The Trip That Keeps Growing

Day 5 11 Oct Cairo • Explore Fatimid Cairo • Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifa’i Mosques • Home-Hosted Dinner

Today Bill visited Fatimid Cairo, or Medieval Cairo, the historic area of the city that existed before the city’s current expansion during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. (I was not feeling very well – something at yesterday’s lunch did not agree with me.) So I will have to rely on Bill’s memory for part of this day.

Fatimid is the central area around the old walled city that was built during the Fatimid dynasty. It is also referred to as Islamic Cairo and found in this area is the largest concentration of historic Islamic architecture, with hundreds of mosques, tombs, madrasas (schools), and fortifications.

The tour started with a visit to the Sultan Hassan Mosque. Built between 1356 and 1363, it is considered one of the best examples of Mamluk architecture. Mamluk refers to a class of warrior-enslaved non-Arab people (mostly Turks or Caucasian ethnicity), who served in the Islamic world between the 9^th-19^th century. Although the term enslaved is used to define them, Mamluks often had a higher social standing than free born people, and in Egypt, the rulers of the Mamluk Sultanate ruled Egypt from 1250-1517 AD. At the time it was built, it was the largest mosque in the Islamic world and today remains as one of the largest most important medieval mosque. The mosque consists of a courtyard surrounded by four iwans (vaulted halls) and towering minarets. In the center of the courtyard is a domed fountain that was used to cleanse the body before prayers. Inside the mosque is the mausoleum of Sultan An-Nasir-al-Hassan who ruled from 1347-1351 and for whom the mosque was named.

Across from the Hassan Mosque and below the Citadel is the Al-Rifa’i, Mosque, one of Cairo’s largest mosques. Built during the 19^th century, the mosque was the first Islamic monument in Egypt to use cement in its construction. While part of the mosque is dedicated to prayers, part of it is a mausoleum for the Egyptian Royal Family of Muhammad Ali Pasha, who descendants ruled from the early 19^th century until the revolution of 1952 when Egypt became a republic. Egypt’s last monarch, King Farouk is buried here as is Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, who was married to Farouk’s sister.

In the evening, I was feeling much better and was able to attend our Home-Hosted dinner with an upper-middle class family. Driving through Cairo takes a lot of patience and time. And tonight, as we neared the home we were to visit, the crowd was especially large. This was the first day of school, and parents were shopping in this one area where vendors bring all the school supplies that are needed by the students. Think Walmart before school starts, but there are many small venders, many pedestrians, and no parking lot. People just parked anywhere on the street.

We also passed a gaily-lighted street that Mito explained was where Egyptians come to buy sweets in preparation for the al-Mawled al-Nabawi, the celebration of the birth of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, The date of the celebration is the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi' al-Awwal, which this year is 21 October. It is a national holiday and the people celebrate by eating sweets.

Our hostess was Marina, who along with her twin sister, lives with their mother in an area that is home to many Christians. Both Marina and her sister work (I cannot remember her name) – she is in marketing while her sister is an accountant. Their mother worked until she retired with the Egyptian government. They have a nice, small apartment on the second floor and their brother and his family live above them. Their home is nicely furnished, but the furniture is old. However, their mother is a very good cook. For dinner we had a tomato and cheese salad, rice, potatoes in a tomato sauce and chicken. Dessert was a traditional Egyptian dish made with rice, milk, bread or graham crackers, raisins, and cinnamon. It is very much like our rice puddling only much more runny. We spent about 2 hours talking with them about their travels, mainly around Egypt, especially the beaches on the Red See where the two daughters love to snorkel.

They are orthodox Christians and Marina we explaining to us their fasting rules. In the November-December timeframe they fast for about 60 days, eating no meat, chicken, dairy or poultry products. Then around Easter, they fast again for 55 days. We always enjoy these Home-Hosted dinners as they give us a glimpse into the every-day lives of ordinary people in the countries that we visit.