Wandering around the Islamic district of Cairo is one of the best ways to see what everyday life is like in the city. Narrow noisy streets, a multitude of minarets and people selling an endless variety of goods characterise this compelling area. We found ourselves revisiting Islamic Cairo throughout our stay, discovering new reasons to love it with each trip.
On our first visit we climbed the tower of a local madrasa (school) to watch the dark of night and the evening call to prayer spread over the twinkling lights of the city. The caretaker was happy to allow us this unofficial visit for a bit of baksheesh, an opportunity not uncommon in the winding backstreets. Whether inside one of these buildings or looking on from the roadside the Islamic architecture that surrounds you is beautiful and striking. Intricately patterned designs are cut into the stonework as well as adorning the tops of outer walls. Minarets are stunningly elaborate and topped with crescent moons contrasting the smooth simple domes that accompany them on the skyline.
The best view of Cairo can be found at the Citadel where the panorama stretches all the way to the iconic silhouette of the pyramids sitting on the horizon. A city constructed out of millennia of architectural styles creates a vista of intrigue, cloaked in smoggy modernity.
Day or night, welcoming tea shops line the streets providing a place to watch the world go by. Whether alone or with friends, once you take a seat you are a part of the tea shop family and have a right to interject into all conversations, just as the locals do. Tea is served black in small shot-like glasses, often spiced and expect strange looks if you do not heap sugar into it. Coffee comes in a small metal open necked pot, straight from the stove. Pre-sugared and sometimes with cardamom this thick liquid is sure to make you feel like you are in the heart of the Arab world. These establishments are male dominated spaces where pastimes include: chatting, people-watching, playing chess or backgammon and of course shisha. There is also often a TV screen showing football from leagues around the world and it was here we discovered the Egyptian’s love of Liverpool FC due to an adoration of Mohamed Salah.
As well as the laid-back atmosphere that can be found in the tea-shops this area is also a hub of commerce of many kinds, busy at every hour. Some streets are dedicated to a particular trade. On one street metal-workers smith every home-ware imaginable, on another carpenters make garish three piece suites and on a third fashion reigns supreme with both traditional black and bejewelled burkas hanging alongside western fashions . Bakers are an exception and pop up everywhere selling tray loads of syrup laden pastries.
Although many shops are open in the daytime nothing compares to the bustle of the evening when the district is reinvigorated by the sellers and shoppers of the night markets. Loudspeakers roar a monotonous sales pitch, laden carts barely miss the tyres of the ever present traffic whilst sheep are herded through the crowds. For us there was no better way to immerse ourselves in the vitality of Cairo than being pushed and shoved though the hoards of evening crowds going about their business.
