Islamic Cairo

Islamic Cairo is the medieval heart of the city and one of the world's great treasuries of Islamic architecture, a UNESCO quarter dense with magnificent mosques, madrasas, mausoleums, fountains and gates spanning a thousand years. Crowned by the hilltop Citadel of Saladin and its great alabaster mosque, and threaded by the bustling Khan el-Khalili bazaar, it is the atmospheric, living old city.

History

The story of Cairo begins with the Arab conquest of Egypt in 640 under 'Amr ibn al-'As, who founded Fustat beside the Roman-Byzantine fortress of Babylon as the new administrative capital and garrison, along with the Mosque of 'Amr ibn al-'As, the first mosque in Egypt and Africa, much rebuilt but still standing. Fustat grew into Egypt's main city and port while Alexandria became a provincial town; after the Abbasids took Egypt in 750 they founded al-'Askar just north-east of it, completed with a great mosque in 786, and in the 9th century Ahmad Ibn Tulun, governor from 868 and soon in effect independent, built his own capital, al-Qata'i. The area built from the conquest until the city's modern expansion under Khedive Ismail in the 19th century is what is now inscribed as Historic Cairo (Wikipedia, Islamic Cairo).

The main sights

• The Citadel of Saladin - the hilltop fortress and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
• The great mosques - Sultan Hassan, Ibn Tulun and Al-Azhar.
• The medieval gates and streets - Bab Zuweila and the old walls.
• Khan el-Khalili - the great bazaar at its heart.

When to go

October to April for cooler weather for walking the quarter; go early or late to avoid the midday heat. Dress modestly for the mosques, with covered shoulders and legs, and women should bring a headscarf.

Practical notes

The mosques are working places of worship, so dress modestly, remove shoes and avoid prayer times, and women should cover their hair. The quarter is dense, busy and can be chaotic, best with a guide or a plan. It is dusty and crowded, but the architecture is superb.

Nearby

Khan el-Khalili is in its heart; the Egyptian Museum and the pyramids are elsewhere in greater Cairo.

Key facts