By Soha Khater, Community Times In the heart of Old Cairo surmounted by a number of ancient Coptic churches, a Coptic museum and a synagogue, is the mosque of Amr Ibn El Aas – the first mosque in Egypt and Africa, notably known as “The Crown of Mosques” and “The Antique Mosque.” Amr Ibn El Aas Amr Ibn El Aas, eminent for his intelligence and shrewdness, worked in trade during the pre-Islamic paganism and accompanied caravans along the commercial trading routes through Asia and the Middle East, including Egypt. He was born in Mecca at around 573 and died in Egypt at around 663 AD at probably the age of 90. He belonged to the nobility of Kuraysh, a powerful merchant tribe that controlled Mecca upon the appearance of Islam. He fought with Kuraysh against Islam in several battles, however when he observed Muslims praying, he tried to find out more about Islam. By around the 8th year AH, he embraced Islam and participated in Islamic conquests under the rule of Caliph Umar Ibn El Khattab, who appointed him as his general in the army, and later a governor. Ibn…
