Al-Hakim Mosque

The al-Hakim Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الحاكم, romanized: Masjid al-Ḥākim), also known as al-Anwar (Arabic: الانور, lit. 'the Illuminated'), is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt. It is named after al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh (985–1021), the 6th Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismāʿīlī Imam. Construction of the mosque was originally started by Caliph al-ʿAziz, the son of al-Muʿizz and the father of al-Ḥākim, in 990 CE. It was completed in 1013 by al-Ḥākim, which is why it is named after him.

The mosque is located in Islamic Cairo, on the east side of al-Muʿizz Street, just south of Bab al-Futuh (the northern city gate). In the centuries since its construction, the mosque was often neglected and re-purposed for other functions, eventually falling into ruin. In 1980, a major restoration and reconstruction of the mosque was completed by the Dawoodi Bohras, resulting in its reopening for religious use.

Architecturally, the mosque consists of a hypostyle prayer hall and a wide internal courtyard (sahn), accessed via a projecting entrance portal. Its most notable features are its two unusual minarets: the original minarets of the mosque have ornate multi-tiered designs but, for reasons that remain unclear, these were encased shortly afterwards inside the massive square bastions still seen today.