A glimpse at the royal family's gravesites in Imam el-Shafie Mosque

CAIRO – 21 June 2020: The tombs of the royal family or the tombs of the family of Mohammad Ali Pasha, or as it is called Hosh al-Basha in the tombs of Imam al-Shafie includes a group of tombs belonging to the Alevi royal family next to the Imam el-Shafie Mosque.

Hosh al-basha tombs were established in 1816 and were built by Mohammad Ali Pasha; however, he was not buried there, as he was buried in his famous mosque in Salah el-Din Citadel.

Currently, lighting works for the domes of Hosh al-Basha are taking place, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the ministry's General Administration of Historic Cairo in cooperation with the Imam el-Shafie Archeology Zone.

The tombs of the royal family lay under three large domes. The shrines are adorned with intricate carvings and motifs. Above the entrance to the tomb is a small dome from which a copper chandelier hangs and leads to a large hall with two doors, each leads to the tomb's garden. At the end of the hall is a large door leading to the inside of the tomb.

The cemeteries of Hosh al-Basha in the Citadel area in Cairo include 16 tombs for the family members of Mohammad Ali Pasha as they are considered relics of the royal era.

The first of these tombs is the tomb of the governor of Egypt Ibrahim Pasha, the son of Muhammad Ali Pasha, and his mausoleum is made up of three pyramid-like floors of Italian alabaster. It is completely decorated from the base of the floor to the top with floral and Arabic motifs in the Islamic style and represents in its construction and motifs an integrated engineering unit in its shape.

Furthermore, the tombs of Hosh el-basha also include a shrine for Egypt’s first governor, Abbas Helmy I. It consists of three floors engraved with beautiful floral and Arabic motifs, topped by a sign where the name of the grave's owner is written in Turkish. The tomb is surrounded by a huge copper fence with engraved geometric patterns.

In addition, we find another group of burials, which is the Tomb of the Governor of Egypt Muhammad Saeed Pasha, and the mausoleum of Nour Hanem, the mother of Abbas Helmy I. It is one of the largest and most luxurious female shrines in the group of burial sites of Imam el-Shafi’I; it is about three meters in length. Also, the tomb of Ilhami Pasha, the brother of Abbas Helmy I and his mausoleum, is two stories of ornate marble with engraved Quranic verses.

That is in addition to the tombs of Fathiya Hanim, wife of Abbas Helmy I; the tomb of Princess Shams, the wife of Abbas Helmy I; the tomb of Princess Malak the wife of Mohammad Saeed Pasha; the tomb of Princess Angy the wife of Mohammad Saeed Pasha; the tomb of Prince Ahmed bin Ibrahim Pasha; the grave of Princess Ain al-Hayat, mother of Mohammad Saeed Pasha; the tomb of Prince Toson Pasha son of Mohammad Saeed Pasha; and the tomb of Prince Mohammad son of Toson Pasha, among others.