 The reign of Isma 'il Pasha also saw the return of royal patronage to al @-@ Azhar . As khedive , Isma 'il restored the Bab al @-@ Sa 'yida ( first built by Katkhuda ) and the Madrasa al @-@ Aqbaghawiyya . Tewfik Pasha , Isma 'il 's son , who became khedive when his father was deposed as a result of British pressure , continued to restore the mosque . Tewfik renovated the prayer hall that was added by Katkhuda , also aligning the southeastern facade of the hall with the street behind it , and remodeling several other areas of the mosque . Abbas II succeeded his father Tewfik as khedive of Egypt and Sudan in 1892 , and continued the renovations started by his grandfather Isma 'il . He restructured the main facade of the mosque and built a new riwaq . Under his rule , the Committee for the Conservation of Monuments of Arab Art ( initially formed under French occupation ) , also restored the original Fatimid sahn . These renovations were both needed and helped modernize al @-@ Azhar and harmonize it with what was becoming a metropolis . 
