This is a statue of Muhammad Ali, a.k.a. "Father of Modern Egypt".
Today, the interior compound houses a police museum and a military museum.
The Mosque's courtyard is surrounded by a high wall.
Here is an architectural detail of the Mosque up close.
Visitors are asked to remove shoes upon entering.
During prayers, this carpeted floor is filled to capacity with praying Muslims on their knees facing East towards Mecca, lifting and lowering their heads to the floor.
This is a view of Muhammad Ali's tomb from inside the Mosque.
His tomb is secured behind a locked door with star-patterned holes.
The pyramids of Giza are barely discernible in the distance.
Here I am on the ramparts of the fortress overlooking "Old Cairo".
On Sunday I toured the Citadel; "one of the world's greatest monuments to medieval warfare". It spans 75,350 sq ft of limestone and stands 614 ft high. Perched on the hilltop of "Old Cairo" and dating back to 810 A.D., it was originally built not for military occupation, but for its panoramic vistas and fresh breezes. From 1176-1183, ruler Salah al-Din fortified the Citadel against invading Crusaders. It served as fortress and royal city. While the Citadel was built in the Middle Ages, the Mosque built inside the compound by Ottoman ruler Muhammad Ali, is only 200 years old. Today the Citadel is Cairo's most popular non-pharaonic attraction that houses several museums, mosques, gift shops, and cafes. On the back ramparts of the Citadel, Cairo unfolded like a sepia photograph aided by smog, its signature hue. Upon leaving, it boggled my mind that a structure over 1200 years old could still remain intact and functional. I wonder if any of our historic structures in the U.S. could do this? Yeah. Rigggggggght.
