Ali Abi Chibak and Sidi Yahya Al-Ansari and a cemetery for herself and her descendants.

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- The interior of the mosque of El-Refaei is square-shaped and has an area of 1767 square meters with two rows of pillars and columns in its corners.

- Pillars divide the mosque in 3 galleries. It was built in the vaults of the central gallery a tholobate topped by a large dome.

- In the middle of the east wall there is a large mihrab with a marble column on each side, the first is white and the other is dark green.

- The back of the mihrab is embedded and covered with a marble mosaic with inscriptions in Thuluth style above.

- Above inscriptions, there are three rows of golden muqarnas. The walls of the mosque and pillars are covered with marble.

- As for the columns, they are made of marble imported from Turkey, Italy, Germany and Belgium.

- Much comes from the quarries of Beni Suef, especially green marble.

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- In the mosque of El-Refaei we found the chair and the lectern of the Koran made of teak and inlaid with ivory, mother-of-pearl and ebony.

- The mosque has three main doors. East door leads to a cross-ways hall in which there is a room leading to the tomb of Sheikh Ali Ibn Chibak El- Refaei.

- North of the hall and the entire mosque are the tombs of the descendants of Madame Khouchiar, the mother of Khedive Ismail.

- South of the mosque are the other two doors and between the tomb of Sheikh Yahya Al-Ansari.

- The three doors are suspended, that is to say there are stairs leading to them.

- We find in the mosque of El-Refaei a great and rare collection of glass chandeliers and metal lanterns covered with gold and silver.

- The construction of the mosque of El-Refaei lasted 43 years. Work began in 1286 AH and was completed in 1329.

- The reason for this delay is the death of Madame Khouchiar. Work stopped for a long time.

- The cost of work reached 132,500 pounds,

- not counting the cost of carpets, metal lanterns, glass chandeliers and the wages of labour.

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- Dear viewers, we arrived at the end of this walk, thank you and see you soon for a new walk.

- Music