Islamic Cairo

Today we were off to see the real Cairo – the dirty, gritty, messy Cairo…and the Mosques. First, we visited the El Rifai Mosque. This Mosque is not famous because its old – it was not completed until 1912; it’s not famous due to its original architecture – it was built to copy the Mamluk style Mosque directly next to it, the 14^th century Mosque of Sultan Hassan; it is famous because famous people are buried inside.

We were very lucky in that we had the whole place to ourselves. Not a single other soul was visiting at the time we were there. Too bad Avery decided he wanted to wait in the car with the driver. He would have had a field day running around in his bare feet on the Mosque carpets – all 7000 square meters of it. We walked around and then Mahmoud talked to us about the Muslim religion and the five pillars of Islam including the call to pray five times a day. He also explained that a Muslim man could take up to five wives...but not "purely for pleasure." After the first wife, he could only take on additional wives if it is helpful in some way. For instance, if a woman is widowed and has children to raise, or if a woman is poor and he can support her. Sounds like a load of crap to me!

Next, we drove to Ibn Tulun Mosque which was built in 876 AD and is the oldest original Mosque in Cairo (there is one that is older but it has essentially been rebuilt). This Mosque was very different in that it had an enormous outdoor courtyard in the center around the well where Muslims wash before prayer. This Mosque is also famous because it was the first to use the “six-sided” arches – and there are many of them – which were later copied by Gothic architects. We also climbed up to the top of the minaret where the call to prayer historically came from (nowadays they use microphones). Next door to the Mosque we visited the Gayer Anderson Museum. Gayer Anderson was a British doctor who bought the two homes next to the Mosque that had been connected by the previous owner – a Greek woman. He collected antiquities displayed his collection in his home. He lived there from 1935 to 1942 with special permission from the Egyptian government and it was actually interesting to see a wealthy home in Cairo from that period. Scenes from the James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me were shot in the ceremonial reception hall and the rooftop terrace. The home also had a safe room where the tour guide hid Charlotte then asked Olivia and Avery to find her!

Finally, we visited a popular working Mosque called Al-Azhar that also serves as one of the largest Islamic schools in Cairo. It was built in 972AD and has been a teaching institute since 975AD making it the “oldest university in the world.” We arrived just as the noon prayer was concluding. This Mosque also had an internal courtyard but this time covered in marble stone.

By this point, the kids were done with Mosques; it was time for lunch. Today, we went for an elegant lunch in the Al-Azhar park. The outdoor restaurant had a magnificent view of the Citadel and of parts of Cairo. We ate buffet style – which is always an easy way to feed the kids – but this buffet was unbelievable. There were a dozen different appetizers and salads. There were another dozen entrees offered, delicious hot pita bread, and then a sweet table with two dozen varieties of desserts, both hot and cold. Do you think we overate?

After lunch we walked around the beautiful park before returning to the hotel for a swim. Josh had already been on the brink and the lunch put him over the edge. Let’s just say he ate white rice for dinner. Actually, we ate at a Mexican themed restaurant in the hotel – the first time we’d had Mexican food since arriving on this side of the pond.

Cairo is a late night town. People go out to eat at 9, 10 and 11pm. Establishments are often open until 2am. We felt like wimps limping up to bed at 8pm, but oh well…I had a sick husband and three kids who need their sleep – make that four!