Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur

What Is Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque?
On the Eastern Harbor in El-Anfoushi stands the Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque in Egypt, where sea breeze crosses old streets and a 13th-century Sufi story keeps its warmth as locals come to pray and travelers stop to feel the calm light and see the fine craft in every dome and carving as the doors open each day and welcome everyone in it is Alexandria’s best-known historic mosque as people come to learn and to look closely at a masterpiece of Islamic art that rose around the tomb of Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi (1219–1286) and over time love turned into stone and wood and the place became a clear symbol of the city.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur

Where Is Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque Located?
You can find the mosque in El-Anfoushi, within a walk of Qaitbay Citadel and right on the Eastern Harbor, and it sits in the center of Mosque Square, a large square incorporating several old mosques that makes it a good place to begin to see nearby sights like Pompey's Pillar, the Alexandria National Museum, and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa so the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi in Alexandria is an easy diversion on any city walk.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur

Who Was Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi?
Shehab El-Din Abu El-Abbas Ahmed Al-Ansary came from Murcia in Andalusia in 1219 and he grew up in a merchant home that cared about learning so he studied the Qur’an and the Sunna and people around him trusted his words as Spain changed and became hard for Muslims so he moved with his family to Tunisia where he met Abu El-Hassan El-Shazly, followed him to Alexandria, married his daughter and raised three children while he taught for 43 years as students crowded his lessons and sailors and traders stopped by for advice.
He passed away in 1286, and his friends buried him by the harbor. And that simple grave drew visitors who loved him, and over time their footsteps and prayers shaped the story of the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur

What Is the History of Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque?
Visitors first marked the spot with a small shrine; then, over the centuries, patrons and rulers continued to build, as love for the saint grew into stone and wood. 
In 1307 Zein El-Din Ibn El-Qattan, a wealthy Alexandrian trader, funded a mausoleum and a dome over the tomb along with a modest mosque and an imam, setting the place on its path. 
In 1477, the Mamluk governor Gaqmas El-Zahry restored the complex and prepared his own resting place inside, tying his story to the saint’s. 
In 1775, Abu El-Hassan El-Maghrebi from Algeria rebuilt the mosque on a larger footprint as more pilgrims arrived, then in 1863 master builder Ahmed El-Kakhakhny renewed it while Alexandria expanded.
In the early 1900s Italian architects Eugenio Valzania and Mario Rossi drew the plan we see today, and in 1943 under the Ministry of Waqfs during King Farouk’s reign workers completed the grand version as part of the Mosque Square project which turned the area into a civic showpiece and gave the Morsi Abu El Abbas Mosque its calm, harmonious form.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur

What Is the Architecture of Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque?
Craftsmen blended Arab-Andalusian taste with Mamluk-inspired details so the building feels balanced, light-filled, and richly textured.

  • Minaret rises 73 m in four stages: square base, octagon, sixteen-sided shaft, brass crown with crescent.
  • Walls & Scale reach 23 m and wear artificial stone that gives a steady monumental look.k
  • Four domes over mausoleums with inner and outer shells; the main dome climbs 22 m and spans 5 m in diameter
  • Prayer Hall, white marble floor with colored glass windows casting arabesque patterns across the space
  • Structure & Light massive octagonal columns carry a raised skylight (Shokhsheikha) about 24 m high, which pours daylight over the hall.ll
  • Mihrab & Minbar: a richly carved mihrab flanked by granite columns with Kufic calligraphy; a 6.35 m wooden minbar gilded with French gold and Qur’anic verses
  • Woodwork doors and windows carved from teak, walnut, and citron, which age beautifully and add warmth

Walk inside and you feel a careful balance of proportion and shadow as inscriptions flow around yo u and every turn reveals another layer of craft that defines the Mosque of Abu Abbas Al Mursi.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur

Why Is Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque Important?
The site carries spiritual weight because it holds the tomb of a Sufi master whom Egyptians and North Africans have loved for centuries and it also tells the city’s story as styles from Andalusia, Morocco, and Mamluk Cairo meet in one place; travelers come for faith and for art and locals count it among the finest landmarks of Alexandria, a place that anchors identity and community as the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi stands by the sea.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur

What are some interesting Facts About Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque?

  • Dedicated to Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi (1219–1286)
  • First mausoleum funded in 1307 by Zein El-Din Ibn El-Qattan
  • Major enlargements in 1775 then 1863
  • Early 20th-century redesign by Valzania and Rossi; grand completion in 1943 during King Farouk
  • 23 m wall height; 73 m minaret
  • White marble floors, rich woodwork, and colored glass inside
  • Located in El-Anfoushi near Qaitbay Citadel
  • Active house of worship and top Alexandria attraction

If you want to stand under the domes, watch color spill through glass, and hear the harbor just outside, plan a stop at the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi in Alexandria, then explore the fort and the corniche nearby
Ready to see it for yourself? Book your Alexandria trip now with STEP TO EGYPT and make the Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi Mosque in Egypt a highlight of your day.

Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi in Alexandria overlooking the eastern harbor in Anfoushi next to Mosque Square near the Citadel of Qaitbay, and it towered above Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi's tomb (1219–1286) as a 13th-century Sufi icon from the moment you arrive, crowned by a 73 m minaret and a white-marble prayer hall where stained glass spills soft light on the floor so people visit to pray, to study, and to take a tranquil break at sea.