Fresh from his landmark visit to the United States, and from a State dinner at the White House, prime minister Narendra Modi will land in Egypt later today and, as part of his schedule, visit the 1000-year-old Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo.
The mosque is the fourth oldest in a country home to one of the world's most ancient civilizations and the second largest - after the Mosque of ibn Tulun.
Why is Modi's mosque visit significant?
Modi's visit is of significance for India's Dawoodi Muslim community.
The Dawoodi Bohras - whose origins trace back to the Fatimid dynasty - renovated the mosque in the 1970s. In fact, the community undertook two renovation projects; the first was completed nearly 40 years ago.
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The Dawoodi Bohra-PM Modi connect
{{/usCountry}}READ | Modi’s Egypt visit, a first by Indian PM since 1997, to usher new era: Envoy
The Dawoodi Bohra-PM Modi connect
{{/usCountry}}There is a large population of Dawoodi Bohras in Gujarat, which is the prime minister's home state. They settled in India in the 11th century; the primary population centre of the community moved from Yemen to Gujarat in 1539.
Modi has always credited the community for helping him govern Gujarat.
In 2011, when Modi was the Gujarat's chief minister, he invited the Bohra community to celebrate the 100th birthday of their religious head, Syedna Burhanuddin, with him. When Burhanuddin passed away in 2014, the prime minister went to Mumbai and paid his last respects. He also met his successor Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who is the current head of the community.
During his visit to Bangladesh in 2021, PM Modi met with a delegation of the Bohras. In 2018, the PM also addressed an event organised by the Bohra community - the Ashara Mubaraka, the Commemoration of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (SA) - at Indore's Saifee mosque.
(With inputs from agencies)