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.

Memphis and Saqqara

Hieroglyphs from a tomb in Saqqara

Each day of our trip brought exciting new adventures. I woke up early on Sunday morning in anticipation of our visit to the ancient city of Memphis and its necropolis at Saqqara. Even though I’d already seen plenty of Egyptian antiquities in Cairo’s museums, I was eager to see some antiquities in their original setting. And this morning, we’d be traveling outside of the city to two ancient sites – first to Memphis and then to Saqqara. 

 

We set out by motor coach from our hotel through the streets of Cairo. Not long after crossing the Nile, we were speeding along on a new multi-lane highway through modern Giza with its high-rise residential buildings. I remembered that Hussein had told us that Egypt was investing heavily in infrastructure. Along the way to Memphis, he also discussed education in Egypt today, another priority for the government. There are three categories of schools. The public schools are free to everyone but the classes tend to be huge. There are two other options for families that can afford to pay tuition. So-called national schools have smaller classes but are still large. The most expensive schools are the international schools that teach classes in English using an American curriculum.  

 

About an hour after leaving Cairo, we arrived at the ruins of ancient Memphis, now open to tourists as an open-air museum. The city was built by King Narmer, who unified Upper and Lower Egypt around 3200 BCE and Memphis as his capital. At the time, it was located strategically at the head of the Nile delta. Memphis, known as the White City because of the color of its buildings, served as the capital of Egypt for approximately 500 years during the Old Kingdom. Even afterwards, it remained an important cosmopolitan city with temples, settlements, and palaces. Later rulers continued to add monuments.

 

Hussein pointed out the cartouches with the names of pharaohs in hieroglyphs. 

Of special note was Ramses II of the New Kingdom. During his 67-year reign, he was known as a great builder. Centuries after the city’s founding, he built a temple to the god Ptah here. The temple is in ruins today. 

 

We also viewed what remains of a colossal limestone statue of Ramses II that originally stood by the entrance to the main temple in Memphis. When upright, it stood over over 10 meters (nearly 33 feet) tall and weighed 60 tons. The pharaoh is represented in a traditional pose, standing with his left leg forward. He is dressed in the ceremonial kilt and a false beard. I learned that the ancient Egyptians considered hair to be dirty but pharaohs tied on false beards to look older. The sculpture is decorated with 15 cartouches containing the name of Ramses II. 

 

Another impressive sight was the alabaster sphinx that was unearthed in 1912. This smiling sphinx was created during the New Kingdom (c. 1550 BCE, 18^th dynasty). It is the second largest sphinx, surpassed in size only by the Great Sphinx at Giza. But unlike the one in Giza, this one has its nose intact.

 

After an hour or so in Memphis, we continued on to its burial ground, Saqqara, where the tombs of several early dynasty pharaohs and notables are located. Before the Egyptians learned to build pyramids, they buried their kings in mastabas. These were low flat-roofed tombs with underground burials.

 

Hussein brought us to the largest mastaba in Saqqara, the mastaba of Mereruka, built around 2400 BCE. It wasn’t discovered and excavated until 1892. Mereruka was the vizier (a position similar to prime minister) for the pharaoh Teti I. In fact, he was married to a daughter of the pharaoh. As vizier, he was extremely wealthy and the second most powerful person in the kingdom.  

 

Nearly all the surfaces inside the mastaba were decorated. Considering that the carvings were thousands of years old, they looked remarkably well-preserved. Hussein explained that the surface of the building, both inside and out, was covered with a thin layer of plaster and the carving was done into the dried plaster. Here are some details from a large wall carving that shows a hunting scene within the marshes along the Nile. 

Men are punting a papyrus raft along the riverbank.

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Notice the various types of fish that live in the Nile.

 

An adult hippo attacks a crocodile who is threatening her baby.

Nesting lapwings protect their young from an Egyptian mongoose.

Hunters harpoon a hippopotamus.

There are other scenes of daily life which show activities from the three seasons of the Egyptian calendar, i.e. planting, harvesting, and flooding. This scene shows the herding of cattle.

