Islamic Cairo Part 1

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On our last visit to "Islamic Cairo" in 2006, many of the major Islamic monuments were under restoration, and a large part of the main street Al-Muizz li-Din had been dug up. This street was formerly the grand thoroughfare of Medieval Cairo. We had read that the restorations were complete and were eager to go back and see the monuments now that the scaffolding had been removed. This part of Cairo isn't really within walking distance, especially from Zamalek, so we decided to go to Ain Shams bus station and take a bus. After waiting 45 minutes for bus #66 and then asking about microbuses and minibuses, we gave up, got the metro to Ataba, and began the walk. It's a long walk, but a good one as it is market streets almost the entire way. You know when you are nearing Khan el Khalili (Cairo's grand bazaar) when you start to see souvenirs and touristy t-shirts. We turned left onto Al-Muizz and noticed the difference straight away. The new look of the street reminded me of the Old City of Damascus behind the Omayyad Mosque. The entire street has been cobblestoned and a good many of the small shops down its length have been refurbished. The monuments are well labelled and it would appear the authorities are trying to encourage tourists to visit this fascinating area. A large number of the shops in this area sell shishas (water pipes) and other brass and copper items, including the crescent moons which sit atop Cairo's minarets. The first restored monument we saw was the Madrassa and Mausoleum of Qalaun, built for a Mamluk Sultan around 1285 AD. The complex was damaged in the 1992 earthquake and last time we were here it was covered in scaffolding. The mausoleum is described as stunning but we have saved our visit inside for another time. Most of the mosques are free to visit, after foreign Muslims complained about having to pay to pray. Across from this is the Madrassa-Mausoleum of Sultan Ayyub, its founder responsible for introducing foreign slave troops (Mamlukes) to Egypt, who later ruled Egypt themselves. Adjoining the Qalaoun Madrassa is the Mosque of en-Nasir Mohammed, a ruler who also built Cairo's aqueduct among other buildings, and the Madrassa and Khanqah of Sultan Barquq, another Mamluk who seized power in 1382. We followed the street down to Bab al Futuh, walked outside the city walls a bit to Bab an Nasr, then walked back in and up to Al Azhar St again, through the quiet residential neighbourhood. We avoided the bazaar and the hassle that goes with it ("Are you looking for me? Are you from Alaska? No charge for looking.."), stopping in a cool breezy cafe for a cold drink and a shisha. Afterwards we went across the road to the Al Azhar Mosque, the world's oldest university (although these days students are no longer taught in the mosque courtyard) and whose Sheikh is the foremost authority on Sunni Islam. The custodians here were very friendly and keen for us to have a look around. We saw a lady wearing a knee length skirt asked to wear more clothes if she wanted to enter the mosque (capes are provided), yet a Lebanese man wearing shorts above the knee wasn't challenged. Interesting. In comparison with some of the other mosques in Cairo, Al Azhar is relatively plain, but to the left of the entrance way and currently being used as an office is a beautifully decorated mihrab (prayer niche) and domed ceiling. Someone asked us where we were from. "New Zealand! Ah, kiwi!" he said, then asked us if we wanted to change any euros. On leaving the mosque we followed the road around the back to a restored Ottoman house, Beit Zeinab. There was a major traffic jam here as cars and trucks had approached from opposing directions, and one side had to back up. I am not sure when the house was restored, but it was very dusty and the beautiful marble floors were obscured somewhat. These houses are very similar to the restored houses in places like Damascus and Aleppo. We went up on the roof to take photos of the Cairo skyline and it was around this time that I told Erin off for taking too many photos of minarets. This is exactly what he did in Luxor, except with obelisks. He always goes overboard, then he gets upset if I delete any of his photos, never mind that there are 20 of the same minaret. That done, we headed up the road to what is known as the Northern Cemetery. In medieval times, having no more room left to build within the city walls, Mamluk sultans extended their building into the desert outside the walls. But their mausoleums were more than just tombs, they were designed for entertaining. Tombs were designed to include a room for visitors, continuing the Pharaonic and Egyptian tradition of entertaining among the graves. Later, homeless people began squatting in the tombs. I was expecting makeshift houses strung between tombstones, but it isn't like that at all. In fact, it seems like just another residential suburb of Cairo. The first monument we visited, and one of the most beautiful mosques in Cairo, is the Mosque of Sultan Qaitbey, which is depicted on the Egyptian one pound note. The made the long walk all worth it, and I would have to say its beauty rivals that of the Sultan Hassan Mosque which charges admission. The custodian took us on a tour which included showing us the Sultan's tomb, and footprints of Prophet Mohammed and Abraham, which he says bestows baraka (blessings) on the site. The intricacy of the carvings adorning the dome interior was stunning. Continuing on down the street, Erin stopped for a haircut. It cost 15LE (less than $5) and he even wanted to do some threading. Erin had this done once before and complained it hurt, so I said no. So he got out tweezers and plucked Erin's ear hairs. Moving on, we passed the complex of Sultan Ashraf Barsbey before arriving at the Khanqah-Mausoleum of Ibn Barquq (son of the Barquq mentioned earlier). We didnt' go inside but it was interesting to see a tour bus outside. Several people had asked us for money and it wasn't hard to see the poverty in this area. I couldn't help thinking that if the same attention was given this area as was given the street by the bazaar, things might improve for the locals. Unlike the area by Khan el Khalili, there was nobody selling souvenirs, no fancy cafes or restaurants, nobody looking to make money off tourists. Is this because there is only a slow trickle of visitors? One person by the Qaitbey mosque invited us to look at glass and that was it. By now it was about half two and we had had enough of the sun, so we walked back down to the Hussein area and back to the cafe we had visited earlier in the day. The people there seemed very excited to have us back and without being asked, shishas were promptly brought out. Watching the traffic go past, it looked like 90% of the cars were taxis. I later discovered there is a taxi rank (if you can call it that, but that's what the sign said) just up the road. Knowing such a major tourist area would inflate prices, we headed down to the flyover onramp and hailed one to take us back to Zamalek for a well-deserved rest. We still paid over the odds, and have since learned that when you are going a longer distance or cross-town, and are unsure of the fare, it is better to take a metered taxi to be sure of paying a fair price. (Egyptians, who know the going rates, generally take unmetered cabs, but taxi drivers won't accept the same rates from foreigners, and trying to negotiate a price in advance, or get change, can be tricky!)

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Photos

Islamic Cairo
Looking down Sharia Al-Muizz, minaret of Ottoman mosque of Suleiman as-Silahdar

Islamic Cairo
Qalaoun Compex, Mosque of en-Nasir Mohammed and Madrassa-Khanqah of Sultan Barquq

Islamic Cairo
Al Azhar Mosque

Islamic Cairo
Dome inside Al Azhar Mosque

Islamic Cairo
Al Azhar Mosque

Islamic Cairo
Al Azhar mosque

Al Azhar Mosque
Beautifully decorated minbar being used as an office

Ottoman House
An arty photo of mel at the ottoman house

Ottoman House
Erin

Northern cemetary
Northern cemetary. The citadel is in the back ground

Islamic Cairo
The mosque of Qaitbey

Northern cemetary
Mosque of Qaitbey

Northern cemetery
Mosque and Mausoleum of Sultan Ashraf Barsbey, built 1432.

Northern cemetery
The Mausoleum of Sultan Barquq

Comments

[kiwibyrd]

Yes they are very keen for tourists to look at their mosques and of course females are allowed in the womens only areas. It is a fascinating area.. so when are you coming over?