Khaled al Anani, Minister of Antiquities, Major General Issam Saad, Governor of Fayoum, and Dr. Mohammad Mukhtar Juma, Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments (Awqaf), inaugurated Khawand Aslabay Mosque today.
The mosque was inaugurated after the completion of the restoration work.
Khawand Aslabay Mosque is commonly known in Fayoum as Qaitbay Mosque.
Friday prayers were held at the mosque today for the first time after completing the restoration work.
The inauguration was attended by Culture, Information and Antiquities Committee Chairman MP Osama Haikal and Supreme Council of Antiquities secretary-general Dr. Mustafa Waziri.
In addition, the event was attended by officials from Awqaf and antiquities ministries and Fayoum governorate, a number of parliament members.
After performing Friday prayers, the Antiquities minister said that he has fulfilled his promise to Fayoum people: the Antiquities Ministry has completed the renovation of the mosque and inaugurated it.
Al Anani explained that the restoration work highlighted the beauty of the pulpit and the shrine; It also showed the splendor of their decorations.
The minister urged the Fayoum people to preserve not only the mosque religious value but also its archaeological one.
"Khawand Aslabay Mosque is one of the facets of Egypt's cultural heritage and the history of Fayoum," he said.
On his part, Dr. Gamal Mustafa, head of the Islamic and Coptic Archaeology Department in the Antiquities Ministry who also attended the inauguration, said that the restoration work began last April, using the latest methods and scientific rules. It was approved by all international conventions of buildings used for prayer (mosque - church – temple).
Dr. Gharib Sonbol, Head of Central Administration for the Restoration, said that the restoration work preserved the foundation of the mosque and the columns supporting arches; the broken tiles were removed. It also supported the walls with moisture proofing materials as well as sprinkling and injecting cracks in the walls and arches.
Sonbol added that the restoration work included the discovery of decorative elements below the modern layers of paint and its restoration. It also highlighted the colors details of the mosque`s wooden elements such as windows, doors and wooden lattices. It also showed the beauty of the pulpit, the reciter chair and Muezzin trestle.
He pointed out that the work cleaned the marble columns, in addition to gilding the shrine`s decorative elements. An iron fence around the mosque was constructed to protect its facades.
Ibrahim Ragab, director general of Fayoum antiquities authority, said that a mosque was established by Qaitbay`s wife Khawand Aslabay. It was established during the reign of her son Sultan Nasser Muhammad Ibn Qaitbay in 903-905 AH (1497-1499).
"It is located at the far northern end of Fayoum western part. Souk Souf Street located in south-west side of the mosque," Ragab added.
The mosque was registered as an antiquity by a ministerial decree No. 10357 of 1951.
It was built as other major mosques style, composed of a middle court surrounded by four corridors, the largest one was the shrine corridor (Qibla). The northern part of the mosque deteriorated, so some architectural elements were added. The mosque now consists of a middle corridor with two ones on its sides and the largest one is the shrine corridor.
The mosque is characterized by some written straps, including Quranic verses and texts written on the sides of the mosque in golden, some yellow and red.
The mosque's pulpit is unique as it adorned with ivory. It consists of a middle part with front door preceded by a wooden desk leads to the wooden ladder.
Contributed by Ahmad El-Assasy
Follow the latest news on Google News
