On a hill overlooking Egypt’s newly built New Administrative Capital (NAC), the Grand Mosque, part of Egypt’s Islamic Cultural Center, has become a religious landmark in the Islamic world and in Egypt. Since its inauguration in March 2023, it has secured three Guinness World Records.
Its centerpiece, a chandelier hanging at the center of the prayer hall, was created by Asfour Crystal International, an Egyptian leading producer of high-quality crystal. It holds the record for the world’s heaviest chandelier at 24,300 kilograms and another record for the largest chandelier in terms of dimensions, with a 22-meter diameter, and carries 107 lanterns. The third record is for the tallest wooden minbar, a raised pulpit in a mosque, standing 16.45 meters tall and crafted by the Egyptian company, Argynza Constructions.
The Grand Mosque, also known as Masjid Misr, spans nearly 476,000 square meters and ranks among the largest mosques in Africa. It was designed to hold 137,000 worshippers within its sweeping complex of prayer halls, classrooms, and cultural facilities.
Visitors can enter the mosque through one of three grand gateways crowned with traditional Islamic domes, before encountering the mosque’s two soaring minarets, each rising 148 meters, announcing the site long before one reaches its courtyard.
All the walls are clad in natural marble and decorated with intricate Islamic motifs. The names of Allah adorn the mosque’s domes, rendered in exquisite gold inlay. The wooden ceilings, crafted from Aru wood and soaring 19 meters high, feature decorative elements such as arabesque designs and calligraphy inspired by every era of Islamic art, their details illuminated by gilded copper chandeliers.
The mosque’s unveiling was a national celebration, which included an appearance by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, as it projects a balance of tradition and ambition that aligns with Egypt’s broader push toward modernization.
Designed as an architectural marvel, the mosque blends contemporary engineering with the rich traditions of Islamic art and state-sponsored monument-building. Its record-breaking features further highlight Egypt’s ambition to combine exceptional craftsmanship with monumental scale, making it the spiritual centerpiece of the new capital.
As the New Administrative Capital takes shape, with government ministries relocating and major infrastructure rising, Masjid Misr remains a striking emblem of Egypt’s faith, ambition, and architectural heritage.
