Islamic Cairo
Islamic Cairo
4.5
About
After the Muslims conquered Egypt in 641 AD, they built their city, Al-Fustat, on what is now the southern border of modern Cairo. Today, this section of the city contains many important sites including the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, Mosque of al-Azhar and the Khan al-Khalili market, which is considered the heart of this area.
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How to get there
- El Geish • 2 min walk
- Abdou Pasha • 9 min walk
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750 within 3 miles
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239 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
811 reviews
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podrozniczka60
New Jersey16,442 contributions
Dec 2021
This area of Cairo offers a journey back in time. We did it all on foot, which is the best way and perhaps the only way to do it right. It helps to have a guide. Narrow streets are lined up with old houses. Several famous mosques. Tombs of distinctive Islamic figures. Medieval structures. City walls and gates. The ruins of a Medieval hospital. Interesting family run stores. The route from the Palace Walk novel by Naguib Mahfouz can be followed by the fans of this Nobel Prize winning Egyptian author. I got excited to be able to see the architectural examples of the windows used by women customarily forced to lead their lives only indoor and out of sight. Those elaborate windows allowed them to peak outside while not being seen by anybody from the outside. Starting the walk from the Fatimid gate and walking all the way to and through the bazaar you can finish your exploration sipping a cup of coffee in a cafe near the mosque. It is a shame that the mosques are so inaccessible if you are not a male believer but in spite of that there is so much to see in this interesting part of Cairo.
Written January 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TTOverseas
Cairo, Egypt203 contributions
Apr 2022
Islamic Cairo has long been a center of religion and learning- It is worth the visit, but there are lots of ways to experience this. We combined Islamic Cairo with the Citadel/Muhammad Ali Mosque, so we were able to discuss a lot of the history while overlooking from the Citadel.
Walking tours are popular, but we chose to only walk at the more popular locations and use a van to take us around, while getting more history about the areas. We also took the tour guides recommendation for a local Egyptian restaurant (yes, we are aware how this normally works, but we were very happy with the recommendation and value- Have the discussion on value and expectations before you agree!).
It is difficult to get an understanding of the Egyptian people and experience without discussing the history of Islam in Egypt, this is the best place to have that discussion.
Walking tours are popular, but we chose to only walk at the more popular locations and use a van to take us around, while getting more history about the areas. We also took the tour guides recommendation for a local Egyptian restaurant (yes, we are aware how this normally works, but we were very happy with the recommendation and value- Have the discussion on value and expectations before you agree!).
It is difficult to get an understanding of the Egyptian people and experience without discussing the history of Islam in Egypt, this is the best place to have that discussion.
Written April 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SidSne
Scotland, UK386 contributions
Feb 2022 • Family
We were treated to a great half day visiting various mosques and landmarks. You need a good tour guide and a private tour exclusively for this is good. Ideally do not combine Islamic and Coptic Cairo with same guide as they are noted be good generally with one reading reviews and from personal experience Citadel Al Azhar mosque are few highlights
Definitely worth a half day in Cairo to gather a lot of history and heritage
Definitely worth a half day in Cairo to gather a lot of history and heritage
Written March 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LolaGo1
Washington DC, DC6,632 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
My guide told me that there are more than 1000 mosques in Cairo itself. It is very evident as we drove around Cairo and Giza.
Due to time constraints, we visited the mosque at the Citadela, the Al Rifa Mosque and the Mosque and adrasa of Sultan Hassan. As expected, we had to take off our shoes and women have to cover up their heads.
These mosques are rich in History. Noted some tombs inside these mosques, tombs of royalties. They also have nice, beautiful ceilings, chandeliers, especially those of Mohammad Ali.
Due to time constraints, we visited the mosque at the Citadela, the Al Rifa Mosque and the Mosque and adrasa of Sultan Hassan. As expected, we had to take off our shoes and women have to cover up their heads.
These mosques are rich in History. Noted some tombs inside these mosques, tombs of royalties. They also have nice, beautiful ceilings, chandeliers, especially those of Mohammad Ali.
