In July 2013, Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque and the adjacent Rabaa Square became a sit-in protest area for supporters of President Mohamed Morsi after he was removed from power by Minister of Defense Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on July 3. The mosque was later destroyed on August 14, 2013 during what became known as the August 2013 Rabaa massacre, when security forces violently moved in and evacuated the area, resulting in at least 638 deaths. The mosque was later rebuilt under the direction of the Egyptian Armed Forces.