Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque

Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque is a contemporary mosque in Cairo named after the Sufi saint Rabia al-Adawiya and located beside the public square that shares its name. The site is widely known for its role in large-scale political demonstrations in 2013.

The mosque serves primarily as a local place of worship and community gathering, with regular prayer services and religious events. The adjoining square is an open urban space used for gatherings and is often the focus for political demonstrations and public assemblies rather than typical tourist visits.

The mosque takes its name from the 8th-century Sufi saint Rabia al-Adawiya, though the present building is a modern institution rather than an ancient shrine. In 2013 the Rabaa al-Adawiya Square became the site of a major protest encampment and its subsequent dispersal on 14 August 2013, an event that significantly raised the site’s international profile.

The mosque sits in the eastern part of Cairo within the Nasr City/Greater Cairo area, on a major urban square that is well connected by road and public transport to central Cairo.

• Modern political significance: The mosque and adjacent square are strongly associated with modern political events in Egypt, most notably the large protest encampment and its dispersal in August 2013.
• Function and setting: Situated in a busy district of eastern Cairo, the mosque functions as an active neighborhood place of worship rather than a tourist monument.