Islamic Cairo
Islamic Cairo is the name for the old part of Cairo. After the Fatimid dynasty took over Egypt in 969 AD, they built a new capital to the north of the old city. This was where they ran their government. The name of the current city comes from the name of this new city, which was Al-Qahira (which translates as The Vanquisher in English).
Islamic Cairo is a living reminder of the city’s history, even though it is no longer the city’s center. Even though most of the ancient city’s walls have fallen down for a long time, Al-old Qahira’s streets are still lined with hundreds of monuments and beautiful mosques. Islamic Cairo is different from other old neighborhoods because it is still a big part of daily life in the city. Even though Al-Qahira was built with palaces and government buildings from the start, the people of Cairo were forced to move to the walled city during a siege in the 12th century and have stayed there ever since. Even though its buildings are falling apart and its infrastructure is getting worse, Islamic Cairo is still one of the most populated parts of Cairo. Its many monuments are a part of the daily lives of millions of Egyptians.
It might be hard and scary to go to Islamic Cairo. That includes the original Fatimid city and the neighborhoods that go south to places like Saladin’s Citadel and the Ibn Tulun Mosque. There are hundreds of different sites of different sizes and importance in the small space between these short streets. Islamic Cairo might be hard to get around if you think about the fact that it is still a busy business and residential area. It could easily take a few weeks to get lost in these old streets and find new things to see and do. However, there are a few places where less serious tourists should focus their attention to see a lot of what this historic district has to offer in less time.
The following are some of the highlights of Islamic Cairo:
In Islamic Cairo, Al-Muizz Al-Deen Street has the most things to see and do. When it was first built in the 11th century, this street was the main way to get around the city, and mausoleums and palaces were built along it. The part of the street to the north, between Bab El-Fotouh Street and Al-Azhar Street, has just been fixed up. The place is in one of Cairo’s most beautiful areas… The Qala’un Complex is one of the most impressive buildings in the city, and it is right here.
This area is easy to spend a day in, and a nighttime stroll through Cairo’s famous 14th-century souk, Khalili Market, in Khan Al-Khalili, is the best thing to do. From the Ghouriya Complex to Bab Zuweila, work on the southern part of the road began in 2011 and is expected to be done by 2015. Also in the Khan Al-Khalili neighborhood is the Al-Azhar Mosque.
The founder of the Al Azhar Mosque.
Even though there are a lot of old mosques to see in Cairo, none of them can compare to the Al-Azhar Mosque in terms of how important it is to Islamic history. It was built by the Fatimids around the year 970 AD as a place to worship and study. Over the years, it has become the most important place for Islamic theology and scholarship in the world.
Students from all over the world come to the Al-Azhar Mosque and the university that shares its name to learn about the history of Islam and the different ways that the Koran can be interpreted. The mosque and the university have been around for almost a thousand years.
Since the beginning, Al-Azhar University has been a place where different ideas can be found. The Ismaili Shi’i Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt started the Al-Azhar University, which later became a Sunni university under later dynasties. But Sunni and Shi’i scholars have worked, taught, and debated together at Al-Azhar for most of its history, even though there are tensions between the two religions. Today, it is seen as a major moderator and regulator of Islamic theology around the world, which has earned it the respect of its peers.
What are some of the most well-known structures in Islamic Cairo?
The area in the south of Islam Some of the most important Islamic sites in Cairo are in Cairo. Saladin, the leader of the Ayyubid empire, started building Cairo’s Citadel in the 12th century (Salah Al-Deen). It now has many museums about Egypt’s police and military history as well as beautiful views of the city. Inside the walls, you can also find the Al-Nasir Muhammed Mosque, the Suleyman Pasha Mosque, and the Muhammed Ali’s Alabaster Mosque, which are all worth seeing.
The Sultan Hassan Mosque is right below the Citadel. It was built by a Sultan with the same name in the 14th century. This huge mosque was built as a religious school or madrassa. It has some of the most beautiful architecture of any mosque in the city, making it a must-see. The Ibn Tulun Mosque is close to both the Citadel and Sultan Hassan and can be reached on foot. It was built in the year 872 AD and is the oldest and largest mosque in Cairo, both in terms of how much land it takes up and how old it is.
It is a very beautiful place because of the unique Samarran style of architecture and the fact that it was built when Egypt’s rulers were from Iraq. The Gayer-Anderson Museum is attached to the outside walls of the building. Since the Citadel and the Sultan Hassan Mosque are close to Ibn Tulun, it is easy to see both in one day. The Islamic quarter of Cairo has a new park called Azhar Park.
In the 1990s, Egyptian officials cleaned up land that had been used as a dump for thousands of years and turned it into a park for the city’s residents. Azhar Park gives a city that doesn’t have many green spaces what it needs: 74 acres of the parking area. This beautiful spot has both great views of the city and well-landscaped grounds. The building also has a café and a restaurant. Sitting in a park and watching the sun go down while the nightly call to prayer rings out from the hundreds of minarets that dot the city of Cairo is a truly unforgettable experience.
