Cairo - Mohammed Ali Mosque 
The Citadel is entered by the Bab el-Gedid, which leads into a courtyard and then through the Bab el-Wastani into the main courtyard. On the south side of this is the Mohammed Ali Mosque, often called the Alabaster Mosque, one of the city's great landmarks with its tall and disproportionately slender minarets. It was begun in 1824 by Mohammed (Mehemet) Ali but completed only in 1857, under his successor Said. The architect was a Greek named Yusuf Boshna from Istanbul, who took as his model the Nuruosmaniye Mosque in that city, itself modeled on the Hagia Sophia.
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View from the Mohammed Ali Mosque
From the west corner of the mosque there is a magnificent view of the gray city with its innumerable minarets and domes and, now, its high rise blocks; in the distance can be seen the Pyramids of Giza.
Mohammed Ali Mosque - Forecourt
The forecourt of the Alabaster Mosque, with a fountain for ablutions, is surrounded by vaulted galleries.
Mohammed Ali Mosque - Prayer Hall
Adjoining the forecourt on the east is the prayer hall, with Byzantine style domes resting on four square piers, impressive both for its size and for the manner in which it is lit.
Mohammed Ali Mosque - Tomb of Mohammed Ali
To the right of the entrance is the Tomb of Mohammed Ali (d. 1849).
