Cairo (Egypt): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day official visit to Egypt, on Sunday visited the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cairo. PM Modi offered tributes to the Indian soldiers, who bravely fought and laid down their lives in Egypt and Palestine, during the First World War. He also visited the Al-Hakim Mosque in the city.
Prime Minister Modi offered floral tributes and signed the visitor's book at the Cemetery that comprises the Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial and the Heliopolis (Aden) Memorial. The Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial commemorates nearly 4,000 Indian soldiers, who died fighting in Egypt and Palestine, in the First World War.
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The Heliopolis (Aden) Memorial pays tribute to over 600 men of the Commonwealth forces, who sacrificed their lives for Aden during the First World War. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Cemetery. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, the Cemetery also houses 1,700 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War as well as several war graves of other nationalities.
Located at the south end of the Suez Canal, the original Port Tewfik memorial was unveiled in 1926. The original memorial, designed by Sir John Burnet, sustained damages during the 1967-1973 Israeli-Egyptian conflict and was eventually demolished. In October 1980, a new memorial with panels bearing the names of the martyred Indian soldiers was unveiled by the Indian Ambassador to Egypt in the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi visited Egypt's historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo, restored with the help of India's Dawoodi Bohra community. Modi was shown around the mosque whose latest restoration was completed about three months ago. The mosque mainly performs Friday prayers and all five obligatory prayers.
The PM was seen appreciating the intricately carved inscriptions on the walls and doorways of the mosque which was built in 1012. Over a thousand years old, al-Hakim is the fourth oldest mosque in Cairo and the second Fatimid mosque to be built in the city. The mosque covers an area of 13,560 square metres, with the iconic central courtyard occupying 5,000 square metres.
The historic Mosque has been named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, the 16th Fatimid caliph, and is an important religious and cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was honored to visit the historic Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo. "It's a profound testament to Egypt's rich heritage and culture," PM Modi said in a Tweet. Later, PM Modi also visited the Pyramids of Giza, which is the largest Egyptian pyramid.
