Cairo Highlights; The Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo, and Khan Elkhalili Bazar !

Historic Cairo contains the greatest concentration of Islamic monuments in the world, both in quality and quantity, and is included in UNESCO's World Heritage List on a par with Venice. Among Cairo's monuments are mosques, mausoleums, and madrasas (religious schools) built by prominent patrons between the seventh and the nineteenth centuries. There are also hammams (public baths), palaces, houses, city gates, and Wikalas (large buildings centered on a courtyard that combine living units in the upper stories with commercial uses at ground level). A type of building unique to Cairo is the Sabil-kuttab, a two-story building with a covered water fountain to serve the community on the ground floor and a simple room for teaching young children to read the Quran on the upper level.

El-Moez Street

It is one of the most amazing streets in Islamic Cairo. It is one of the oldest streets in Cairo, approximately one kilometer long (open air museum). It dates back to the Fatimid era, 10th century, and has almost all types of Islamic architecture decorated with Arabic calligraphy. It has recently been renovated and it’s a place to see and I recommend going at the time of the sunset to get the most out of the experience to witness the lighting of the mosques and the skyline is breath taking. All in one street; mosques, schools, mausoleums, etc… are to take you to mediaeval Islamic Egypt, while walking lined by them on both sides of this historic street!

Local food for your lunch varies from Falafel, Koshary, Egyptian pancake, Shawerma, Kufta, Chicken meat, Kebab, etc…

After the meal, you are introduced to another activity;

Ahwas

Though the ahwa gets its name from the Arabic word for coffee, shai (tea) is much more common at the traditional cafe that is a major centre of Egyptian social life. With your drink on a tiny tin-top table, a backgammon board in front of you and perhaps a bubbling sheesha (water pipe) to one side, you’ll slip right into the local groove. These days, ahwas can be sawdust-strewn, men-only joints or a chic lounge with a mixed crowd and fruit-flavoured tobaccos.

Café culture

Sipping tea is a national pastime. The big cities, where this break is most needed, are best, but even in the hinterlands you’ll find a convivial ahwa, as Egyptians call their coffeehouses.

Cairenes have plied their trades here since the khan was built in the 14th century, and parts of the market, such as the gold district, are still the first choice for thousands of locals. It is open from early morning to sundown (except Friday morning and Sunday), although many shops are open as long as there are customers, even on Sunday.

The agglomeration of shops – many arranged around small courtyards, a sort of medieval ‘minimal’ – stock everything from soap powder to semiprecious stones, not to mention toy camels and alabaster pyramids. The khan used to be divided into fairly rigid districts, but the only distinct areas are now the gold sellers, the coppersmiths and the spice dealers. Apart from the clumsy ‘Hey mister, look for free’ touts, the merchants of Khan al-Khalili are some of the greatest smooth-talkers you will ever meet. Almost anything can be bought here and if one merchant doesn’t have what you’re looking for, he’ll happily find somebody who does.