Beit El Suhaymi

Cairo


With its fully restored paving stones and elaborate mashrabiyya (wooden lattice screens), Darb Al Asfar alley conjures up the Middle Ages – if the Middle Ages were clean. The first few buildings you pass are part of Beit El Suhaymi, a family mansion and caravanserai built in the 17th and 18th centuries. After jogging through a narrow hall, you arrive at a peaceful courtyard surrounded by grand reception halls, bedrooms, storerooms and baths.

The house has been thoroughly restored, though barely furnished (the fire extinguishers, a precaution required by the extensive new woodwork, are the most prominent item on display). As a result it can feel a bit ghostly. The changes on Darb Al Asfar have been heavily debated, as they displaced at least 30 families in the name of restoration, but it has brought some peace to this crowded area for the residents who were allowed to stay.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo attractions

1. Mosque-Sabil of Suleiman Silahdar

0.04 MILES

This 19th-century complex, built by Mohammed Ali's chief of armoury, combines a baroque-styled kuttab (Quranic school) and sabil (public fountain) at…

2. Mosque of Al Aqmar

0.05 MILES

This petite mosque, the oldest in Egypt with a stone facade, was built in 1125 by one of the last Fatimid caliphs. Several features appear here that…

4. Wikala Al Bazara

0.09 MILES

This is one of about 20 remaining wikala (merchants’ inn) in the medieval city, down from about 360 in the 17th century, when this one was built. All were…

5. Mosque of Gamal Ad Din

0.1 MILES

Built in 1408, the facade of the Mosque of Gamal Ad Din has a row of shops below, the rent from which contributed to the mosque’s upkeep.

6. Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda

0.11 MILES

The Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda is one of the iconic structures of Islamic Cairo, depicted in scores of paintings and lithographs. Building this…

7. Qasr Beshtak

0.11 MILES

At the Sabil-Kuttab of Kathkuda, take the little alleyway that leads to Qasr Beshtak (Palace of Amir Beshtak), a rare example of 14th-century domestic…

8. Hammam Inal

0.12 MILES

One of the few well restored examples of Cairo's once vibrant hammam (bathhouse) culture, the Hammam Inal dates from 1456. The marble-clad central room is…