BA Director Dr. Mostafa El-Feki, presented President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sissi with the BA Encyclopedia of Islamic Mausoleums and Arab Monuments in Egypt and Islamic Cairo, the first extensive edition on Islamic antiquities in Cairo. Dr. El-Feki affirmed that the BA is taking serious measures towards a new phase in its publication project.
Dr. El-Feki expressed his gratitude to Dr. Ali Gom’a, the former Egyptian Grand Mufti, for lending his copy of manuscripts from the Encyclopedia of Islamic Mausoleums, as well as his and the Masr el-Kheir Organization’s contributions in collaboration with the BA to its publication.
The encyclopedia encompasses the various stages of national history, including the emergence of Islam, the Tulunids, Ikhshidids, Fatimids, Ayyubids, Mamelukes and Ottomans, as well as the Mohamed Aly’s Dynasty until the very end of the 1960s, leading to the building of Cairo’s mosques. The writer, Hassan Kassem, has taken great care in tying in the topography of Cairo and its architectural progress by examining the structures of mosques, schools, agencies, palaces, and houses, as well as other Islamic sites in Cairo.
Dr. El-Feki furthermore confirmed that the encyclopedia was created in light of efforts by the BA Center for Islamic Civilization in establishing an ambitious goal; depicting the very soul of Islamic civilization throughout the ages by examining various sites and exploring forgotten texts from our heritage.
Dr. Ali Gom’a, for his part, has stated that Islamic Mausoleums and Arab Monuments in Egypt and Islamic Cairo is perhaps the most comprehensive source concerning the history of mosques in Egypt.