The Mosque of Amr ibn al-As  also called the Mosque of Amr, was originally built in 642 AD, as the center of the newly-founded capital of Egypt, Fustat. The original structure was the first mosque ever built in Egypt, and by extension, the first mosque on the continent of Africa.

The location for the mosque was the site of the tent of the commander of the conquering army, general Amr ibn al-As. One corner of the mosque contains the tomb of his son, Abdullah. Due to extensive reconstruction over the centuries, nothing of the original building remains, but the rebuilt Mosque is a prominent landmark, and can be seen in what today is known as "Old Cairo ". It is an active mosque with a devout congregation, and when prayers are not taking place, it is also open to visitors and tourists.

In the 18th century one of the Mameluke leaders, Mourad Bey, destroyed the mosque because of dilapidation and rebuilt it in 1796, before the arrival of Napoleon 's French Expedition to Egypt  . Mourad decreased the number of rows of columns from seven to six, and changed the orientation of the aisles to make them perpendicular to the qibla wall. It was also probably at this time that the current remaining minarets were added. In 1875, the mosque was again rebuilt by Mohamed Ali of Egypt. In the 20th century, during the reign of Abbas Helmi II the mosque underwent another restoration. Parts of the entrance were reconstructed in the 1980s

The only parts of the mosque's older structure which can still be seen are some of the architraves, which can be viewed along the southern wall of the Mosque. These were probably added during reconstruction in 827.