Al-Rifa'i Mosque, El Khalifa: Photos, Reviews & Location

Islamic place of worship with a high ceiling, 44 pillars & tombs of Egyptian royals & Iran's Shah.

At a glance

#2 of 8 Tourist attractions in El Khalifa #2 of 3 Mosques in El Khalifa

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.80

0.1 km from the center of El Khalifa

Rating breakdown

5 ★85%
4 ★10%
3 ★3%
2 ★1%
1 ★1%

El-Refaey, El-Darb El-Ahmar, El Khalifa, Cairo Governorate 4292008, Egypt

Photos of Al-Rifa'i Mosque (176)

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Quick facts

What is the rating of Al-Rifa'i Mosque?: Al-Rifa'i Mosque is rated 4.8 out of 5 based on 2,745 reviews.
How does Al-Rifa'i Mosque rank in El Khalifa?: Al-Rifa'i Mosque is #2 of 8 Tourist attractions in El Khalifa by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Al-Rifa'i Mosque located?: El-Refaey, El-Darb El-Ahmar, El Khalifa, Cairo Governorate 4292008, Egypt — 0.1 km from the center of El Khalifa.

Reviews (8)

Doaa Mohamed 2024 Jan 06

Amazing architecture and nice place to know more about Islamic history and art

Pong Lenis 2024 Jan 03

This Mosque was very beautiful, very historical and interesting. The architecture is stunning, it’s one of the older Mosque’s in Cairo. It’s very well preserved and maintained, I really enjoyed my time here, I went with a tour guide which makes a big difference when experiencing these holy sites. It gives you a much better understanding of its heritage. I would definitely recommend visiting this beautiful place.

Shabana Baig 2023 Dec 31

Beautiful mosque. Must visit. I absolutely enjoyed it.

History from the plaque in front if the mosque-
Al-Rifai Mosque
The mosque gets its name from imam Ahmad al Rifai who founded the Rifa'i tariga (Sufi path).
The original structure was a Fatimid mosque, which is located next to Zawiyat contains a number of mausoleums, It is known as the Zawiyat al Rifai, Although he was not buried in Egypt, this name stuck to the Zawiyat first, and then to the mosque later. In 1286 AH/ 1869 Khushyar Hanem commissioned the current design of the mosque and put in charge of the construction the architect Hussein Pasha Fahmi that it serve as a burial for her and the royal family. The construction has stopped for years until it was completed in the region of Khedive Abbas Helmi I in 1330Ah\ 1912 AD.
Al Rifa'i Mosque was built to emulate the mosque and madrasa of Sultan Hasan. The mosque's design is unique in many respects, its large entrances were surrounded by ornamented stone and marble columns as well as the ornate ceilings. A part of the mosque was dedicated for prayer in the eastern wall, which contains a mihrab covered with colored marble, and next to it a wooden pulpit inlaid with ivory and ebony.
As for the other part of the mosque was used as a burial for the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. Khedive Ismail, four of his sons, and three of his wives were buried there, as was his mother Khushyar Hanem. Separate burials were reserved for Sultan Hussein Kamel son of Ismail, King Fouad I, and King Farouk I. Reza Pahlavi, former Shah of Iran, was buried there for a while before being moved to his country at the end of the Second World War. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran remains buried in al-Rifa'i Mosque.

Caroline Sabeti 2023 Oct 20

Es war wieder ein sehr bewegendes Erlebnis. Wir waren am Grab vom Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi der letzte Schah von Persien. Ein Angestellter der Moschee erkannte in uns Menschen, die sehr interessiert sind und führte uns mit Erklärungen herum. Dann hat er uns den Azan gesungen. Wunderbare Stimme. Beeindruckendes Erlebnis

Hisham El-Tawil 2023 Sep 10

An impressive mosque, including the tombs of the latest Egyptian Kings and Royal family. It also includes the tomb of Shah of Iran.

Abdallah Mahmoud 2023 Aug 10

What a wonderful Islamic architecture in mosques in Cairo, there are no words to express it.

I advise you to visit Cairo mosques to enjoy their beauty.

Madan Gopal Madabhushi 2023 May 12

This unique Mosque was built to emulate its iconic neighbour Mosque - Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, located in Citadel Square,the architectural style, elaborate ornamentation reflect the traditional cultural richness of Egypt, last Shah of Iran who was in exile buried here, there is admission ticket.

Abdulrahman Qazzaz 2022 May 03

Very beautiful mosque with great architecture and massive structure, it’s named Rifai after a mystic saint, it also has the burial sites of Reza Shah Pahlavi and also the tombs of the royal family like Khedive Ismail and king Farouk, please note that the tombs of Khedive Ismail, his wives and Sultan Hussain Kamil are not open unless you ask for them, so go and ask the person responsible in the mosque so he can opens the door to the other Royal tombs, if you don’t ask for them you’ll only be able to see the Shah Mohammad Pahlavi and King Farouk Tombs, the place is definitely worth the visit and i highly recommend it.