I decided I wanted to visit some of the sights in Islamic Cairo today (though I'm going to stay away from Khan al-Khalili for a little bit). I didn't have a definite plan, but I wanted to head toward that way, and see what interested me there.
I took the metro to Saad Zaghoul, just south of Garden City, and just walked in the general direction toward Islamic Cairo. It brought me along Salah Salem Street, one of the major streets in Islamic Cairo. This street was very vibrant, with lots of people and lots of shops, and virtually no tourists. I soon reached a point on the street that my map didn't cover, so I didn't really know where I was. However I had a general sense of where I wanted to go, so I continued.
Eventually I came onto the outskirts of the City of the Dead. The City of the Dead is essentially a massive cemetery, except there are hundreds of thousands of people that live there. The concept itself is rather grim, but this place was fascinating. I didn't go into the heart of the city, but I walked along some of the outer streets. All of the buildings there are single-story stone structures built in the medieval times, which all look like miniature castles. Every building has a small cluster of graves in its front "yard". They're not exactly yards, but small alleyways that lead to more alleyways and entrances to the buildings. I'm not sure if there's anything to see within the city, and I didn't feel quite comfortable venturing in there by myself, as I was the only non-Arab as far I could see. I plan to go back to take another look some time.
Soon I saw the Citadel from where I was walking. It is really hard to miss - a fortified plateau with a massive mosque and some other small mosques. I made my way over toward the Citadel, though I wasn't exactly sure where to enter. At that point, a man came over and asked me if I needed help finding anything. His name was Sherif. I told him I wanted to see some of the museums, and he told me they were closed until three o'clock and that he would show me a mosque that I could visit instead. He spoke pretty good English, and I wasn't really committed to any plans, so I agreed.
I followed him down the streets to the mosque. These are nothing like the streets in the rest of Cairo. They are extremely narrow, hilly, rocky, and ancient. As we walked down these streets, kids were chasing after one another, men were drinking coffee in chairs, shopkeepers were building and selling things, but most people were just sitting around. The streets were no more than 10 feet wide, and occasionally a motorcycle or car would try to pass through. These are not streets suitable for cars; even an ATV would find a challenge here. It should also be noted that not only were there no foreigners anywhere to be seen, but almost everyone I saw was wearing traditional tunics and higaabs. We kept taking lefts and rights through the labyrinth of streets, and Sherif pointed out where we were along the way, but I could not have retraced my steps if I tried. Had I not been accompanied by an Egyptian, I would not have step foot onto one of these streets.
Eventually, we arrived at the mosque, though I don't remember its name. The mosque itself was at the edge of the labyrinth rather than inside, so I saw some major streets at the entrance. It wasn't a huge mosque, but it was rather impressive in size. This was the first time I'd been to a mosque. After we removed our shoes, Sherif brought me inside and introduced me to the Imam and the Muezzin (the announcer of the call to prayer), who were both happy to meet me. I had to pay a fee to visit, which they told me goes towards orphans. Sherif gave me a tour of the mosque and then let me go up on the roof and the minaret (the tower to announce the call to prayer) to take pictures. The steps to the minaret are very narrow and steep, and my fear of heights did kick in. I did see two other tourists on the roof.
After I came down from the minaret, Sherif asked some of the old women who were gathered in a group inside the mosque if they would give me some food. They happily provided. We ate some sort of mixture of bread, cheese, tomatoes, and some other vegetables. It wasn't particularly good, but I suppose it's as authentic as one can get. I thanked them, and then we left the mosque.
Me in front of the minbar (pulpit) in the mosque. I think one of those men behind me was the muezzin.
Interior of the mosque.
Views of the Citadel and Islamic Cairo from the roof of the mosque
The minaret
The finial
Next we went to a coffee shop that was near the mosque, but still within the labyrinth of streets. One would be hard-pressed to call this a coffee shop. This was someone's kitchen, with two chairs for patrons to order drinks. The owner and his wife were very friendly and interested to know about me. I've discovered speaking even a little bit of Arabic as an American tends to delight Egyptians. I have to admit, I was pretty overwhelmed, drinking coffee in the middle of a maze of medieval streets with people who have probably see an American as often as they see rain – almost never.
Sherif suggested that we next go to the mountain on Mokattam. I didn't have any objection. We took a short taxi ride to Mokattam, which is a mountain somewhere between Islamic Cairo and Nasr City. We had coffee at a place called the Virginia Club, a somewhat Americanized club. The view was terrific. I could see the Great Pyramids of Giza and the pyramids of Saqqara, along with all of Cairo.
View from Mokattam, with the Pyramids of Giza directly ahead
View from Mokattam of a portion of the City of the Dead in the foreground
Pictures from along the road that descends from Mokattam
View of the Citadel from Mokattam, with the Mosque of Mohammed Ali visible
Before this point I hadn't completed trusted Sherif, thinking that he was interested in a tip for his tour. However this wasn't the case. We talked for awhile (Sherif in English and me in Arabic, the whole time) and he explained to me all about his life, his views on life, and about various Egyptian customs. He explained that he had a wife and a child just born three days ago, and that he was a social studies teacher at one of the schools in Islamic Cairo. He told me that in addition to being a teacher he also works a number of other jobs, including at a coffee shop, as a tour guide in the summer, and at a roofing company.
He made it very clear that he considered me a "brother" because he could tell I was a good person, and that if I ever needed anything I could ask him for it. If I ever want Egyptian food, he said, I can call him and his wife will have it ready in “less than an hour” and I can go eat at his flat. He also said if I ever need money, he would give me some.
After Mokattam, he brought me to Mohammed Ali Street, which is in Attaba, on the edge of Islamic Cairo. This street is packed with store after store of musical instruments, some imported, but many crafted on the spot. He said he has played the oud (a guitar-like instrument) since he was young, and he brought me to a place where a man was in the middle of making an oud. He explained to me how to spot the differences between a cheap oud and a good oud. We next went to a coffee shop, where I ordered sahleb. It's a great drink, like a milkshake, consisting of hot milk, rice, peanuts, and plenty of sugar.
Sherif told me he would go ask the storeowners about the prices of their “good” ouds. When he came back, he kept on telling me that I should buy one so that he could give me free lessons and we could play together. He was convinced that the prices would increase if I delayed another week. The good ones were about 1000 L.E (about $180 USD). I explained to him that I wasn't particularly interested in buying one at the moment. He seemed visibly disappointed.
We exchanged phone numbers and he said that we should go somewhere next Friday. I think he is under the impression I'm going to buy an oud next week, but I really don't have an interest in one. I was planning on going back to Alexandria next weekend, but I forgot to mention that to Sherif.
He showed me the direction to the metro and he said he was off to the hospital to visit his new daughter. I paid him back for the taxis and the drinks. It was a little more expensive than I expected, but I think he was honest. He seemed like he was genuinely interested in making a friend and not making extra money, though I try to be constantly aware of scams. Regardless, I got to see more of Cairene life today than any sort of sightseeing I had planned to do.
Nate told me the Akon concert last night was absolutely terrible. I'm glad I decided not to go.
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