Today we went for a walk through the historic part of Cairo. We left the car at the base of the Citadel and walked to the Gayer-Anderson museum. This consists of two connected 16th century houses, which were renovated by a British major, John Gayer-Anderson, between 1935 and 1942. The houses are a real labyrinth, with all rooms filled with antiquities, oriental furniture and other artifacts, which were collected by the major during his travels through the orient.
Piet and Paula looking through a mashrabiya screen, Gayer-Anderson museum
These houses are next door to one of Cairo's largest and oldest mosques: Ibn Tulun. This mosque was build between 876 and 879 AD, and has a beautiful, massive courtyard. We walked around barefoot; there were hardly any people there as the mosque is only used on special occasions. We then climbed to the top of the minaret for some great views over Cairo.
The Ibn Tulun courtyard
We walked back through some narrow streets, where, except for the motorised traffic and mobile phones, live is pretty much the same as 100 years ago. Men smoking shisha (waterpipe) and drinking tea on the pavement, and fruit, bread and meat for sale everywhere. Today was Cairo at its best again, a beautiful, vibrant and chaotic city.
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