The Mosque of Amrou bin Ash

 

The first and the oldest mosque in Africa, here it is, the mosque of Amrou bin Ash. This mosque of Amrou bin Ash built in 642 C or coresponding to 21 AH. It is located in Fustat city, Egypt. The mosque is also named with mosque el Nasr, or mosque el 'Atiq, and mosque Taj el jawame'. The mosque of Amrou bin Ash had built by moslem people, such as Shahabah Abo Dzar el Ghefary, Abo Basra, Mohammeyah bin Jozi el zobaedy, Nabyh bin shawab el basry .

The mosque of Amrou bin Ash was built at ex-park area of "Qysbah ibno Kaltsoum" that extend over Nile river. The mosque has six doors, and four manaret. The first wide area is about 50 cubits in 30 cubits until 672 C/ 53 AH. After that, there are continuously of improvement until 24 thousand arm architect in area, or about 120 metres in 110 meters. In the Abbasid period increased in an area of the mosque several times was the largest and most important of which increased by the governor, "Abdullah Ibn Tahir," in the year 212 AH / 827 m, where planning is becoming a mosque is almost square, but the biggest building of this mosque were those made by Murad Bey in 1212 AH / 1792 where the changed architecture of the mosque is completely.

The mosque is not only for praying but also deliberation to solve the problems, there are also bayt el mal, where in this place, people can give their alms to be distributed to the poor and people in need.

Planning of the original architect of the mosque consists of a rectangular area of fifty cubits in length and presented thirty cubits, the mosque is surrounded by the four sides was accidentally introduced seven cubits, and the floor has been furnished gravel, The roof is covered with palm fronds, which was carried on poles from the trunks of palm overlying mud, and it did not have a dish or niche hollow and minaret, and he has a platform has built the walls of the Whole State of mud brick and was free of decoration and had intercourse with six doors in the walls except qibla (place for imam )wall, it did not have any openings.The height of the mosque from the inside, it is likely about three meters such as the mosque of Nabawi in Madena, the qiblah of this mosque is Skewed slightly toward the east.

The newest architect form of the mosque is the primer entry in western of the mosque which consist of the big dish opened and surrounded by the four galleries that has simple wooden roof. The biggest galleries is gallary of qiblah which consist of 21 vertical face on qiblah wall. And every face is composed of six pointed arches based on the marble columns, and an open mind gallery of qiblah there are two niche adjacent to each wooden platform, and there is a qiblah wall paintings going back to the era of Murad Bey.

Amrou bin Ash firstly had built his home in eastern of the mosque it called "dar el kobra", where in leftside of this home is "dar el soghra", his boy's home was named Abdollah. Then bilt the third home for shahabah Zobayr bin el 'Awwam.