Islamic Cairo: Go beyond the Pyramids

Islamic Cairo is a massive area, and it is impossible to see it all in one day. It is called Islamic Cairo for a reason. It was the heart of Cairo throughout the reigns of the various Islamic Empires that ruled Egypt, and so, not surprisingly, many of the main highlights are Mosques. The Mosques of Ibn Tulun, Sultan Hassan, and al-Azhar are the main ones, but there are plenty of others scattered throughout. Beyond the mosques there are the two great shopping areas of Khan el-Khalili and Street of the tentmakers. Any stop in the Khan should also include a stop at the famous al-Fishawy Café for a true Cairene experience. Other than that, the joy of Islamic Cairo comes from just walking around, taking in the sights, and experiencing daily Cairene life.

Quick Tips:

Islamic Cairo is a lot to do in one day. I suggest that you take one day to do the main mosques, and then take another day to shop and wander around the areas around the Khan.

Also, Islamic Cairo, as it name might suggest, is one of the more conservative and poorer areas of Cairo. Therefore, I suggest that you dress relatively conservatively just to avoid attention. Long pants and a low-neck shirt will do, as well as a scarf for mosques. It’s not that anything will really happen if you don’t, but you will just attract more attention than usual, and it will most likely be uncomfortable.

Islamic Cairo is loud, crowded, and dirty, but it is one of the most wonderful places in Cairo. It may take some getting used to, and it is definitely not for those who prefer tour company designed city tours. If you are going to venture deep into Islamic Cairo, you are going to have to be prepared to get in with the people, be prepared to get lost at least once, and experience a side of Cairo most people unfortunately do not see. It is a true cultural experience.

Best Way To Get Around:

Because Islamic Cairo is so old, and a UNESCO sight, it wasn't possible to get a subway stop anywhere too close, so the best way to get there is by taxi. If you are extremely adventurous, you could take the bus, but that is a feat so complicated it might warrant a journal entry of its own. My advice, just stick with the taxis, for they are abundant, cheap, and fast. Now, traveling by taxi in Cairo can be a bit of a hassle because there is no fare system, that is why I wrote another whole entry. But in general to get to the area around Khan from Zamalek or downtown, where most hotels are, you should pay around 7 LE. If your hotel is in Giza, 10 LE is adequate. Note that it is much better to get a taxi not in front of your hotel as the hotel taxis will always expect more money.

Once in Islamic Cairo the best way to get around is to walk.

Khan el-Khalili is the heart of Islamic Cairo, and al-Fishawy is the heart of the Khan. Located deep in the maze of narrow corridors that is the Khan, al-Fishawy can be a little difficult to find, in fact you may walk right by it without even noticing, but you have to do is ask. The café, noted for being the favorite hang out of Naguib Mahfouz, the Nobel Prize winning author who grew up on the streets of Islamic Cairo, is the quintessential Cairene café.

Sitting just below the Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein Fishawy is a café seemingly carved out of wood into the façade of Khan el-Khalili. Inside people pack into the café, sitting rickety wood chairs around little tables on top of a green floor and surrounded by the magnificent mashrabiyya, ornately carved wood. Waiters all wearing the same striped sweaters balance trays of freshly squeezed juices on their palms as they weave through the crowd of customers. Shouts of "Another apricot shisha and two mango juices!" echo off the walls and mix with the murmur of patrons, the clang of glasses, and the gentle bubble of water pipes. The lack of doors or windows allows the smoke, as well as the customers, to pour out onto the surrounding alleys. The scene outside the café is even crazier than the scene inside. Tables and benches overflowing with customers line the narrow passageways that pass by Fishawy, and because Fishawy is in the heart of the bazaar, thousands of shoppers and shopkeepers, push their way by the tables. Part of the fun is sitting there and watching as the waiters scramble to fit two more patrons into an area that already seems to be at its limit.

Fishawy is truly a microcosm of Cairo. It is crowded, loud, dirty, and smoky. Fishawy, like Cairo, is organized chaos. To the foreign eye, it seems to be a complete mess, complete disorder, but somehow there is a system, and the system works. As you approach, a waiter will find some space to cram you and your party into, and then leave. Soon someone else will approach, and ask for your orders. There are two barely visible menus on the wall, both in Arabic, but it doesn’t matter, because they have the only things that matter, shisha (hookah) in both apricot and apple flavors, tea, coffee, and then a wonderful assortment of fresh juices. Your best bets are the strawberry, mango, and pomegranate juices, as well as the juice cocktail. Soon somebody will return with your drinks, and another person will bring your shishas, then you just sit back and take in the Fishawy experience. Don’t be surprised if the Egyptian next to you strikes up a conversation, and be prepared for an endless stream of wandering merchants selling a whole bunch of things you never thought you needed. Fishawy is Cairo. More than the Pyramids, more than the Citadel, Fishawy symbolizes Cairo. It would be a shame to miss.

