The mosque built in 1344-45 by Amir Aslam al-Silahdar is among the masterpieces of Mamluk architecture in Cairo, but time has taken a heavy toll. Work by the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe in the early 20th century saved the building from perishing altogether, but by 2000, it was in urgent need of conservation. Located in a busy traditional neighborhood at the connecting point between the recently conserved Bab Zuwayla and Al-Azhar Park, the mosque is ideal as a catalyst for local development through cultural tourism. In 2006 ARCE entered into an institutional partnership with the Aga Khan Cultural Services in Egypt (a local division of the Aga Khan Trust) to oversee and fund conservation work.

The conservation project, completed in May 2009, was designed to ensure the long-term structural stability of the building, to conserve the authenticity of its historical artifacts and features, and to reinstate the architectural integrity of the monument by addressing the problems stemming from decades of neglect.