The mosque has suffered greatly throughout its long history. The mosque was subject to negligence and vandalism. During the era of the French occupation, it was turned into a military fort, and then it was turned into a camp and bakery in the era of Muhammad Ali. Later, it became a soap factory, and the British army used it as a military warehouse and then as a slaughterhouse until 1915.1

The Egyptian government commissioned a contracting company to restore and revive it, under the supervision and support of the Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities and Endowments, as its yard was full of dense weeds due to the presence of groundwater, in addition to the presence of dirt and cement mortar on the interior stone walls, with the loss and erosion of Quran verses, decorations and stern windows. There were also inclinations, cracks, and missing brick shoulders.2

Those in charge of the mosque repair work confronted numerous difficulties in restoring a mosque in its condition and given its size.

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In his speech, Mäulen Äşimbaev, Chairperson of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, expressed his happiness at the opening of the mosque today, in conjunction with the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the birth of Al-Zahir Baybars, conveying the greetings of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on this occasion.

He added that to celebrate this occasion, the coming period will witness the establishment of nearly 600 events inside and outside Kazakhstan, including what will be held in Egypt, which began today with the opening of this mosque, appreciating the distinguished relations between Egypt and Kazakhstan throughout history.

• 1. The Committee for the Preservation of Arab Antiquities took control of the mosque in 1918. Before that, it was left in a dilapidated condition, with its parts worn out and its features destroyed. Some of its parts were repaired and restored, as the committee restored some parts of the mosque, and undertook some restoration in the Qibla Riwaq. But its features remained destroyed, and the distinctive Mamluk architecture vanished.
• 2. The Supreme Council of Antiquities cooperated with Kazakhstan to restore the mosque. The project run from 2007 to 2010, and then resumed in 2018. It was completed in 2022. Architectural and artistic elements were restored, as were wooden ceilings, and the foundations were reinforced. The groundwater water level was stabilised. New stone and marble flooring was installed in the mosque’s courtyard and arcades, during which an underground cistern was discovered beneath the courtyard.