day tripper

a couple of fridays ago, naveed, nadiya and i took a little day trip with a history professor...i forget his name but he's friend's with the administrator of our school. this professor has access to places ordinary people don't so we got to see some places that we normally would not be able to.

we started our day at the northern wall and gates that were built in 1087 during the fatimid dynasty. they were a shia dynasty that ruled egypt between 969-1171 AD. they built a city inside the walls and called it 'qahira'. we get the current name 'cairo' from 'qahira'. there are 2 main entrances to the city...bab an-nasr (gate of victory) and bab al-futuh (gate of conquests). when salah al-din gained control of egypt from the fatimids in 1171, he extended the walls to protect the city from further shia attacks.



this is inside the mosque of al-hakim bin amr Allah built between 990-1012 AD. al-hakim was an evil caliph during the fatimid caliphate. he made all sorts of irrational laws like he had all the dogs in qahira killed. he made sleeping during the night and working during the day punishable by death. he poured all the honey (a delicacy back then) into the nile. he banned the making of women's shoes and the list goes on. one night, he went around the city on his donkey and mysteriously disappeared. only his bloodied shirt was found. his disappearance was mythologized by extreme shia followers who said he was divine and had ascended to a higher spiritual realm. these people became known as the druze and still exist till this day.



inside the courtyard of a traditional muslim house that was built in 1645 AD. this house was huge...the upstairs was for the women and the downstairs was for the men. there was a courtyard, a prayer hall, steam room, delivery room, etc. in addition, there was a garden, a well, a place to grind flour and other grains, etc. we didn't see everything 'cause it was friday and we had to go to juma'a.


that's me looking out the windows in the haremlik (the place for the women in the house). the windows were made so that the women on the inside could look out but nobody from the outside could look in.

the 'burda' is written all around the salaamlik (reception room on the first floor) on cedar wood that was imported from lebanon.


the pencil like minaret of the suleyman agha masjid built in 1839 during the dynasty of muhammad ali pasha. we climbed this minaret. it was very narrow compared to the other minarets i have climbed. we prayed juma'a here as well. not only was this a masjid but it also comprised of a madrasa and sabil.


a sabil from the 13th or 14th century. sabils were used to provide people with free drinking water. underneath this building was a gigantic tank for storing water enough to quench the thirst of everyone for a whole year. the water would be scented with a sweet smell and served in beautiful cups. all the sabils were decorated with verses from the quran. in addition, above every sabil was a school for teaching orphans and kids to read quran so people on the streets could hear their recitation when they stopped by the sabil to drink water. so just imagine being thirsty during the 13th or 14th century...you see a beautiful sabil with quranic inscriptions, drink sweetly scented water in pretty cups while hearing the recitation of the quran. not only would it quench your thirst but it would satisfy your senses and your soul with the rememberance of God. there were many sabils on the same street but many were unfortunately dilapidated. they aren't used now.


a present day sabil. it doesn't exactly have the same effect on your senses and soul as the original sabils did.

will add more pic later, insha'Allah.