Mohamed Moussa and Ayman Rushdi
Governor of Cairo Major General Khaled Abdel-Aal opened on Friday the development work of Al-Ashraf (the most noble) Street in the al-Khalifa district. The area houses a great number of shrines and mosques of Ahl al-Bayt, in reference to the family of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him).
The step came in implementation of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s directives to refurbish worship houses, notably Ahl al-Bayt mosques, as well as archaeological shrines, with the aim of restoring their cultural glory and historical value.
Governor Abdel Aal said that the state is working hard to place the archaeological shrines on the map of religious tourist attractions.
Abdel Aal referred to the development of the Imam Hussein Mosque, the Amr bin Al-Aas Mosque, the Mosque of al-Zahir Baybars, the Sayyida Nafisa Mosque, and Sayyida Zeinab Mosque.
Advisor to the President for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Osama al-Azhari, attended the opening ceremony, alongside a number of top religious figures and parliamentarians.
The governor inspected an exhibition of traditional crafts for which the region is famous, such as tents, pottery, woodwork, and copper smithing objects.
The opening of Al-Ashraf Street, developed in co-operation between Cairo Governorate and a number of national banks, and with the participation of civil society organisations, coincides with the celebration of the birth of Sayyida Nafisa (145- 208 hijra), the granddaughter of Imam Hassan, the son of the Caliph Ali ibn Abi Taleb. Born in Mecca and raised in Medina, she was known for her spiritual and religious knowledge, which earned her the title Nafisat Al Elm (the one with precious knowledge). She is said to have completed 30 pilgrimages to Mecca, mostly on foot.
The move is part of Cairo Governorate’s efforts to revive Ahl al-Bayt houses of worship, restore its glory, and place it on the map of global religious tourism.
