[3] Sayyida Nafisa is considered holy as a member of the Prophet’s family and her piety earned her the special status of an Islamic saint.

The 14th-century historian al-Maqrizi reports that the first mausoleum's construction is attributed to Ubaydallah ibn al-Sari, the Abbasid governor of Egypt between 821 and 827.

[2] The next references to it dates from the time of Badr al-Jamali, the Fatimid vizier who held power in the late 11th century.

Art historian Caroline Williams notes that there is a decorative "cresting in the form of a chain of inverted Y's" on the north wall of the funerary complex which most likely dates from this restoration.

[2] In 1138, the Fatimid caliph al-Hafiz initiated another restoration that included a renovation of the dome over the tomb and a marble lining for the mihrab.

The mausoleum's religious importance gave the Abbasids in Cairo a symbolic connection with Ali and Fatima due to their family relations.

[6] The present-day mosque and shrine was rebuilt in the Ottoman period by Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda, one of the most powerful political figures in Egypt during the 18th century.

[7] In the late summer of 2023, the mosque underwent a controversial renovation sponsored by the Indian Bohra community, culminating in a visit by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to mark its completion.

[1] This necropolis was originally built in the period of the Fatimids, when many commemorative mosques and Mashhads were constructed to honor religious subjects that were holy to the entire community, rather than a singular person.