Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sunday morning the Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo.
Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mostafa Waziry welcomed the prime minister.
The mosque was named after the sixth Fatimid caliph (985-1021), who completed the structure in 1013 after the death of his father Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz, who began constructing it 23 years earlier.
It covers an area of 14,000 square metres and is the second largest in Egypt after the Ahmed ibn Tulun mosque.
The Dawoodi Bohras funded restoration work of the mosque. The latest restoration was completed last February which cost LE85 million ($2,762,064) under the supervision of the SCA.
The Indian premier admired the intricately carved inscriptions on the walls and doorways of the mosque.
“The Prime Minister has a very close attachment to the Bohra community who have also been in Gujarat for many years and it will be an occasion for him to again visit a very important religious site for the Bohra community,” India’s Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte earlier said.
Prime Minister Modi is on a state visit to Cairo from June 24-25.
On Saturday, Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli welcomed at Cairo International Airport Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival for an official visit to Egypt at an invitation from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
The accompanying delegation of the Indian premier includes the foreign minister, national security adviser and a number of senior officials of the Indian cabinet and the Foreign Ministry.
