The Mosque of Attarin (also pronounced as Attarine or Attareen) was so called due to its location near the marketplace of El Attarin ('Spice Dealers' in English). It is located in the Attarine District, one of the most interesting areas in the city of Alexandria. It is adjacent to an ancient mosque established by Amr Ibn El-As.
The current building dates back to the 14th century. This mosque was originally a church dedicated to Saint Athanasius in 370 AD.
When Islam came to Egypt, the church was converted into a small mosque, which was built up and eventually became known as the Mosque of a Thousand Columns. The mosque was resorted in 1057 AD (449 AH) by Badr El Gamaly, the general of the army, after he came to Alexandria. After the restoration was finalized, the mosque started to receive Muslims in Friday prayers as a congregational mosque.
The most interesting element of this mosque is its Minaret, one of the most beautiful in Egypt. The Minaret consists of four levels; the first is square in shape and the second is an octagon shape. Decorated with wonderful fine ornaments, the third level, where the Imam stands and call for prayer, has a circular shape. The fourth level is highly decorated with a marvelous accurate circular dome.