Just a few blocks from the foot of the Citadel, tucked away on the edge of Islamic Cairo, lies one of the oldest and most spectacular mosques in the whole city, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun. At first glance you will notice that the mosque is a completely different style than all the rest in Cairo, and this is because the mosque was built by Ibn Tulun, who was the governor of Cairo during the rule of the Abbasids in the 9th century. The Abbasids held there capital in Baghdad, thus they brought with them a different style of architecture, one more closely resembling the ancient styles of Samarra.

From the outside the splendor of the mosque is not as visible. All that is visible are towering mud-brick walls, waiting for their turn in the enormous restoration project being undertaken by the Egyptian government. Once you walk through the gate, the outer courtyard, and into the main courtyard of the mosque, however, the architectural genius of Ibn Tulun becomes apparent.

The first thing that greets you upon entering the mosque, besides the workers who try to charge you for holding on to your shoes (just carry them, it’s easier), is the vast stone courtyard with a large stone fountain standing square in the middle. Proceeding around the outside of the courtyard, it is hard not to appreciate the geometric perfection of the mosque and to notice the pointed arches, built almost 200 years before they made their way into Christian architecture. The mosque also contains a finely ornamented mihrab and minbar.

The mosque is absolutely enormous for it was designed to house the whole Muslim community at the time. That is why every trip must include a climb up the magnificent spiraled minaret. The minaret is the most distinct and recognizable minaret in all of Cairo. A slippery set of stone stairs winds around the outside of the minaret to a narrow balcony a few feet from the top. From there a narrow set of steep stairs takes you inside the utmost point of the minaret. From here you can look out the windows and get one of the most spectacular views in all of Cairo. Looking down you get the perfect vantage point to witness the magnificence of the mosque. Just beyond the mosque you get the best view of the citadel in the whole city, and from all other directions you can gaze out upon the hazy horizon of Cairo.

The mosque is hardly visited by tourists, and chances are you will be able to take a good amount of time alone in the top of the minaret to just take in the sights and sounds of Cairo. The black and white taxis whizzing by below, honking their horns, the shouts of shopkeepers, and the tatter of the restoration below. All of this makes Ibn Tulun one of the most spectacular mosque experiences in all of Cairo.

Standing tall in the shadow of the Citadel, on the bustling interchange of Midan Salah ad-Din, the Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan is one of the most spectacular edifices in the world. An absolutely enormous space, the mosque was built in 1356, by the Mamluk Sultan Hassan, and is the finest example of Mamluk architecture in all of Cairo. Beside the towering walls of the citadel, it is hard to get a good feel the size of the mosque, and it is not until you enter that you can see that this mosque equals or surpasses many of the greatest cathedrals in Christendom in terms of size.

The building of this gigantic structure was an ambitious undertaking that nearly bankrupted the Sultanate, and left hundreds dead due to mishaps in construction. The famous towering minaret, during its one of many collapses, killed hundreds of workers. Even after construction was finished the mosque endured numerous other tragedies. The mosque was used numerous times as base from which to attack the citadel, with soldiers sometimes strapping catapults to its roof. It was also the sight of numerous rebellions during the Napoleonic era, and the mosque sustained severe damage during Napoleons harsh quelling of the rebellions. Most severely damaged were the mosques four minarets, only two of which remain today.

While the outside of the mosque has sustained numerous unwanted face-lifts, the inside has been kept rather pristine. The highlight of the mosque is definitely the dark cavernous corridor that leads up to the main courtyard. It starts off narrow, and then gradually gets bigger as it slowly winds its way towards the central courtyard. Walking down the corridor, one almost gets the feeling of being a footballer walking down the tunnel before a big match. As you reach the courtyard, and the light starts to pour into the tunnel, you make a final burst out of the tunnel and are greeted by the utter magnificence of the towering walls surrounding you, the marble courtyard, and the ornate fountain in the middle. Across the way is a fabulously decorated mihrab that contains columns salvaged from the crusader area. To the left of the mihrab is a door that leads into another dark, but fabulously decorated room that contains the tomb of Sultan Hassan. Inside this final room you have to look up at the ornate ceiling and the wood carved calligraphy that winds around just below the ceiling. In terms of size and grandeur, it is hard to beat the Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasa. On your way out, you can also stop by the lesser, but still impressive Mosque of Al-Rafi’i that contains the tombs of such notables as the Shah of Iran.

