A Walk Down Darb al-Ahmar

What's better, the pyramids or the Islamic architecture from the 900s to the 1500s? That is a very hard question, but I'm starting to think it might be the Islamic architecture, especially from the Bahri Mamluk dynasty. Today I took a walk down Darb al-Ahmar in the heart of Islamic Cairo, which I've highlighted in green on the map below. The red dots mark all of the mosques and madrasas (Islamic schools) that I've been in so far.

The street leads from the Citadel, which is a fortress built on the Muqattam hills. Right below the Citadel is the Mosque of Sultan Hasan (1356), which is the largest mosque in Cairo. It was built to house 400 students, but the project became so expensive that when Sultan Hasan died, the work stopped. You can see exactly where the craftsmen stopped working because the stone carvings aren't completed.

This mosque one of the "must-see" structures in Cairo. When President Obama came to address the Islamic world earlier this year, he stopped by this mosque...which explains why all of the rugs in the mosque are plush and new.

The Darb al-Ahmar isn't a street that tourists go on, so you get to actually see what real Egyptian life is like. You get the wonderful, sweet smell of freshly baked bread. You get the overwhelming smell of dust and car fumes in the lungs. You see chickens 3 seconds away from getting their heads chopped off. You have kids wave at you and little boys come up to you to hold your hand. You have the locals sitting outside their stores drinking their tea, wondering who's in their turf. And you have some of the most wonderful architecture in the city.

Toward the end of the walk is Bab Zuwayla (1091), which is part of the original city walls of Cairo. Of course the gate is cool because it's so old, but it was even cooler because I got to climb one of the twin minarets! Below is a picture of me doing the call to prayer (no, I'm not about to sneeze) from the top of the minaret. Those things are really high and the staircases are extremely small. It was definitely well worth it.

I've included a link to some of the other pictures I've taken from Islamic Cairo. See those pictures here.

Man, a lot has happened, so I'm going to use bullet points so this post doesn't get too long:

• Went to see 2012 yesterday evening. Movie review--too many "close call" situations that just get annoying after awhile.
• Went to Chili's. It was soooooooooo good. I miss barbecue sauce so much.
• There is a huge soccer game tomorrow against Algeria. I've been warned by many people, including the U.S. Embassy in Cairo that we should stay away from the stadium area. It most likely will be very violent. Which is very unfortunate since soccer IS A GAME!

That's all! Have a good weekend! Happy Friday!