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Published: August 29th 2011
Islamic Cairo
Beyt Al-SuhaymiSunday Night, another trip, this time to a different part of Cairo, Islamic Cairo! After waiting for our security detail (AUC can't have a trip without them after the revolution) we were off to the hustle and bustle of Al Moez Street. Traffic trying to get there, like most of Egypt, is crazy, but we all arrived in one piece somehow.
Once we got out of our van we met our tour guide and started with an Ottoman House Beyt Al-Suhaymi. It was built in 1684 and reminded me of a house Aladdin could have been in. In the center there is a nice courtyard with palm trees and a cute garden. The inside has nice bay windows and sitting areas and really made you feel like you were transported back in time. Everything is very much still intact from the gorgeous marble floors, to the intricate ceilings, to the beautiful light fixtures.
After the tour of the house we headed over to Al-Moez street to view some of the famous Mosques in the area. Cairo is known as the city of a thousand minarets and many of them are obviously concentrated in this area. We were able to
Islamic Cairo
Ottoman House Light see the Mosque of Ibn Tulun and Al-Azhar Mosque. We were unable to actually go inside, but, they both looked beautiful from the outside in the night light.
We then headed down Khan al-Khali Bazaar, one of the most famous Bazaar streets in Cairo as merchants hocked their goods to us for "sexy prices". We then headed to the square where we had Mango Juice, Peach Sheesha, and Koshary we arrived back on campus in less traffic at about 1:30 am. All in all it was a great night of architecture and Egyptian culture.
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ATA Travel Agency, Egypt
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