I had been to the Khan el Khalili Bazaar (or Souk) on my first visit to Cairo. I have also been to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul on a couple of visits and to various smaller bazaars in Israel and Jordan. So I knew what to expect. It is very crowded and noisy. It can also be confusing for outsiders and therefore easy to get lost in the maze of shops and stalls. I figured that it would be best to stay relatively close to our leader.
This time, as this was an optional excursion and so had a smaller group, our leader was George. He was normally the Egyptologist/Program Director for group Amun C. I also liked George. He was both friendly and knowledgeable. He was also a tall man and so was easy to spot in a crowd, especially in his red Viking shirt and carrying his red Viking sign. Hanaa was a shorty like me. Even with her red shirt and sign, she could disappear in a crowd of “normal sized” people. There were a couple of times later on in the tour when, although I could clearly hear her on my earbuds, I completely lost track of her.
The Khan el Khalili Bazaar is located in the historic center of Cairo. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Cairo was founded in 969 AD. Originally it was a walled residence for the caliphs, which were the rulers, and their families. Two palaces were built. The site that later became Khan el Khalili was originally the southern end of the eastern Fatimid palace. It was under Saladin that Cairo became open to the general population. That was when the Citadel was built.
In the 14th century, the 10th century Fatimid mausoleum (Turbat az-Za’faraan) was demolished and the Khan el Khalili was constructed in its place. In addition to souvenirs, antiques, leather goods, jewelry, and clothing, there are several coffee houses and spice shops. Although there are still some goldsmiths too, the main focus nowadays is tourism (photos 001 to 004).
We came out of the souk intact (photo 007) onto Al-Muizz li Din Allah al-Fatimi Street (Al-Muizz Street for short). This was a major north-to-south street in the walled city of historic Cairo. It is one of the city’s oldest streets and dates back to the foundation of the city in the 10th century. It runs from the gate of Bab Zuweila in the south to the gate of Bab al-Futah in the north. We were heading north.
We stopped by the Mausoleum of al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub, dating to 1250 (photo 008). Next we took several photos of the Funerary complex of Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun (aka the Qalawun complex, photos 005, 006 & 009). This one dated to 1285 and was quite large. Next came the Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad (010), dating to 1304.
Then came a 10th century house (011) and then the Beshtak Palace, dated to 1339. This was only a portion of the palace and was quite plain looking. I was more interested in the 10th century house and the monument I saw ahead of us and quite frankly neglected to take a photo of the palace.
The monument that was ahead of us was called the Sabil-Kuttab of Katkhuda (012). This was built in 1744 and was a combination of a sabil, which provided free, fresh water for thirsty people passing by, and a kuttab, which was a rather primitive elementary school of sorts to teach children to read and write. Also for free. Photo 013 is the Mosque of Aqmar, which dated to 1125.
That was when we reached our dinner destination, the Zeeyara Moez Restaurant in Le Riad Hotel de Charme (014 to 017). The hotel building was originally built in 1968 and renovated in 2006 to reflect both traditional Fatimid and Ottoman architectural styles.
George said that there was only one small, slow lift (elevator) and that the restaurant was on the fourth floor. I figured I could handle four floors of steps. I should have looked up and counted the floors (018, which was taken when we were leaving). The restaurant was on the top floor and that was actually the sixth floor, with the entrance on ground, then one, two, three, etc. I did well until floor five. Then I needed to stop to catch my breath before tackling the remaining stairs. All ceilings were high, so each floor was essentially a floor and a half with two staircases per floor. I was liking George a little less at that point.
Despite all that, I was still one of the first people to reach the restaurant. So I zeroed in on the cushy seats along the back wall, especially the one in the corner (015). As a lefty, I tend to seek out any seat where my left arm won’t be limited in movement by sitting too closely to someone who is right-handed.
The food was all served family-style. I found a copy of the menu so I could keep track of the foods.
First several appetizers were set before us to sample. These included:
- Duck Pie – a pie stuffed with caramelized shredded duck and caramelized onion
- Sausage Pie – a pie topped with sausage, caramelized onions and bell-pepper
- Bulgur Camel Meat Balls – sautéed camel meat balls with garlic butter sauce (I do distinctly remember eating camel meat balls)
- Mombar – a beef casing stuffed with rice and fresh herbs
Next was soup. I don’t remember if we were given a choice, but I had lentil soup, which was served with cumin flavored garlic bread.
A large platter of small portions of various items was placed on the table for us to serve ourselves. This included:
- Auzy Zeeyara – lamb meat served with mixed nuts, rice, raisins, and cinnamon
- Pigeon – boneless stuffed with walnut rice
- Baldi Duck – Egyptian style duck caramelized with carrots and grits
- Lamb Chops & Vine Leaves – grilled lamb chops served with rice, fresh herbs, and yogurt
- Egyptian Fattah Bil Mouza – a traditional Egyptian Fattah (a base of crispy garlic bread with warm toppings, a cool garlic-yogurt sauce, and savory garnishes) with rice
- Roasted Lamb Shank – lamb shank with brown sauce and rosemary
I had eaten pigeon before in Wales. Although I had liked it, I was more interested in having something unique to Egypt and so went with some of the Auzy Zeeyara, Baldi Duck, and Egyptian Fattah Bil Mouza.
For dessert was Rozo, which was a special rice pudding with coconut milk, orange zest, and cinnamon, topped with caramelized walnuts and mastic ice cream. Mastic is an aromatic, resinous sap of the Pistacia lentiscus tree, harvested mostly on the Greek island of Chios. It features a piney, herbal flavor with subtle citrus and vanilla-like undertones. I had encountered mastic in a candy form when I was on the island of Chios during a previous trip to Greece and the Greek Islands.
After dinner, we walked back the same way we came to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar (photos 019 to 022). We sat down in an area just outside of the souk to wait for our transportation back to the hotel. Across the road from where we were sitting was the Al-Hussein Mosque (023 & 024). Like the Muhammad Ali Mosque, this one was also both a mosque and a mausoleum.
The tomb is of Husayn ibn Ali. The tomb was built in 1154 and was moved to this location after the mosque and mausoleum were constructed in 1874. This particular mosque is considered to be one of the holiest Islamic sites in Egypt. The casket containing the head of Husayn ibn Ali was relocated from Ashkelon, Palestine to Cairo during the Crusades. Back in 985, the site of this head had been located in Baghdad. It was then buried in the Shrine of Husayn’s Head in Palestine.
Once it was moved to Cairo, it ended up moving around quite a bit until this particular mosque was built. There is an interesting story about when Saladin came into power and wanted to find the head that was so treasured by the Fatamids. He was on a campaign to destroy everything Fatamid.
An especially nasty torture was to shave a person’s head and then put a cap of centipedes on their head so they could suck the person’s blood and make holes in their skull. One of the people who had brought the head to Cairo was tortured in this manner, but it had no effect on him. In fact, it was the centipedes who died. He was asked how he managed to survive this horrific torture and he said that he had carried the casket with Husayn ibn Ali’s head in it upon his own head. He had been protected by that action.
The mosque also contains a crypt housing artefacts believed to have belonged to the Prophet Muhammad. These include part of a linen cloak once worn by the prophet, a lantern with four strands of the prophet’s hair inside, a staff with which he entered Mecca, and a sword sent to him by one of his companions.
When we got back to the hotel, I readied myself for a 6am wakeup call. We had a long and exciting day ahead of us at the Grand Egyptian Museum and at the Giza Pyramids.
Next – The incredible Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
