This introductory chapter examines the 1980 restoration of Cairo’s al-Jāmiʿ al-Anwar (The Mosque of al-Hakim bi Amr Allah) by the Dawoodi Bohra community, which sparked intense debate in conservation circles. It frames the restoration within the broader context of Islamic heritage conservation, suggesting that conservation principles from the Global North struggle to accommodate religious values in Muslim contexts. The chapter establishes the study’s methodology which draws on archival sources, community publications, and Fatimid texts to understand the Islamic values that motivated the restoration. It argues for recognizing the diverse heritage approaches within the Muslim world and challenges essentialist assumptions about ‘Islamic’ conservation practices. By focusing on this contested project, the study gives voice to an underrepresented phenomenon in modern conservation scholarship.