Written October 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KGB777
Singapore, Singapore41,326 contributions
Nov 2019
A visit to Cairo can't really be considered complete without an attempt to check out the ancient mosques and madrassas of Islamic Cairo. The Sharia al Muizz is the place to go to start this visit with a highly concentrated selection of Islamic sites of interest in the vicinity. This can then be extended to the huge bazaar and various other mosques in the vicinity. I visited in 2019 and spent about half a day exploring the area.
Written April 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK185,662 contributions
Oct 2019
Islamic Cairo is one of the oldest parts of Cairo, though not as old as Coptic Cairo. Islamic Cairo was built after the muslim conquests and they wanted a separate for muslims. Fortunately that restriction doesn’t exists and foreigners are free to wander. The place is quite popular with the locals and also has many fine things to see such as Mosque of Sultan Al-Ashraf Barsbay, Qalawun Complex, Masjid Al Hakim, Al-Azhar Mosque and some of the immense old city fortification gates are still standing.
Written November 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cairowendy
Liverpool, UK4,295 contributions
Islamic Cairo is well worth several visits. It is spread out over several areas. So if time is short you may have to choose just one of them.
I like the El Hussein (1)area very much and also the area below the Citadel (2).
I believe that the following should not be missed, and will attach some of my photos to give you an idea of the great buildings you can see :
Area 1
Al Hakim Mosque
Beit El Suhami (house)
Bab El Fattouh (city gate)
Bathhouse
Area 2
Ibn Toloun Mosque
Sultan Hassan Mosque
Hope this helps and please contact me for any info / tips you need.
I like the El Hussein (1)area very much and also the area below the Citadel (2).
I believe that the following should not be missed, and will attach some of my photos to give you an idea of the great buildings you can see :
Area 1
Al Hakim Mosque
Beit El Suhami (house)
Bab El Fattouh (city gate)
Bathhouse
Area 2
Ibn Toloun Mosque
Sultan Hassan Mosque
Hope this helps and please contact me for any info / tips you need.
Written May 30, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BRYNSI
LONDON148 contributions
After a hectic whirlwind around the bazaar ( The Khan Al-Khalili ), we turned off to find the Old Islamic part of Cairo, being a great fan of the artist David Roberts, we wanted a glimpse into these hidden gems he had captured in watercolours in the mid 19th Century.
Within a few minutes walk from the Khan Al-Khalili, we found ourselves in a part of Cairo we thought lost to history books and lithographs. Our pleasant stroll through these streets and alleys was a breathtaking tour of some of the most beautiful Architecture we have had the good fortune to look upon. Armed with our Lonely Planet Guide book, we ambled happily back and forth these streets, with no hassles or interruptions, the passing locals smiling at us as they went about their daily business. Every street and corner had something to make you stop and admire, so many that it would take an eternity to list them all. Our favourites however were the Complex of Sultan Al-Ghuri, the Bab El Fattouh Gate and the Mosque of Sultan Al-Muayyad.
Our walk was hassle free and extremely safe, although we got slightly lost at one point, but navigated ourselves back on track very easily, all in all, a fantastic experience, with no cost and the worries of the world far behind you, after the Giza Experience, we would rate an amble around the Old Islamic City as a must do.
Just arm yourself with a good descriptive guide book.
Within a few minutes walk from the Khan Al-Khalili, we found ourselves in a part of Cairo we thought lost to history books and lithographs. Our pleasant stroll through these streets and alleys was a breathtaking tour of some of the most beautiful Architecture we have had the good fortune to look upon. Armed with our Lonely Planet Guide book, we ambled happily back and forth these streets, with no hassles or interruptions, the passing locals smiling at us as they went about their daily business. Every street and corner had something to make you stop and admire, so many that it would take an eternity to list them all. Our favourites however were the Complex of Sultan Al-Ghuri, the Bab El Fattouh Gate and the Mosque of Sultan Al-Muayyad.
Our walk was hassle free and extremely safe, although we got slightly lost at one point, but navigated ourselves back on track very easily, all in all, a fantastic experience, with no cost and the worries of the world far behind you, after the Giza Experience, we would rate an amble around the Old Islamic City as a must do.