The walk from the Mosque of Sultan Hassan at the base of the Citadel to the bazaar of Khan el-Khalili is one of the best in Cairo. It is the best way to witness the daily life of Islamic Cairo as pictured in the novels of Egypt’s celebrated writer, Naguib Mahfouz. It’s a walk that winds through covered markets, ancient gates, and passes by hundreds of fabulously constructed mosques. It is a walk that will tantalize your senses and fill you with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Cairo.

The best is to combine this walk with visits to either Ibn Tulun and Sultan Hassan or the Citadel. After viewing Sultan Hassan, you walk right next door and see the more modern Mosque of al-Rafai. Not as magnificent as its neighbor, Sultan Hassan, al-Rafai is still a fabulous piece of architecture, especially on the inside where the remains of the Shah of Iran and others are housed. From al-Rifai, proceed north up Muizz ad-Din Allah Street. The street is one giant market, full of people selling everything you could imagine. On one side are olives, fruit, and a kushari stand, on the other side you’ll find people selling dish detergent in plastic bags, wig sellers, or people selling used plumbing pieces. The street is rather narrow, and at first you may find it hard weaving yourself in at out of the constant rush of people in both directions, but don’t be deterred, and keep moving on. One of the things that makes this walk great is that unlike the Khan, tourists rarely frequent this place. You most likely will not see another one during your whole walk, and the upside to that is that you won’t have every single shopkeeper yelling out jumbled phrases in English, German, French, or whatever language it is they happen to know. This street is dressed up for tourists like the Khan is, it is where real Egyptians go to shop, and thus you will find that almost nobody speaks English, so it would be wise to learn a few Arabic words and numbers before venturing on to Muizz ad-Din. You likely will not find much that you want to buy on the street, save for some delicious olives, but it still is a fantastic experience.

The real joy of the walk, though, comes when you hit Shaaria al-Mukhayameen, Street of the Tentmakers. This is the only covered bazaar left in Cairo, and it is filled with artisans who have mastered the art of appliqué. I highly suggest you peruse some of the shops and look at the marvelous works of calligraphy created by the artisans. They make wonderful souvenirs. The Street of the Tentmakers ends at Bab az_Zuweila, the only remaining southern gate of the old city. Here you can hop into Mosque of Al-Muayyad, and climb the minaret to get a great view. After admiring the view head back down and complete the short walk to Khan el-Khalili where you can indulge those shopping instincts.

Al-Azhar, the oldest university in the world (a claim disputed by Dar al-Hikma in Baghdad and Kairouine in Fes), is one of the most beautiful mosques in all of Cairo. It is located on the north side of Islamic Cairo, just across the street from Khan el-Khalili, and is a one of Islamic Cairo’s must-sees.

While not as grand and imposing from the outside as others like Sultan Hassan, al-Azhar’s beauty comes from its intricate inside. The main entranceway opens up to a magnificent marble courtyard surrounded by beautifully cared columns. The men at the door may try and charge you to tell you that you must keep your shoes with them, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You can carry them yourself if you want. As you proceed across the sun-warmed stones of the courtyard, it is interesting to think that over 1200 years ago, this courtyard was filled with students surrounding a scholar, eager for knowledge, almost 400 years before the first European university. Today, al-Azhar University has expanded around the mosque into other buildings, and today is the center of Islamic studies in the Islamic world, but you can still see remnants of the mosques original function. All around the courtyard, in the shade of the roof, clusters of students and members of the community gather to discuss and debate everything from Islamic theology to current politics.

One of my favorite memories of Cairo is while I was sitting down in al-Azhar one time, four students approached me and started barraging me in Arabic with questions about America and Islam in America. We ended up discussing the topic for an hour. So don’t be surprised if while sitting in al-Azhar you are suddenly approached by some starry-eyed students filled with wonder about where you come from, for that is the spirit of al-Azhar.

The most impressive part of al-Azhar is the inside of the main part of the mosque. Inside, marble columns holding up the low ceiling, grow out of a floor covered with hundreds of red rugs. The main mihrab (the niche that points to way to Mecca) is intricately carved into the wall and inlayed with marbles and woods of various colors. Once inside the best thing to do is just have a seat, lie down for a while, rest, enjoy the cool shade, and take it all in. The mosque doesn’t command the awe of its larger counterparts, but its intricacy is to be admired.

Love it or hate it, Khan el-Khalili is a wonderful paradox in that it is both Cairo’s largest tourist trap after the Pyramids, as well as the heart of Islamic Cairo life, a place packed with history and Egyptian charm, you sometimes just have to chisel your way through the tourism façade to find it.

It often takes a few visits to the Khan to really get the hang of it, and really come to appreciate it. Most tourists hate their first experience, and unfortunately for many, the first experience is their only one. Your first visit to the Khan will no doubt be a rather overwhelming experience, and often sends even the most hardened travelers running for the safety of the Marriott, but the Khan can be one of the most enjoyable experiences in Cairo, if you know how to do it right.

