Abu Haggag Mosque
The Mosque of Abu Haggag (Arabic: مسجد أبو الحجاج بالأقصر) is a mosque in Luxor, Egypt. It is integrated into the structure of Luxor Temple, an Ancient Egyptian centre of worship, making it one of the oldest continuously used temples in the world, dating back to the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC. Architecture. The mosque stands on the ancient columns themselves. That part of the Luxor Temple was converted to a church by the Copts in 395 AD, and then to a mosque in 640, more than 3400 years of continuous religious  worship. Hence, the Luxor Temple is the oldest building in the world at least partially active for other than archeological or tourist purposes. Yusuf Abu el Haggag. Sheikh Yusuf Abu el Haggag (; c. 1150 – c. 1245), also al Haggag or Al-Hajjaj was a holy man whom Egyptians in the town of Luxor celebrate every year, on his mawlid (birthday) known as Mawlid Abu al-Hajjaj al-Uqṣūrī. Regarded as one of the Ashraf (descendants of the prophet Muhammad,) he was born in Baghdad, later moving to Mecca, and finally settling in the upper Egyptian town of Luxor. He later  earned the nickname "Father of the pilgrim." "حاج" (Hajj) in Arabic means "pilgrim" —not to be confused with حج which means "pilgrimage." "حجاج" (Hajjaj,) however, is the word given to someone who performs the pilgrimage frequently and assiduously. Local folklore indicates that he did not build the mosque, but saved it from later attempts by officials to demolish it. Al-Hajjaj died during the reign of sultan As-Salih_Ayyub aged 90. Mawlid Festival. Residents of Luxor city, on el Haggag's Mawlid, dress up in colourful outfits and attend the mawlid festival for three days. Activities of the festival often  include horse races, performances of sufi music and boat rides on three days marking the occasion. El Haggag has descendants who still live in Luxor, though some have left for other places.