Al-Hakim Mosque

This large Fatimid congregational mosque near the northern city wall was begun in the late tenth century and completed under the caliph al-Hakim in the early eleventh. After centuries of neglect and use as a warehouse and school, it was extensively restored in the twentieth century. Two distinctive minarets with heavy stone bases anchor the corners of the facade, and the broad arcaded courtyard recalls the earlier Ibn Tulun mosque. The gates of Bab al-Futuh and Bab al-Nasr makes the mosque a natural starting point for walks along the old walls.