Imam Al Busiri Mosque The Marvel of Arabic Calligraphy Alexandria Egypt

The Al-Busiri Mosque was named after the great Imam, famous for writing Sufi poetry about the love of God and in praise of his Prophet Muhammad. The fame of his poem “al-Burda” surpasses that of its writer. The mosque is located in Alexandria, in the Anfushi area in the Gomrok (al-Jumruk) district overlooking the Eastern Harbour, on the Midan Al-Masajid (The Square of Mosques). 

The Square of Mosques is so-named because the area is comprised of a large number of shrines to Awliya’ Allah (good people of God), who came to Alexandria during the Ayyubid and Mamluk times. 

Al-Busiri mosque consists of two separate squares: the mosque courtyard with a water fountain in the middle, surrounded by corridors from all directions; and the second square with the qibla wall or iwan al-qibla, which leads to the tomb of Imam al-Busiri. Above the tomb is a metal dome and the minaret which takes the shape of an obelisk. The dome and the minaret are in the 19th-century Turkish style.

Sharaf al Din Al-Busiri was considered one of the greatest poets of the seventh century of Hijra. His poetry mainly described and criticized the social corruption that was rampant during his time. 

Al-Busiri Mosque was built by Mohamed Said Pasha, son of Mohamed Aly, in the Anfushi district of Alexandria, 1270-1279 H./1854-1863 CE, facing both the Abul-'Abbas and Sidi Yaqout al 'Arsh Mosques.

Al-Busiri's Mosque is unique among other mosques in Alexandria because of the richness of its walls with inscriptions and old engravings, including 94 verses from Al-Burda, his eulogy poem of Prophet Mohammad  . 64 verses in Nasta'aliq (Islamic script) are inscribed on the walls of the prayer area and another 30 verses on the walls of the mausoleum. 

Al-Burda mainly expresses Prophet Mohammad's  grandeur and excellence, and also includes parts where the poet asks for God's mercy prays for a cure from an illness he was suffering from at the time he wrote the poem. 

Other inscriptions on the walls of the Al-Busiri Mosque include foundation texts, as well as renovation statements and verses in Arabic and Turkish. Al-Busiri's Mosque was renovated several times, during the reign of Khedive Tawfiq in 1307H./1889 CE, and again in recent times.

The Al-Busiri mosque is noted for its fine mural calligraphy, which includes 94 verses of al-Busiri’s famous poem al-Burda inscribed in ta’liq script. There are also several important Qur’anic inscriptions by the calligrapher Abd al-Ghaffar al-Duri, together with dedicatory lines in Arabic and Turkish.