Living in Cairo for a year, I naturally became well acquainted with the Khan, and became somewhat of an expert. My first experience was indeed a rather miserable one, even though I had been in numerous markets all around the world from Honduras to Istanbul. I still wasn’t quite prepared, but over time I discovered the intricacies of the Khan, and by the end, it was my favorite place to go hang out on a Thursday night. That is why I would like to provide some guidelines for the weary venturer into the jungle of Khan el-Khalili.

1. Go multiple times. If you only have a couple of days in Cairo, you might not be able to do this, and will be limited to just one, but if you can, go more than once. The first time you go I recommend that you go just to check out the Khan and the historical sights around it, do not buy anything. On your first trip, go to al-Azhar and some of the other historical sights, and then take a walk through the Khan. Feel the harassment, hear the shouts of "You want buy perfume?" and "I give you good price, Egyptian price." Look at the goods, see what the Khan has to offer, and most importantly get a feel as to the layout of the place. On your first visit, go into some stores, look at goods, ask prices, do a little bargaining, but don’t buy anything. Just make mental notes of what things you liked, what the price was, and where you can find them.

As strange as it is, the way you carry yourself in the Khan will have a huge effect on the prices you get, and the way you are treated. The first time you will be walking around, looking at everything, and everyone will be able to see in your eyes that it is your first time, and you will be taken for a ride. This first trip will get you over the initial shock, and make it so that on your return you will have a game plan, and you will not have the stary-eyed, fresh-faced look. When walking through the Khan the most important thing is to act like you have been there a thousand times before.

2. Get off the main streets. If you want the best prices, you have to get off the main streets, and work you way through the maze of shops that is the Khan. Anything you can find in the shops on the main streets, you can find anywhere else in the Khan and for better prices.

3. Learn some Arabic. Nothing will help push those prices down, as well as dispel the notion that you are just a dumb tourist, than by learning a few words of Arabic. Learn a few phrases and learn the numbers. It will help immensely. This goes along with what I said before about how you carry yourself being the most important thing. Bargaining is all about making the shopkeeper believe that you know more that you actually do, and it is about confidence. As just a dumb tourist, you have no bargaining power, but if you throw in some Arabic, automatically you prove that you know a little more than the shopkeeper may have assumed. It gives you more of an upper hand, and will seriously decrease your price.

4. Go at night. During the day it is hot, dirty, and miserable. Cairo and the Khan come alive at night, especially Thrusday night. To experience Khan to the fullest, you have to go at night. If you are there during Ramadan, Khan after sunset is an experience like none other. Thousands of Cairenes pack the bazaar to celebrate the breaking of their fasts.

5. Find shops you like, and stick with them. This is the way the Egyptians shop. They find a few shops in the Khan that trust and like, and they constantly come back to them, and this is what I ended up doing. When you go into a store, build a rapport with the shopkeeper, make him remember you, then when you come back, you will be starting with an advantage. While in Cairo, I befriended numerous shopkeepers and I had a shop in the Khan for every type of product. I had my shop for perfume, one for shisha, one for wood products. I would return to those shops every time I went to the Khan just to say hi, even if I wasn’t buying anything. When you establish a relationship with a store owner, he will trust you and you will come to trust him, and he will always be able to help you find anything you need. So on your first visit, find shops you like, get to know the owner, and then return when you want to buy something. The difference will be amazing.

6. Get to know your prices. Ask around. Even if the shopkeeper tells you that that mother-of-pearl inlay box that you love is the only one in the Khan, he’s most likely lying. Look around at other shops for the same thing, or for similar things, and ask the price. Get a good sense as to the price range. The most point in your bargaining will come when the owner asks, "Well, how much do you want to pay?" at that moment, you will have to name a price, and the price you name will immediately tell the owner how much you actually know about the Khan, and how much he will be able to squeeze out of you. That is why you need to ask around, get a good price range, and then take the lowest price in that range and decrease it by at least 30%, and that will be a good starting price from which you can bargain. Knowing your prices well is one of the best things you can do if you are searching for the best bargains. Here is a quick price list of some of the more popular items:

Perfume (made from pure oil): no more than 0.5 LE/gram

Shisha (hookah): 60 LE for a large one with a solid metal shaft and all accessories

Papyrus: 1.5 LE/sheet

Mother-of-Pearl Box (medium): 25 LE.

Cotton Galabiyya: 15 LE

Those are just some starting prices on the most popular items that tourists always get ripped off on. It always hurt me to see a tourist pay 400 LE for 80 grams of perfume, that is why I wrote up this quick guide to try and do my part to help. I sincerely hope it will be of some help, and happy shopping.