Islamic Cairo Egypt

Cairo to a city that never sleeps. If you want to see Cairo you should know who built Cairo and why he built it.

Cairo was established by Gawhar el saqalbi during the Fatimid conquest of Egypt. When Caliph el Moaz tried to invade Egypt he sent his vizir Gawhar to establish safety in the Country, so Gawhar built Egypt to be the new capital for the families to separate themselves from the Egyptians. During the reign of the Fatimid Caliph el Mostanser, his vizir Badr el Din el Gamally broke the wooden doors of the city and build a new stone gate to avoid the attack of the people. Most of the Fatimid walls have long broken, but there are hundreds of relics and magnificent mosques still lining the historic streets of Al-Qahira. Islamic Cairo is unique from many historic districts because it is still very much an alert part of the city and is visited during all Cairo Day Tours. Al-Qahira was arranged with palaces and administrative buildings when it was initially formed, the people of Cairo moved into the walled city during a 12th-century attack, and they never left since then. Despite its crumbling architecture and developing infrastructure, Islamic Cairo remains one of the most developed areas of the city.

Old Cairo

Islamic Cairo attractions

Touring Islamic Cairo can be a difficult task. It is quite a large area, including the old Fatimid city as well as the areas reaching south to The Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Ibn Tulun. There are literally hundreds of sites of different sizes and importance packed in along these narrow allies. besides, the fact that it is still a busy commercial and suburban area. Islamic Cairo can present quite a challenge. One can spend diverse weeks simply getting lost in these ancient streets without running out of new sights and experiences. However, there are several areas where more casual tourists should focus their attention to see much of what this Egypt history region has to offer in a shorter amount of time.

The most magnificent outdoor museum of Islamic art is called El-Moez Street. it was the main street through the city when it had been built during the 11th century and mosques, schools, Sabils, mausoleums, and palaces were built there. The northerly part of the street (between Bab El-Fotouh and Al-Azhar Street) was newly renovated. This is one of the most graphic parts of the Islamic Cairo tour. The Qalaun Complex hither is one of the most prominent in Cairo.

You can easily spend the day in this area, ending up in the evening at Cairo's famous 14th-century market, Khan Al-Khalili. Refurbishment work on the southern section of the street (from the Ghouriya Complex to Bab Zuweila) started in 2011. Further in the area of Khan Al-Khalili is Al-Azhar Mosque.

Wekalet El-Ghouri in Cairo

Saladin Castel Islamic sightseeing

Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi Castle contains 4 mosques, they are Muhammad Ali Mosque, Madrasa of Al-Nasir Qalawun, Mosque of Sulaiman Pasha Al-Khadim - Sariyat Al-Jabal, and Mosque of Ahmad Katkhuda Azban - Mosque of Al-Azab. Your visit to the mosques located inside the Salah al-Din Citadel tour, including the Muhammad Ali Mosque and the Masjid of al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun, represents an architectural slender of Egyptian Islamic history during the era of Salah al-Din.

When you visit the castle, do not forget your visit to the museums located in the castle, including the Museum of Vehicles, the Military Museum, and the Garden Museum. Because they contain a large number of rare artifacts because you can see them anywhere else except in Salahuddin Castle. Facing the Citadel is the massive Sultan Hassan complex, known as the pyramid of Islamic architecture. It was built by the Mamluk ruler Al Sultan Hassan during the 14th century. This huge mosque includes a madrassa (a religious school to teach the four rites of an Islamic sect of Islam) and displays some of the most impressive architectural elements in any mosque in the city. If you think a little, you will discover that Islamic Cairo considers the richest sightseeing in Egypt day tours.

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is a walking distance of both The Citadel Of Saladin and the mosque of Sultan Hassan. established in 872 AD, it is the oldest standing mosque in Islamic Cairo and the largest by land area. It is a really impressive space, owing to its unique Samarran architectural style to the fact that it was built when Egypt's leaders were from Iraq. Additionally, the Gayer-Anderson House Museum is connected to its outer walls. The proximity of the Citadel and Sultan Hassan Mosque to Ibn Tulun makes them easy sights to merge into a day tour of Islamic Cairo.

Tours you can visit with Islamic Cairo attractions

Al-Azhar Park is one of the largest parks in Greater Cairo and one of the largest and most beautiful parks in the world. It is located on an area of 80 acres that was used in the past as a dumpster for garbage and waste for more than a thousand years. The project was announced in 1984 and opened to visitors in 2005 as it took over 7 years to construct, at a total cost of more than 100 million pounds. This beautiful site offers panoramic views of the city and manicured gardens. There is also a cafe and a restaurant. Also, watching the sunset from the garden is one of the things that you should add to your Egypt travel packages list!