The Mosque of Sayyida Zaynab lies near by Port Said Street in a square that carries the name of the mosque. El Sayyida Zaynab was a pious woman and is regarded as a saint and the people still visit her shrine and walk around it. She is the sister of Hussein and she bravely participated in Karbalaa battle. She has another mausoleum in Damascus that carries her name but she is buried in her mausoleum in that mosque. The current mosque with its neo-Mamluk style was established on the place of the old mausoleum of the saint that traces back to the Fatimid period.

The construction of the present mosque ended in 1884 and Khedive Tawfiq paid all the money that was needed for the process of building. The mosque was restored several times through out history by enlarging its size and adding new parts to it. In the late 20th century, there was a new part added to the mosque to be a library that includes a number of rare books, in addition to a hall for women to perform prayer there. To reach the cenotaph of Sayyida Zaynab, women should go through a side entrance northward the mosque, while the man are permitted to enter from the main entrance to perform prayer in the main sanctuary and walk around the shrine as well. The cenotaph is covered with a beautiful brass screen that was gifted by the Indian nobleman Dawoodi Bohara.