![A general view of the historical mosque of al-Zahir Baybars, that was built in 1268 by the Mamluk Sultan al-Zahir Baybars al-Bunduqdari in Cairo, Egypt. [Photo by Mahmoud Elkhwas/NurPhoto via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/d2.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1250645666-1.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
A 13th century mosque that fell into disrepair after being used over the years as a soap factory, a slaughterhouse and a fort re-opened in Cairo on Monday after undergoing a long restoration, Reuters reports.
The Mosque of Al-Zhahir Baybars, built under Mamluk rule in 1268, spans an area of three acres just north of central Cairo, making it Egypt’s third-largest mosque.
The mosque underwent mechanical and chemical restoration to bring it back to its original condition, said Tarek Mohamed El-Behairy, who supervised the restoration.
“Some parts were destroyed, some parts have been dismantled because they were structurally unsuitable to remain in the mosque,” he said.
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“But we were very keen, even in the reconstruction process, to work according to the correct archaeological style.”
The restoration, which cost $7.68 million, was co-funded with Kazakhstan, and began in 2007.
For 225 years, the mosque was either closed, abandoned or had operated for non-religious purposes that contributed to its disrepair.
During Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt it was used as a military fort, then under Ottoman rule in the 19th century as a soap factory. Later, when the British invaded Egypt in 1882, it was used as a slaughterhouse.
Al-Zahir Baybars was a prominent figure in Egypt’s history, credited with cementing Mamluk rule in Egypt which spanned three centuries, up to 1517.
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