By  Idris Tawfiq
Egypt sees millions of visitors every year. They come from all over the world for the  sunshine and for the warmth and hospitality of the Egyptian people.They come, too, for the vast array of monuments and tourist sights at their disposal.

There is so much for the visitor to see in Cairo alone. The Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures from the tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun, could entertain visitors for the greater part of their stay. 

The wealth of riches and historic treasures, too, from the city's Islamic past are the envy of many nations. Each of these monuments in its own right would grace any other capital city in the world. 

The Citadel of Salah Ad-Din, for example, stands out as a giant among the other monuments. It dominates the city's skyline because of the great mosque built there by Mohammed Ali between 1830 and 1848.

On almost every tourist itinerary, a visit to the Citadel could easily take the best part of a day, with its mosques, museums, and palaces, and there would still be more left over to see on other visits. For example, although many of the Mamluk buildings were demolished in Mohamed Ali's reordering of the Citadel to make way for his mosque and palaces, the mosque of Sultan Al-Nasir Mohamed, built between 1318 and 1335, still attracts visitors and remains a superb example of Mamluk architecture.

There is, however, within the precincts of the Citadel a building that very often goes unnoticed by the throngs of visitors who come there every day in coach loads. Situated at the very back of the Northern Enclosure and far away from the cafes and the main attractions that visitors have come to see, the small Mosque of Suleiman Pasha is often ignored. And what a mistake that is! This Mosque of Suleiman Pasha is a real delight and is one of Cairo's hidden gems. To miss it on a visit to the Citadel is to miss something really beautiful.

The first Ottoman mosque to be constructed in Egypt, it was built by Suleiman Pasha in 1528. "Pasha" was originally the title given by the Sultan to a governor of a province of the Ottoman Empire.

Suleiman Pasha was Governor of Egypt from 1524 to 1534, and he built his mosque to serve the Janissary regiment, the elite corps of Ottoman troops who were garrisoned in the Citadel and who had come to Cairo only eleven years ago when Egypt became a province of the Ottoman Empire.

Built in honey-colored stone with a Turkish central dome and a cluster of smaller domes, the mosque has a distinctly Ottoman, pencil-style minaret. It is a lovely example of Ottoman provincial architecture. The interior of the mosque is quiet and still.

Recently, lovingly restored by a young local artist, the mosque's interior is an intricate texture of shapes and colors. Deep blues and greens in the arabesque patterns of the ceiling are complemented by golden texts from the holy Qur'an and by beautifully carved woodwork. The dome and upper part of the walls are painted to look like Turkish ceramics, while the lower part of the walls is covered in patterned marble.

Outside the prayer hall, there is a small courtyard with a beautifully tiled floor, and across from this there is the tomb of Sidi Saraya, dating from Fatimid times. We also find the Janissary officers' tombs, which are marked by their official headdress carved in stone.

The Mosque of Suleiman Pasha is truly a hidden gem, but it also has a lesson to teach us.  In many ways this is what happens in life, isn’t it? People of importance seem to grab the spotlight, whilst ordinary folk are often ignored as being of no significance. However, it is often not the grand and the monumental things in life which leave the lasting impression on our hearts. It isn’t always the most attractive things which have the most lasting effect. Very often it is the simple things which affect us most profoundly.

In the shadow of the imposing mosque of Mohamed Ali, this smaller mosque is often forgotten. Away from the bustle of life, the little Mosque of Suleiman Pasha takes us by surprise. It is clearly a place that has been made holy through the centuries by the prayers of many people. And it calls us, too, to pause for a moment and to pray. Our lives need not be grand and important for us to have an impact on others. Even the smallest act of kindness can have a lasting effect.

The Mosque of Suleiman Pasha not only teaches us things about the great history of Islam, but it also asks us to pause for a while amid the hustle and bustle of life and to spare a thought for our Creator.