In depth
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Area guide
Islamic Cairo, the medieval city
Al-Azhar, Al-Muizz Street, Khan el-Khalili, Bab Zuweila, Sultan Hassan, Ibn Tulun and the Citadel: Historic Cairo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Area guide · Cairo
Islamic Cairo: the mosques, gates and bazaar we love
Al-Azhar, Al-Muizz Street, Khan el-Khalili, Bab Zuweila, Sultan Hassan, Ibn Tulun and the Citadel.
What's onThis week in Cairo
What to see and do
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Founded in the 10th century
Al-Azhar Mosque
The Fatimid mosque of the 10th century, at the heart of Historic Cairo.
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Begun in the 12th century
The Citadel of Salah El-Din
The hilltop fortress begun by Salah al-Din, crowned by the 19th-century Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
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Below the Citadel
Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifa’i mosques
The great 14th-century mosque-madrasa of Sultan Hassan and its neighbour, Al-Rifa’i, below the Citadel.
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Completed in the 9th century
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun
One of the oldest mosques in Cairo, with a vast courtyard and a spiral minaret.
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Fatimid gate
Bab Zuweila
The 11th-century southern gate of Fatimid Cairo, with two minarets on its towers.
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The old souk
Khan el-Khalili
The great bazaar of medieval Cairo: brass, lanterns, spices and silver in a maze of lanes.
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Islamic art
Museum of Islamic Art
One of the world’s great collections of Islamic art, from carved wood to glass lamps and ceramics.
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Beside Ibn Tulun
Gayer-Anderson Museum
Two Ottoman-era houses against the walls of Ibn Tulun, filled by an English collector.
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A garden on the old city
Al-Azhar Park
A park on a former rubbish mound above the old city, with views of the Citadel and the minarets.
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On foot
Al-Muizz Street, from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila
The spine of Fatimid Cairo, from gate to gate.
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On foot
The Citadel to Ibn Tulun
From the hilltop fortress down to Sultan Hassan and on to the oldest mosque.
Where to eat
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In the bazaar
El Fishawy
The mirrored coffee house in the alleys of Khan el-Khalili, for mint tea and Turkish coffee.
Shopping
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Al-Khayamiya
The Street of the Tentmakers
The covered street south of Bab Zuweila where appliqué textiles are still stitched by hand.
Share your Islamic Cairo tips
Been to Islamic Cairo? Tell other visitors what you found there.
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