Just arm yourself with a good descriptive guide book.
Written September 28, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Munu
Cape Town Central, South Africa168 contributions
On our second day in Cairo, our tour guide took us to the Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and Khan El Khalili (bazaar) during the day then the Pyramids Sound and Light Show in the evening.
Islamic Cairo: Mohammed Ali Mosque at Citadel, Sultan Hussein Mosque and Rifai Mosque, Imam Shafi Mosque, Al Azhar Mosque, El Hussein Mosque.
The architecture and history of these mosques are absolutely amazing. You haven't been to Cairo if you haven't seen Islamic Cairo.
Islamic Cairo: Mohammed Ali Mosque at Citadel, Sultan Hussein Mosque and Rifai Mosque, Imam Shafi Mosque, Al Azhar Mosque, El Hussein Mosque.
The architecture and history of these mosques are absolutely amazing. You haven't been to Cairo if you haven't seen Islamic Cairo.
Written March 31, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
akgref
London, UK36 contributions
Sep 2012 • Solo
on my first day in cairo, i was scammed in Islamic Cairo. i wish to share my story so others will be EXTRA carefull.
after walking in downtown Cairo, an older man bumped into me by "accident". we started talking, he was around 60 years old and seemed genuine and pleasant. he wanted to take me for a tea and show me an old mosque, and i felt he was trustworthy so we went for tea.
we then walked around a very poor part of cairo, and he explained to me how he gatehrs money from his son and relatives and feeds street kids in the evenings under 3 bridges within islamic cairo. he asked if i would help him distribute food to the poor. it was my last night in cairo, and i really felt this would be a nice thing to do as many of the kids look neglected and hungry.
so, we went to a grocery store. at the till we had 350 egyptian pounds worth of groceries, and it was clear he expected me to pay. since we would be distrubuting the food that evening, i felt this was a small price to pay to help out these kids (about 35 british pounds).
we then took a taxi - he needed to drop the food off at his aunts house (including raw chicken) to be cooked, we would then go back 40 minutes later and collect hte food to distrubute it to the kids. i did not meet his aunt, but he told me he dropped off the food at her apartment ( i did not go inside the apartment)
so..40 minutes pass, 60 minutes - i was getting impatien. he kept trying to buy time adn wanted me to pay for the teas we had afterwards.
over 2 hours passed..i was becoming impatient and began to feel i was being scammed. i told him straight - "there are no kids are there? you are scamming me!!"..after this the situation became quite scary..
he insisted we would go to feed the kids and took me to meet his friend who he said would drive us. he spoke to his friend in arabic, and in a way that made me feel VERY uncomforable. i do not know what he said, but a tall man with a moustache nad gold teeth looked at me with a very sinister smile. it was now 2am, and i am in a very poor part of islamic cairo.
i then became scared, as i realized he had me in his lair. i stood up, and said i had to go.
as i walked away, the man starting yeling in arabic - and it was clear he knew EVERYONE in the town - not just the man with the gold teeth.
i started to walk as fast as i could, then a laser light in green started to shine on me in teh direction i was walking. i started to run...
i could not run the other way as that was the direction of the scammers. so i ran for my life thorugh a maze trying to find a main road with a taxi..
the light was on me, and i became increasingling worried - had they told others i did something wrong??
as i came closer to the men with the laser, one of them starting running after me and yelling angrilly in arabic. it was as if i had killed someone in the village!
i ran and ran and was being chase, i dumped my rucksack so i could try to outrun them and eventually i made it to a main motorway. i jumped in a white metered taxi and asked to go back to my hotel..
the taxi then proceeded to be "lost" and drive in circles. i was styaing at a very well knkow hotel - pension roma - but he drove for over 2 hours pretending to be lost. i could see on my iphone map he was driving in circles but was powerless to change the situation - it was 3am and i was desperate to get out of islamic cairo and to the safety of the hotel.
