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Mosque of Al-Aqmar
Mosque of Al-Aqmar. Built in 1125 by one of the last Fatimid caliphs, it is the oldest stone-façaded mosque in Egypt. Several features appear here that became part of the mosque builders' essential vocabulary, including muqarnas (stalactite) vaulting and the ribbing in the hooded arch.
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Mosque of Al-Hakim
Completed in 1013, the Mosque of Al-Hakim is one of Cairo's older mosques but it was rarely used as a place of worship. Instead it functioned as a Crusaders' prison, a stable, a warehouse, a boys' school and, most fittingly of all, considering the behaviour of its notorious founder, as a madhouse. The two stone minarets are the earliest surviving minarets in the city. The mosque is now used by an Ismailia group.
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Mosque of Al-Maridani
The 1339 Mosque of Al-Maridani incorporates architectural elements from several periods: eight granite columns were taken from a Pharaonic monument; the arches contain Roman, Christian and Islamic designs; and the Ottomans added a fountain and wooden housing. Trees in the courtyard, attractive mashrabiyya screening and a lack of visitors make this a peaceful place to stop.
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Mosque of Al-Mu'ayyad
The red-and-white-striped Mosque of Al-Mu'ayyad, built on the site where its patron Mamluk sultan had earlier been imprisoned, displays a particularly grand entrance portal, dripping with stalactite vaulting. The interior is equally lavish.
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Mosque of Amr ibn al-As
What little has survived of the original structure of the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As is all that remains of the first mosque built in Egypt. It was constructed in AD 642 by Amr ibn al-As, who conquered Egypt for Islam, on the site where he first pitched his tent. The original structure is said to have been made of palm trunks thatched with leaves, but it expanded to its current size in AD 827. The mosque has been continuously reworked since then.
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Mosque of An-Nasir Mohammed
Dwarfed by Mohammed Ali's mosque, but perhaps more interesting, the 1318 Mosque of An-Nasir Mohammed is the Citadel's sole surviving Mamluk structure. The interior is a little sparse because the Ottoman sultan Selim I had it stripped of its marble, but the twisted finials of the minarets are interesting for their covering of glazed tiles, something rarely seen in Egypt.
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Mosque of Ar-Rifai
Opposite the grand mosque, the Mosque of Ar-Rifai is constructed on a similarly grand scale. Begun in 1869 and not finished until 1912, it's an Islamic Revival confection. Members of modern Egypt's royal family, including Khedive Ismail and King Farouk, are buried inside, as is the last shah of Iran. Their tombs lie to the left of the entrance.
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Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Walking west along busy Sharia as-Saliba you'll come to the wonderful Mosque of Ibn Tulun, built between AD 876 and 879 by Ibn Tulun, who was sent to rule Cairo in the 9th century by the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad. The city's oldest intact, functioning Islamic monument, it's also one of its most beautiful. True to his origins, Ibn Tulun drew inspiration from his homeland, particularly the ancient Mosque of Samarra (Iraq).
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Mosque of Mohammed Ali
The fortress - and indeed, the Cairo skyline - is dominated by the Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Modelled along classic Turkish lines, it took 18 years to build (1830-48) although the domes later had to be rebuilt. Perhaps the most evocative description of it is in Olivia Manning's The Levant Trilogy : 'Above them Mohammed Ali's alabaster mosque, uniquely white in this sand-coloured city, sat with minarets pricked, like a fat, white, watchful cat'.
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Mosque of Qaitbey
Sultan Qaitbey, a prolific builder, was the last Mamluk leader with any real power in Egypt. He ruled for 28 years and, though he was as ruthless as any Mamluk sultan, he was also something of an aesthete. The Mosque of Qaitbey, completed in 1474 and depicted on the around £E1 note, is widely agreed to mark the pinnacle of Islamic building in Cairo.
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Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi
One of the best examples of architecture from the Mamluk period is the 1481 Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi. Don't be deceived by the plain exterior: inside are beautiful stained-glass windows, inlaid marble floors and stucco walls.
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Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein
The Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein, one of the most sacred Islamic sites in Egypt, is the reputed burial place of the head of Al-Hussein, grandson of the Prophet. Due to the importance of this holy relic, non-Muslims are not allowed inside the mosque. Most of the current building dates only from about 1870 and is of little interest to travellers, except perhaps for the beautiful 14th-century stucco panels on the minaret.
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Mosque of Suleiman Pasha
Devotees of Islamic architecture might appreciate the 1528 Mosque of Suleiman Pasha, a far more tasteful example of the Ottoman-style domed mosque.
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Mosque of Suleiman Silahdar
Built comparatively late, in 1839, during the reign of Mohammed Ali. It's distinguished by its thin, Turkish-inspired minaret and the graceful, curvaceous lines along its façade, with a rounded sabil-kuttab (water fountain and school) on the corner.
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Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan
The Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan is regarded as the finest piece of early-Mamluk architecture in Cairo. It was built between 1356 and 1363 by the troubled Sultan Hassan, who took the throne at the age of 13, was deposed and reinstated no less than three times and was assassinated shortly before the mosque was completed. Tragedy also shadowed the construction when one of the minarets collapsed, killing 300 or so onlookers.
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Pyramid of Khafre
Southwest of the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre seems larger than that of his father, Khufu. At just 136m high, it's not, but it stands on higher ground and its peak is still capped with a limestone casing. Originally all three pyramids were totally encased with polished white stone, which would have made them gleam in the sun. Over the centuries, this casing has been stripped for use in palaces and mosques, exposing the softer inner-core stones to the elements.
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Qasr Beshtak
The palace is a rare example of 14th-century domestic architecture, originally five floors high, now largely ruined but with splendid rooftop views.
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Sabil of Muhammed Ali Pasha
The delicate Ottoman-style Sabil of Muhammed Ali Pasha is an 1820 fountain that was the first in Cairo to have gilded window grilles and calligraphic panels in Ottoman Turkish. Although it has been meticulously restored, it was closed to the public at last pass; check if it's open, as there is also access to a cistern below.
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Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda
One of the iconic structures of Islamic Cairo, depicted in scores of paintings and lithographs. Building this fountain-school combo was an atonement for sins, as it provided two things commended by the Prophet: water for the thirsty and enlightenment for the ignorant. This one was built in 1744 by an emir notorious for his debauchery.
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Sound-and-Light Show
The Sphinx narrates the somewhat cheesy Sound-and-Light Show , but it's neat to see the Pyramids so dramatically lit. Though there's officially no student discount, you may be able to negotiate one. Xheck the website for the latest schedules.
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Tomb of Khentkawes
The rarely visited but imposing Tomb of Khentkawes, opposite the Great Pyramid and south of Khafre's causeway, is the tomb of Menkaure's powerful daughter. The tomb is a rectangular building cut into a small hill. A corridor at the back of the chapel room leads down to the burial chambers, but the descent can be hazardous.
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Tomb of Seshemnufer IV
The Tomb of Seshemnufer IV has a burial chamber you can climb down into.
