Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya

The zarih of Sayyida Ruqayya.

Sayyida Ruqayyah was a daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, her mother being one of the wives of the Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib (who married Muhammad's daughter Fatimah). Along with Sayyida Nafisa, who is buried in a nearby mosque, she is considered to be a patron saint of Cairo.[1] Nonetheless, it is not clear that Sayyida Ruqayya ever came to Egypt or that she is actually buried here. One tradition holds that she came to Egypt with Sayyida Zaynab (also buried in an important shrine in Cairo, at the Sayyida Zaynab Mosque), just as inscriptions on the cenotaph inside this mausoleum claim that it is her tomb.[3][1] However, other traditions acknowledge Damascus as her place of burial, and see this mausoleum as a mashhad ru'ya, a "visual memorial".[3][4][5] Either way, the origin of the memorial is attributed to the Fatimid Caliph al-Hafiz, who had a dream in which he encountered a woman wearing a cloak who turned out to be Sayyida Ruqayya. He then led members of his entourage to the spot where the encounter had happened in his dream, where they dug and found an unknown tomb. Al-Hafiz then ordered that a mashhad for Sayyida Ruqayya be built on this spot.[5] The mausoleum was thus built in 1133 CE (527 AH).[3]

Interior of the dome over the shrine, with tiered squinches.

The mausoleum is located along a street leading across the al-Khalifa area (also referred to as the Sayyida Nafisa Cemetery) which is part of the wider Qarafa Necropolis of Cairo. Along the street is a concentration of important mausoleums from different periods, including those of Egypt's only female ruler since Cleopatra, Shajar ad-Durr, and of the Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Khalil. More importantly, from a religious point of view, is the mosque and mausoleum of Sayyida Nafisa (granddaughter of Hasan, grandson of Muhammad, and buried here in 824 CE) and the mosque and mausoleum of Sayyida Sukayna (also known as Ruqayya), a daughter of Husayn (brother of Hasan). Sayyida Nafisa's life in Egypt is better-documented but Sayyida Sukayna's tomb here is apocryphal as she is widely believed to be buried in the Sayyidah Ruqayya Mosque in Damascus.[1] Right next to the mausoleum of Sayyida Ruqayya are a pair of modest domed tombs, also Fatimid in origin, which are attributed to Sayyida 'Atika (believed to be an aunt of Muhammad) and to Muhammad al-Ja'fari (son of Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Shi'i Imam).[1] With so many tombs associated to the family of Muhammad and of 'Ali, the area had notable religious importance for the Isma'ili Shi'a Fatimid dynasty, who built many of the original mausoleums here in their day.[6]

In addition to its religious significance, the mashhad is important from an architectural history perspective as it is one of the few well-preserved Fatimid buildings of its kind and represents some important developments in the architectural evolution of Cairo.[1] Among other things, the Fatimid period was the first to introduce monumental mausoleums with domes in the Islamic architecture of Egypt, seeing as early Islam originally disfavoured monumental tombs.[5] The Fatimids also introduced (or revived) traditions of visiting and spending time at the tombs of important religious saints as well as of one's own family and ancestors; a tradition that existed also in Ancient Egypt.[5]

The mashhad is still in use as a mosque or oratory today, where religious instruction takes places and people come to pray for the saint's intercession.[1] The mashhad and some of the other nearby tombs have recently been restored by the heritage organisation Athar Lina. This involved repairing damage to the ancient structures and cleaning accumulated dirt and grime over the walls and stucco mihrabs.[7] The silver zarih (shrine enclosure) inside the mausoleum is also a relatively recent gift from the Dawoodi Bohra.[1]