As part of a broad initiative to bring Cairo's Islamic heritage to light, the Altinbugha al-Maridani Mosque, located in Cairo's historic Darb al-Ahmar district has been restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) with funding from the European Union. The Mosque restoration project, which began in December 2018, was completed in June 2021.
The Mosque was built in 1340 CE by Amir Altinbugha al-Maridani under the patronage of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad. It was one of the most striking examples of Bahri Mamluk architecture in Cairo, but it sat untouched for more than a century since it was restored by the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe (1895-1905).
The Mosque's restoration was one of the three components of a project entitled "Creating Access to Cairo's Islamic Cultural Heritage". The European Union grant funded the following activities:
- Implementation of the Maridani Mosque conservation works;
- Creation of visitor routes through the district and the provision of an accompanying physical and socio-economic tourist infrastructure that allows visitors to appreciate the outstanding Mamluk monuments along Cairo's principal Medieval spine;
- Development of local goods and services related to the expected increase in cultural tourism in response to the gradually larger numbers of visitors to the area and the financial returns these are expected to bring to the entire district.
