-
Khan al-Khalili
Jaundiced travellers often dismiss the Khan al-Khalili as a tourist trap; there's no ignoring the fact that it's a favoured stop of tour buses and has all the associated annoyances (touts and tat) that come with them. But it's worth remembering that Cairenes have plied their trades here since the founding of the Khan in the 14th century - the buying and selling didn't begin with the arrival of the first tour group.
-
Khanqah & Mausoleum of Sultan Beybars al-Gashankir
The Mamluk Khanqah & Mausoleum of Sultan Beybars al-Gashankir is distinguished by its stubby minaret, topped with a small ribbed dome. Built in 1310, this is one of the city's first khanqah s (Sufi monasteries). Thanks to a multipart 'baffled' entrance, it is serene inside. Beybars al-Gashankir is entombed in a room that shimmers with black-and-white marble panelling and light from stained-glass windows.
Read more about Khanqah & Mausoleum of Sultan Beybars al-Gashankir
-
Khanqah of Sultan Inal
The 1456 Khanqah of Sultan Inal is beautiful, thanks to restoration work, but not always open.
-
Khanqah-Mausoleum of Farag Ibn Barquq
Built by a son of Sultan Barquq, whose great madrassa and mausoleum stand on Bein al-Qasreen. Completed in 1411 the khanqah is a fortresslike building with high, sheer façades and twin minarets and domes. In the courtyard, monastic cells lead off the arcades. Two tomb chambers - one for women, one for men - are each topped with domes; their ceilings are painted in mesmerising red-and-black geometric patterns.
-
Madrassa & Mausoleum of An-Nasir Mohammed
Built in 1304 by a Mamluk sultan both despotic and exceedingly accomplished. The Gothic doorway was plundered from a church in Acre (now Akko, Israel) when An-Nasir and his army ended Crusader domination there in 1290 - note how the word 'Allah' has been inscribed at the point of the arch. The lacy pattern on the carved stucco minaret, a North African style, reveals more foreign influence.
-
Madrassa & Mausoleum of Barquq
Barquq seized power in 1382, when Egypt was reeling from plague and famine; his Sufi school was completed four years later. Enter through the bold black-and-white marble portal into a vaulted passageway. To the right, the inner court has a colourful ceiling supported by four porphyry Pharaonic columns. Barquq's daughter is buried in the splendid domed tomb chamber; the sultan himself preferred to rest in the Northern Cemetery, surrounded by Sufi sheikhs.
-
Madrassa & Mausoleum of Qalaun
Built in just 13 months, the 1279 Madrassa & Mausoleum of Qalaun is both the earliest and the most splendid of the three buildings on this street. It was still closed for restoration at the time of research. The mausoleum, on the right, is a particularly intricate assemblage of inlaid stone and stucco, patterned with stars and floral motifs and lit by stained-glass windows.
-
Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum
Leaving the Gezira Exhibition Grounds from the rear entrance near the Galaa Bridge, you'll see a modest gate across the road leading to the Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum. Mokhtar (1891-1934) was the sculptor laureate of independent Egypt; he was responsible for Saad Zaghloul on the nearby midan and for the Mother of Egypt statue outside the entrance to the Giza Zoo. The gallery building was designed by Egyptian architect Ramses Wissa Wassef (1911-1974).
-
Manial Palace Museum
It will take only 20 minutes to walk from the Semiramis InterContinental down the Corniche until you hit the small Manial Bridge. Crossing this, you will come to Sharia al-Saray and one of Cairo's least visited and most eccentric tourist sites, the Manial Palace Museum. The palace was built in the early part of the 20th century as a residence for Prince Mohammed Ali Tawfiq, the uncle of King Farouk, Egypt's last monarch.
-
Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art
One of the first independent galleries, a bit cramped but representing the bigger names in painting and sculpture.
-
Advertisement
-
Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri
On the south side of Sharia al-Azhar, opposite the khan, the grand Mosque-Madrassa of Al-Ghouri, with its red-chequered minaret, and the elegant Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri together form an exquisite monument to the end of the Mamluk era. Qansuh al-Ghouri, the penultimate Mamluk sultan, ruled for 16 years. At the age of 78, he rode to Syria at the head of his army to battle the Ottoman Turks. The head of the defeated Al-Ghouri was sent to Constantinople; his body was never recovered.
-
Merryland
Merryland is a large park and entertainment centre with kids' rides and lots of places to eat, from TGI Friday's to Egyptian snack joints. It was changing management on last visit, so the restaurants and other entertainment may vary, but in general it's a good place to eat and people-watch.
-
Midan Ataba
In Midan Ataba, 'modern European' Cairo runs up against the old medieval Cairo of Saladin (Salah ad-Din), the Mamluks and the Ottomans. It seems like one big bazaar, with all its traders and hawkers. In the southwest corner, the domed main post office has a pretty courtyard and an attached Postal Museum on the 2nd floor, whose collection tells the history of Egypt's postal service.
-
Midan Tahrir
With half a dozen major arteries converging, Midan Tahrir is the fulcrum of modern-day Cairo, and as a result the site of some serious traffic and pedestrian jams. But the square is one of the few central spaces that isn't hemmed in by buildings and overpasses, making it an excellent spot to have a look around and orient yourself.
-
Monastery & Church of St George
St George (Mar Girgis) is one of the region's most popular Christian saints. A Palestinian conscript in the Roman army, he was executed in AD 303 for resisting Emperor Diocletian's decree forbidding the practice of Christianity. There has been a church dedicated to him in Coptic Cairo since the 10th century; this Greek Orthodox one dates from 1909. The interior has been gutted by fires, but the stained glass windows and blue-green tile ceiling remain bright and colourful.
-
Monastirli Palace
Set in a peaceful Nileside garden, Monastirli Palace was built in 1851 for an Ottoman pasha whose family hailed from Monastir, in northern Greece. The salamlik that he built for public functions is now an elegant venue for concerts, while the other part is now the Umm Kolthum Museum (%2363 1467; Sharia al-Malek as-Salih, Rhoda; admission around £E2 ; h - ).
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Advertisement
-
Mosque of Amir Qurqumas
The 1507 Mosque of Amir Qurqumas is beautiful, thanks to restoration work, but not always open.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Mosque of Gamal ad-Din
The 1408 Mosque of Gamal ad-Din is a monument that has received the somewhat overzealous restoration attention. It's raised above a row of shops, the rent from which was intended for the mosque's upkeep.