one of the scariest experiences of my life - be CAREFUL adn avoid strangers, unfotunately there are some brilliatn scammers in Cairo and all overy Egypt
after walking in downtown Cairo, an older man bumped into me by "accident". we started talking, he was around 60 years old and seemed genuine and pleasant. he wanted to take me for a tea and show me an old mosque, and i felt he was trustworthy so we went for tea.
we then walked around a very poor part of cairo, and he explained to me how he gatehrs money from his son and relatives and feeds street kids in the evenings under 3 bridges within islamic cairo. he asked if i would help him distribute food to the poor. it was my last night in cairo, and i really felt this would be a nice thing to do as many of the kids look neglected and hungry.
so, we went to a grocery store. at the till we had 350 egyptian pounds worth of groceries, and it was clear he expected me to pay. since we would be distrubuting the food that evening, i felt this was a small price to pay to help out these kids (about 35 british pounds).
we then took a taxi - he needed to drop the food off at his aunts house (including raw chicken) to be cooked, we would then go back 40 minutes later and collect hte food to distrubute it to the kids. i did not meet his aunt, but he told me he dropped off the food at her apartment ( i did not go inside the apartment)
so..40 minutes pass, 60 minutes - i was getting impatien. he kept trying to buy time adn wanted me to pay for the teas we had afterwards.
over 2 hours passed..i was becoming impatient and began to feel i was being scammed. i told him straight - "there are no kids are there? you are scamming me!!"..after this the situation became quite scary..
he insisted we would go to feed the kids and took me to meet his friend who he said would drive us. he spoke to his friend in arabic, and in a way that made me feel VERY uncomforable. i do not know what he said, but a tall man with a moustache nad gold teeth looked at me with a very sinister smile. it was now 2am, and i am in a very poor part of islamic cairo.
i then became scared, as i realized he had me in his lair. i stood up, and said i had to go.
as i walked away, the man starting yeling in arabic - and it was clear he knew EVERYONE in the town - not just the man with the gold teeth.
i started to walk as fast as i could, then a laser light in green started to shine on me in teh direction i was walking. i started to run...
i could not run the other way as that was the direction of the scammers. so i ran for my life thorugh a maze trying to find a main road with a taxi..
the light was on me, and i became increasingling worried - had they told others i did something wrong??
as i came closer to the men with the laser, one of them starting running after me and yelling angrilly in arabic. it was as if i had killed someone in the village!
i ran and ran and was being chase, i dumped my rucksack so i could try to outrun them and eventually i made it to a main motorway. i jumped in a white metered taxi and asked to go back to my hotel..
the taxi then proceeded to be "lost" and drive in circles. i was styaing at a very well knkow hotel - pension roma - but he drove for over 2 hours pretending to be lost. i could see on my iphone map he was driving in circles but was powerless to change the situation - it was 3am and i was desperate to get out of islamic cairo and to the safety of the hotel.
one of the scariest experiences of my life - be CAREFUL adn avoid strangers, unfotunately there are some brilliatn scammers in Cairo and all overy Egypt
Written October 1, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ciao.
Potresti indicarmi il sito della compagnia di BUS?
Written November 21, 2017
Il taxi è il miglior mezzo per girare il Cairo, costano pochissimo.
Written November 21, 2017
like to know where is the alazhar univercity
Written February 7, 2016
Hi its easy to find , when you visit the Khan el Khalili markets you can cross the street and ask anyone there they all know this landmark , good luck and enjoy
Written February 9, 2016
Islamic Cairo interests me a great deal and I will be there in February. I'm a little confused though, is this something folks are just doing on their own or is it a facilitated activity?
Written January 10, 2015
Hello,
I would recommend a guide. First of all, Islamic Cairo covers a huge area and is best explored if you have a guide who could give you the background of different historical places. Also, a local guide is to recommend in the somewhat worried times, because, after all Cairo is not entirely recovered after the Arabic Spring and many happenings which followed after that in Egypt. BUT, you should absolutely visit that part since it gives you a good idea how most of common egyptian people live their every day life. You will, also, find them very warm and simple. In my personal opinion you have not seen Cairo if you have not seen Islamic Cairo.
Enjoy your visit.
Written January 11, 2015
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