Abdul Munim Riad Mosque Hurghada stands tall on its own — offering visitors the chance to connect with the daily life and culture of the beach town. It is one of the oldest mosques in Hurghada city; it was also the leading tourist destination for Egyptian officials and tourists before constructing the Mina Mosque.
Location of Abdul Munim Riad Mosque Hurghada
Abdul Munim Riad Mosque stands north of Hurghada, off El-Nasr Road, Red Sea Governorate.
Design of Abdul Munim Riad Mosque Hurghada
The intricate design of the mosque’s classic Islamic architecture — combined with the scenic placement in the area between the main street and the ocean — makes this a unique mosque to visit. Domes, arches and hallways are detailed with delicate carvings. The minarets are seeable from long distances, and the call to prayer can be heard, resonating from within its walls. Local citizens can be often seen heading to the mosque, with most visiting on Fridays for prayer.
Tourist Destination
One of the Islamic things to do in Hurghada is visiting the beautiful mosque of Abdel Moneim Riad. This big mosque is an architectural wonder standing tall on its, offering everyone the chance to experience the magical connection between the ancient Islamic culture and the daily life of the beach town. The mosque is ideally located between the main street and the ocean and contains majestic Islamic architecture and intricate designs such as the great domes, minarets, arches, and carved hallways.
About Abdul Munim Riad
Abdul Munim Riad was a general and chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces staff. Riad commanded the Jordanian forces in the 1967 Six-Day War. Later commanded Egyptian troops in the War of Attrition, during which he was killed along with several of his aides in 1969. The day Riad and his colleagues were dead is commemorated in Egypt as Martyrs’ Day.
Early life
Riad was born on 22 October 1919 in the Nile Delta city of Tanta to his father, Mohammed Riad, a lieutenant colonel in the Egyptian military and an instructor at Royal Military Academy. After Mohammed was posted to el-Arish in the Sinai Peninsula in 1928, Riad understood the region’s mountainous and arid terrain. This part of his childhood saw Riad observing his father’s military activities, playing with the local Bedouin children and becoming an “expert scout” of the area, according to Egyptian military historian Mohammed al-Jawady.
Riad’s family moved to the port city of Alexandria in 1930 after his father, who was promoted to colonel. His father was posted there to take command of the 2nd Infantry Battalion. Riad went to secondary school in the city, graduating in 1936 and attending the fall semester at Qasr el-Aini Medical School in Cairo. While there, he participated in student protests demanding an end to British colonial influence.
Military career
Later that year, the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty stipulated that Egypt’s military academies would be open to all social classes. Riad joined the Royal Military Academy, his original interest, on 6 October despite opposition from his mother, who did not favour her son having a career in the military. He met fellow cadets Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, Saad el-Shazly and Ahmad Ismail Ali. According to al-Jawady, Riad had a powerful personality, understood the curriculum well and was strictly focused on strengthening his mental and physical abilities in the military.
Graduation
In 1938 Munim graduated with the highest marks and particular expertise in anti-aircraft weaponry. Riad, then a second lieutenant, joined the newly established air defence unit in Zamalek under the command of a British captain. At this time, he gained more knowledge of ballistics, different kinds of anti-aircraft guns, the principles of trajectory, the arithmetic formulations to strike aerial objects, and the English language. The dean, Colonel Futuh Bey, described Riad as “an exemplary student in all aspects; he gives his best effort and can be relied upon.
Mission
When World War II began in late 1939, several Egyptian officers were assigned to the front lines, including Riad, now a first lieutenant, who led Egyptian anti-aircraft gun crews in Alexandria. He also served as an instructor and trainer at the Abbasia Barracks artillery school in Cairo, often transporting his graduates to the front in Alexandria and commanding them. Riad’s wartime performance impressed his senior commanders, and he was among a select few who attended the General Staff College in Cairo, graduating with a master’s in military science in 1944. He was also posted as a permanent instructor for anti-aircraft combat at Abbasia.
Post-1952 revolution
In 1960, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Artillery Corps. In 1961, he became the vice president of operations division under the chairmanship of the Staff of war and the adviser to air force command for air defence. As a significant general between 1962 and 1963, he enrolled in a special session in the school of anti-aircraft missile artillery. In 1964, he became the Chief of Staff of the consolidated Arab leadership. In 1966 he was promoted to a lieutenant general and received his fellowship of the Higher War College from Nasser Higher Military Academy.
He has won numerous medals and decorations, including a long-service award and a good example and the Order of Merit and the Order of the Golden degree of national rice, a senior officer from Lebanon and the Jordan Globe Medallion first layer and the Order of Star of Honor.
When the 1967 War broke out, Lieutenant-General Riad was appointed Commander of the Front in Jordan. In May 1967, after Hussein of Jordan travelled to Cairo to sign the Joint Defense Group, Riad was appointed commander of the advanced command centre in Amman. On 11 June 1967, he was selected as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and began with the Egyptian Minister of War and Commander of the armed forces, Mohamed Fawzi, to rebuild and organize the army. In 1968, he was appointed Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
Riad achieved military victories in the battles fought by the Egyptian armed forces during the War of Attrition. He head battle that prevented the Israeli troops from controlling the city of Port Fuad Egyptian, located on the Suez Canal. In the battle, a small force of infantry defended the town and the destruction of the Israeli destroyer Eilat on 21 October 1967—also dropping some Israeli warplanes in 1967 and 1968.
Death
Riad supervised the Egyptian plan to destroy the Bar-Lev Line during the War of Attrition and saw that he should oversee the implementation and set himself on Saturday, 8 March 1969 start date for the plan’s implementation. At that exact time, the Egyptian fire erupted along the front line. The Israelis suffered the most significant losses in a few hours and the destruction of part of the Bar-Lev Line positions in the heaviest artillery battles witnessed on the Suez front before 1973.
The following day, 9 March 1969, Riad decided to go to the front to see the battle results closely. The Israelis opened fire while he was there, and an Israeli mortar round hit his position, killing him and several of his aides.
After his death, President Gamal Abdel Nasser granted him the rank of the first-star honours military, the most extensive military decoration in Egypt. His name was given to one of the most famous squares in Egypt and a street in Mohandessin, Cairo. And 9 March of each year was considered the day to commemorate his memory.
