Mosques and Markets

This was the day to explore the Islamic history of Cairo. Before I left home, I was able to find so much information about ancient Egypt, but relatively little about the period beginning with the Arab conquest in the 7^th century. I was looking forward to learning more through today’s visits to two important mosques. 

 

As an introduction, here is a brief overview of key events related to Islam in Egypt. 

 

641 – An Islamic army from the Arabian peninsula conquered Egypt and brought Sunni Islam.  

 

969 – The Fatimid Caliphate (originated in Tunisia/eastern Algeria) conquered the region, introduced Shia Islam, and founded the city of Cairo as their capital.

 

1163 – Saladin came to Egypt from Syria as part of a military campaign against the crusading Christians; In 1169 he became vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate. 

 

1171 – Upon the death of the last Fatimid Caliph, Saladin abolished Shia Islam and re-established Sunni Islam as the state religion with himself as Sultan of Egypt. He founded the Ayyubid dynasty. 

 

1250 - Ayyubid rule ended in 1250 when the Mamluk slave soldiers seized power and established the Mamluk Sultanate. 

 

1517 – The Mamluk Sultanate ended when the Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt. 

 

1805 – The sultan of the Ottoman Empire appointed Muhammad Ali (an Albanian Muslim) as governor of Egypt. The dynasty Muhammad Ali established ruled Egypt until the revolution of 1952 that brought Nasser to power. 

 

Today, Islam is the state religion. 90 percent of Egypt’s population is Muslim (overwhelmingly Sunni). The call to prayer issues from loudspeakers throughout Cairo five times a day. 

 

This morning we headed to medieval Cairo, the city built by the Fatimids.  As we approached the area, I noticed the Citadel of Cairo, i.e. the defensive city walls built by Saladin in 1176. The dome and minarets rising above the walls belong to the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, a relatively recent structure built in Ottoman style in the mid-19^th century. It’s one of the most visible landmarks in Cairo’s skyline.  

 

Once inside the walls, we found ourselves in medieval Cairo. This historic area was the center of the city beginning in the Fatimid era. It is home to a number of mosques and madrasas. We began our explorations with a visit to the monumental Sultan Hassan Mosque-Madrasa, one of the largest mosques in Egypt. Built between 1356 and 1363, it’s a prime example of early Mamluk architecture. Since it was intended to serve as a Quranic school for orphans, it’s designed more like a house than a traditional mosque. Craftsmen came from all over the Mamluk Empire to work on the decoration. And some people believe that limestone from the pyramids at Giza was taken for use in the construction of the mosque. 

 

Before entering the entrance vestibule, we removed our shoes and the women in our group covered our heads. Hussein pointed out the “zebra” style black and white striped marble decoration and the small central dome surrounded by muqarnas (stalactite-like carvings).

The entrance vestibule leads to a large open courtyard with a fountain in the center. The courtyard is surrounded by 4 iwans (3-sided rooms with vaulted ceilings). 

 

The largest of the four iwans is the qibla iwan. When you stand facing the back wall of the qibla iwan, you are looking towards Mecca. The mihrab is the niche in the qibla wall that orients worshippers in the proper direction (facing Mecca, to the southeast of Cairo) during prayers.

 

In the interior of the mosque, we met with the imam who answered questions about Islamic practices, rituals, and beliefs, and chanted from the Quran.

 

Directly across from the Sultan Hassan Mosque is the massive Al-Rifa’i Mosque. Built in the neo-Mamluk style, its construction was begun in the 1860s but not completed until the early 20^th century. Like the Sultan Hassan Mosque, it has two minarets. The lavishly decorated interior of the mosque features marble, onyx, gold leaf, and alabaster.

 

This is the qibla wall with the mihrab (center niche) and wooden minbar (pulpit, to the right of the mihrab).

 

The presence of stained glass windows shows Coptic Christian design influence.  I took a photo of this particular window because it features the six-pointed star, often associated with Judaism, although here it is most likely just a geometric design element.

 

Once again, Hussein introduced us to the mosque’s imam and we listened to him chanting verses from the Quran. 

The Al-Rifa’i Mosque is sometimes referred to as the Royal Mosque because it’s the final resting place of members of the royal family from the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Other notables are buried here as well, including two Sufi saints and the last Shah of Iran.

 

From the mosque area, we drove 15 or 20 minutes through congested streets to the Bab al-Futuh, which means Gate of Conquest in Arabic. It’s the northernmost of the three remaining gates in the medieval walls. The massive gate was built in 1087, during the Fatimid Caliphate.

 

Passing through the gate on foot, we entered colorful Al-Mu’izz (also spelled Al Moez) Street, one of the oldest streets in the city. It stretches about one kilometer from the Bab al-Futuh in the north to the Bab Zuweila (which I saw on my first day in Cairo) to the south. All along the mostly pedestrian street are wonderful examples of medieval Islamic architecture. It’s also a great place for shopping if you’re looking for traditional handicrafts. It’s no wonder Al Moez Street is so popular with tourists and locals alike.

 

In a quiet side street off Al-Mu’izz street, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant located in what remains of a former prince’s palace. The building dates back to 1496. We sat in an elevated open-air loggia and dined on Egyptian specialties, including sheesh tawook (marinated chicken skewers) and rokak (thin crispy bread layers baked with a savory meat and onion filling) while we watched a performance by a whirling dervish. We also sampled the national dessert, Umm Ali. This is an unusual concoction of several layers of pastry or phyllo dough that were dipped in sweetened milk or cream before being baked. The traditional way to eat Umm Ali is to dip it into sugar cane molasses. I tried not to think about how many calories I was consuming!  

 

Speaking of sugar cane, Hussein told us that sugar cane is one of Egypt’s main agricultural products. Sugar cane juice is the most popular juice in the country. 

 

Then it was time to walk up Al Mu’izz Street to the old Khan el-Khalili bazaar. The building was originally a caravanserai built by the Mamluks in the late 14^th century. Wandering the narrow alleyways of the bazaar, we passed one shop after another selling lanterns, textiles, woodwork, jewelry, spices, and perfumes. It’s especially known for its gold merchants. 

 

My four busy days in Cairo were coming to an end. Tomorrow, I’d be getting up early – very early! – for a 5:30am flight to Aswan. But we’d be back for a couple of days after our week-long cruise on the Nile where all kinds of discoveries awaited us.