Transport yourself in time and space to a completely different dimension and lose yourself in the narrow winding streets of Islamic Cairo. Sure, the entire city is majority Muslim, however, the label "Islamic Cairo" is mainly applied to the historic part of Cairo that existed long before the monumental expansion of the city during the 19th century.

Islamic Cairo will welcome you with dozens of mosques and minarets, lively markets, a real mess, but at the same time quiet corners and a mysterious atmosphere of an exotic world.

A quarter of bazaars and mosques

The history of Islamic Cairo has been written since ancient times. The oldest monuments still extant today date back to roughly the 9th to 10th centuries. And in places, the Islamic Quarter really does feel like a trip back in time.

You can enjoy beautiful mosques and other monuments. Highlights include:

Al-Azhar Mosque
Saladin's Citadel
Hussein Mosque
The Blue Mosque

Islamic Cairo

Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo

Hussein Mosque

Virtually the entire main backbone street stretching from north to south is one huge souq, which is just another term for a bazaar or simply a marketplace. While northward from the Al-Azhar Mosque, Islamic Cairo is more touristy with many clothing and souvenir shops, southward from the main mosque the Islamic quarter is much more authentic.

The main souq begins with a monumental wooden gate (called the Ghuriya) about 100 metres south of the Al-Azhar Mosque and continues about 2 km south towards Saladin's Citadel.

In this area you will take in a mixture of thousands of smells, smells and unfamiliar smells and listen to hundreds of different sounds from the constant honking of mopeds to the beeping of live chickens. You'll wade through throngs of local shoppers, occasionally trip over stray cats or dogs, and see shops selling free-hanging raw meat, live chickens or pigeons, the ubiquitous bakeries or fishmongers.

Walk across Islamic Cairo on foot and soak up the sensations of an exotic past and a vibrant present.

Islamic Cairo

The alleys of Islamic Cairo

Islamic Cairo

Accommodation in the Islamic Quarter

If you'd like to experience a truly authentic atmosphere with all the trimmings and want to stay in Islamic Cairo, you'll unfortunately have to indulge your taste. You'll find virtually no hotels in the entire district, and private accommodation isn't very common either.

One of the very few accommodations is the stylish Le Riad Hotel de Charme *** on the northern edge of the district.

How to get to Islamic Cairo

The district lies to the east of the centre, and the easiest way to get there is on foot (about 35-40 minutes from Tahrir Square) or by Uber (to 40 egp). Buses run along the main street past Al-Azhar Mosque, but the system and routing are so opaque for tourists that they are virtually unusable.

The ideal place to start your walk is at the historic Bab al-Futuh gate in the north (g oogle.com/maps) and walk through the entire district to Saladin's Citadel in the south (g oogle.com/maps).