Cairo
Price $8
Min age 0
Rating 4.59 / 5 [207 ratings]
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Travel bucket list idea:
Cairo, Cairo Governate, Egypt
Credit Shutterstock.com/Kazzazm
The mile-long road between the city’s two medieval gates cuts through medieval Cairo along a street still referred to as ‘Between the Palaces’.
The palaces have gone, but a walk along this thousand-year-old street takes in grand mansions, royal tombs, lively souks, spice traders, perfume distillers, a hospital that dates to the time of the Crusades, and some of the world’s finest Islamic monuments. It’s real Cairo – away from the tourist masses.
Of all the monuments along the walk, none are as magnificent as the three massive tomb-mosques belonging to the 13th-century rulers Qalawun, Al-Nasir and Barquq.
The mosque beside the Bab al Futuh was built by the 11th-century ruler Al Hakim. Hakim was an Imam of the Ismaili sect, who still revere him today.
Opposite these tomb complexes is, the Egyptian Textile Museum, tracing the development of textiles from antiquity to the Ottoman era. Look out for pharaonic linen nappies.
Islamic Cairo is easily accessible and is best visited independently. Taxis and buses head from downtown to Al Azhar, at the centre of the walk, while the metro can get you close, at Ataba.
The complete gate-to-gate walk is demanding, but there is the option of just walking part of the route. If you start in the middle, the walk to Bab Zuweila takes in less spectacular monuments, but more of the Egyptian souk.
The road towards Bab al Futuh passes the tourist souk, some magnificent mosques and a restored Ottoman mansion.
Souks and shops usually start to open mid-morning and will still be doing business mid-evening. Souks and shops are closed on Mondays.
Avoid Friday midday and early afternoon, when the mosques are busy. It’s also roasting hot in July and August – too hot for walking.
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