Al-Rifa'i Mosque

Al-Rifa'i Mosque stands on Salah al-Din Square below the Cairo Citadel and was built between 1869 and 1912. King Farouk and the last Shah of Iran are among those buried here. One combined ticket also covers Sultan Hassan Mosque, and both take about 45 minutes.

Al-Rifa'i Mosque faces the 14th-century Sultan Hassan Mosque beneath the Citadel, and from afar the pair look like twins. In fact al-Rifa'i is over 500 years younger. Khoshiar Hanim, mother of Khedive Ismail, commissioned it in 1869 as both a mosque and a royal mausoleum, and after long delays it was completed only in 1912.

Its architects chose a Mamluk-revival style so it would sit comfortably beside its famous neighbour. The interior is richer and more shadowy, with marble columns, gilded ceilings and carved wooden screens.

The mosque is known above all as the burial place of Egypt's royal family. Khedive Ismail, Sultan Hussein Kamel, King Fuad I and King Farouk, Egypt's last king, lie here. So does Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, who died in Cairo in 1980. The mosque takes its name from the Sufi saint Ahmed al-Rifa'i, whose shrine is inside.

What to see

• The royal tombs of Egypt's khedives and kings
• The tomb of the last Shah of Iran
• Gilded ceilings, coloured marble and Mamluk-revival decoration
• The view across the lane to Sultan Hassan Mosque

Visiting

• Opening hours: daily, roughly 9 am – 5 pm; closed to visitors at prayer times
• Tickets: one combined ticket covers al-Rifa'i and Sultan Hassan
• Dress: shoulders and knees covered; women should bring a scarf for the hair
• Time needed: 45 minutes for both mosques
• Nearby: Salah al-Din Square, Cairo Citadel, Gayer-Anderson Museum