The Egyptian Court of Cassation and Mohamed Kamal Ismail

October 7, 2025

The Egyptian Court of Cassation

When I watch movies and TV series that would have a courtroom scene, I would have a passing thought across my mind that I'd like one day to attend a court case. However, due to some completely unexpected events, I was granted the opportunity to visit the Egyptian Court of Cassation, which is 94 years old.

Entry to the court is normal and does not require any procedures. And aside from the state of some people who are clearly there because of lawsuits, either for themselves or their families (God may help them), and despite its old age and visible signs of time, it is one of the most beautiful places in terms of architecture, arrangement, and spatial organization.

And it was the first time that I noticed that most movies and series only show the exterior gate and the main courtroom (which I don't believe is the original one inside the court). This sparked my curiosity to find out who had designed this amazing architecture of the court.

The Egyptian Court of Cassation was established on May 2, 1931, inside the Supreme Judicial Council building in downtown Cairo. Its design was based on the Italian style. Some sources say the building was built in 1937 and was originally the headquarters of the Zamalek Club after it was relocated from its original location in Qasr el-Nil. Because the club founder Georges Merzbach (a Belgian lawyer who had served as president of one of the mixed courts) wanted to expand and develop the club in 1911.

In my search, I discovered that the designer is the same architect who made and supervised the expansion of the Al-Haramain Al-Sharifain. The Architect Mohamed Kamal Ismail (may God have mercy on him).

He was born in September 1908 in Mit Ghamr, Dakahlia. After primary school, he moved to Alexandria and became the youngest to graduate from Al-Abbasiya Secondary School. He then attended the Royal School of Engineering (now known as Cairo University) to receive his Bachelor of Architecture in the 1930s. He was also the youngest to be sent on a scholarship to Europe to obtain a doctorate in Architecture followed by a second doctorate in Construction. Upon his return to Egypt, he was appointed to the Engineering Department of the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf), where he designed many mosques and hospitals.

He later became the first Egyptian engineer to take over the responsibility for architectural works in the Amiriyah Buildings Authority, which was affiliated with the Ministry of Public Works, after the French and English engineers were discharged. He continued his work there until he reached the rank of General Manager.

His Works

Among his works, he presented many of the most beautiful buildings in Egypt, which I personally consider masterpieces, such as the Court of Cassation building in Giza,

Masjeed Al-Mursi Abul Abbas in Alexandria,

the Telephones building in Ramses,

the El-Tahrir building in Cairo, Masjeed Salah El-Din in El-Manial,

and the expansion of Al Haramain al sharifain.

In addition, he authored the four-volume Encyclopedia of the Mosques of Egypt, which covers the designs and architecture of Egyptian mosques across various stages of Islamic civilization. This encyclopedia was also published in Europe, and according to specialists, all copies have been sold out, with only copies remaining in major libraries.

These works earned him several titles, such as the title of "Bekawiya" from King Farouk after writing the Arabic and English editions of the Mosque Encyclopedia in 1947, "Professor of Generations" (Ustadh Al-Agyal), the "Nile Sash" after supervising the construction of two mosques in Alexandria in 1942, the King Fahd Award for Islamic Architecture, and recognition from Germany after placing 21 umbrellas in the Prophet's Mosque to protect worshippers, which created a new industry worldwide: electric parasols.

His Greatest Achievement

After King Fahd reviewed the "Encyclopedia of the Mosques of Egypt," Architect Mohamed was summoned to work on the expansion of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, which included two floors and an underground level. He proposed the use of a special type of marble to absorb heat, offering relief to pilgrims and Umrah performers. He then worked on the expansion of the Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, followed by the expansion of the Al-Baqi' cemetery.

To keep the courtyard of the Holy Mosque cool, he had to procure a specific type of marble called Thassos marble. He personally went to import this rare marble, which is found on a small mountain in Greece, importing nearly half the quantity available on the mountain.

Fifteen years later, the Kingdom requested the expansion of Masjid al-Nabawi . He went again to get the same type of marble and found it had been sold. However, due to his persistence, he discovered that it was purchased by a Saudi company and was still in storage. The company then donated the marble for the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque.

Journalist Salah Montasser stated: "Dr. Kamal Ismail himself informed me that the column supporting the umbrella is a hollow iron column covered with marble from the outside, and when a single umbrella opens automatically, it covers an area of 24 square meters."

Dr. Ahmed Nawar mentioned that Engineer Mohamed "put forward scientific solutions for the possibility of 'air-conditioning' the spatial volume of the expansion, which amounts to ninety thousand square meters and was implemented with a capacity of 154 thousand tons, which is the highest rate of air conditioning for a spatial volume in the world."

Architect Mohamed refused to be paid for his work on the expansion of Al Haramain al sharifain.. Following the expansion, the area of the Mosque reached approximately 356,800 square meters, accommodating up to 820,000 worshippers on regular days and over a million during the Hajj season and the month of Ramadan.

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The Egyptian Court of Cassation and Mohamed Kamal Ismail