Shrine of Malik al-Ashtar

A small shrine in the al-Marg district north of Cairo marking the traditional grave of Malik al-Ashtar, the most formidable of Imam Ali's military commanders and his appointed governor of Egypt. Ashtar never reached his post: according to tradition he was poisoned with honey by an agent of Mu'awiya while en route to Fustat around 658 CE. The site is a modest, locally-maintained pilgrimage stop rather than a major architectural complex, and is far less documented than Egypt's larger Shi'a shrines such as Sayyida Zaynab or Sayyida Ruqayya in Cairo.