Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Egypt, commissioned this mosque inside the Cairo Citadel, after old Mamluk-era palaces were demolished. The infobox credits Pascal Coste with the initial design, but his neo-Mamluk proposal of 1827 was rejected. The architect of the built design is unknown. The infobox gives 1830 to 1857, while the text says built from 1832.
The form is Ottoman, with European-influenced decoration. The central dome is 69 feet (21 m) across and rises about 171 feet (52 m), among nine domes. Two minarets exceed 262 feet (80 m). The infobox lists alabaster and Carrara marble, but the text says the structure is limestone with alabaster only on the lower walls and courtyard.
Structural failure under King Fuad I led to the central dome and surrounding domes being dismantled from 1935 and rebuilt at their original proportions. It is an active mosque, and visitors usually enter through the northeastern gate.
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