Al-Aqmar Mosque

This small Fatimid mosque on al-Muizz Street was built in the early twelfth century and is notable for one of the earliest decorated stone facades in Cairo. The frontage is carved with ribbed niches, inscriptions and radiating motifs, and it was cleverly angled so the street line and the direction of prayer could both be respected. The name, meaning moonlit, is said to refer to the pale glow of its stone. Though modest in size, it is an important document of Fatimid architectural decoration and urban design.