In the scene below, we see sculptors and other craftsmen at work. Mereruka and his wife are depicted inspecting a jeweler’s workshop where some of the workers are dwarves.

To reach the underground portion of the tomb, we had to descend, crouching at times, through a narrow passage. The 33 rooms located underground are decorated with both painted and carved scenes. The vivid colors were quite striking.

After passing through a series of small rooms, we finally reached the main chamber where we found a life-size statue of Mereruka himself. He’s walking forward from a false door, waiting to receive offerings that were set on a table in front of him. The false door is supposed to allow spirits access to the tomb.  

 

In another royal mastaba, we saw magical spells on the walls that were needed for the journey to the afterlife. And in the innermost chamber, we looked up at stars that were carved into the ceiling.

 

Perhaps the most widely recognized sight at the Saqqara necropolis is the so-called Step Pyramid. This is the first pyramid in history, and it is also considered the first ever stone construction. The pyramid was built in stages, with one mastaba being added on top of another. Imhotep was the architect responsible for the design. The pyramid was built for the Old Kingdom pharaoh Djoser (first king of the 3^rd dynasty – circa 2670-2650 BCE). It served as a tomb for the king, his wives, and several others. Shafts go down 28 meters (over 90 feet) to burial chambers under the pyramid. You can get an idea of the scale of the step pyramid from the photo below.

 

Smooth blocks of limestone originally covered the outside of the pyramid. They were removed by later builders and repurposed.

 

We enjoyed a great buffet lunch at the nearby Sakkara Palm Court restaurant, where we feasted on a wide variety of Egyptian food, including pita, baba ganooj, tahini, eggplant moussaka, stuffed okra and zucchini, stuffed cabbage, sautéed veggies, sweet potatoes in bechamel, falafel made from fava beans, spiced eggplant, sambousek, pickles, rice, stewed meat, kofta, and chicken. I’m sure there was dessert as well. 

 

When we got back to Cairo, several of us opted to visit the Palace of Muhammad Ali Tawfik. Born in 1875, he served as regent and was the Crown Prince for much of his life but never ascended to the throne of Egypt. He is responsible for the architecture of the palace and its lavish interior designs and furnishings. The construction took place between the years 1903 and 1937. The palace is a complex of buildings that includes a reception hall, a clock tower, a mosque, a hunting museum, a throne hall, a residence hall, and a private museum. 

 

When you step inside the residence hall, you're standing in the midst of extreme luxury.  

The décor of the rooms in the residence hall reflects Persian, Mamluk, Syrian, Andalusian, and Moroccan artistic styles. 

detail of tilework

 

The throne hall, a separate building, contains portraits of the kings of the dynasty, which was founded by the prince’s ancestor, Muhammad Ali Pasha. He was an Albanian Muslim who was appointed viceroy and governor of Egypt by the Ottomans in 1805. Muhammad Ali became the de facto ruler of Egypt and remained in power until his death in 1848. He is considered the founder of modern Egypt.

The two-story reception pavilion is located near the mosque.

Mosque

 

In addition, there is a large garden, which is a popular place for photo shoots. 

 

That was a lot for one day but we weren’t finished yet. When we returned from the palace, it was time to get ready for our home hosted dinner. It was dark when we arrived so I didn’t see much of the neighborhood. Fortunately, it was on a quiet street in a residential area of Cairo. The family (father, mother, three sons) gave us a warm welcome. All spoke excellent English. The oldest son lives at home and attends the university in Cairo, where all of his courses are taught in English. The younger two attend a private school where French is the language of instruction. The family is Coptic Christian and they had a familiar looking Christmas tree in the corner of their living room. Dinner featured homestyle Egyptian food and conversation flowed easily throughout the evening. 

It had been a wonderful, albeit exhausting, day. I fell into bed as soon as we returned to the hotel and set my alarm for another early wake-up, knowing there would be more exciting discoveries tomorrow.