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 | Cairo Mosques Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 171 |  |
 | |  |  | Mosques: Islamic/Fatimid Cairo | Tip Rating:      |  |  | |  |
Islamic Cairo, often referred to as Fatimid Cairo, is extremely fascinating, as this part of the city has changed little in perhaps 500 years. It was the centre of Cairo for 8 centuries, from its founding in 969 AD by the Fatimids through the Ayyubid and Mamluke periods, and until the 18th century when Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire. This area is thus the richest architecturally with about 800 listed historic buildings, including some of the most visited historic sites, such as Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, el-Azhar Mosque, the Citadel and many more. Interesting things and amazing architecture await you around every corner. A warning though, you have to be ready to walk through crowded dirty streets as this area is a poorer, and hence neglected, part of Cairo. Most distressing is seeing the magnificent old buildings falling apart, but there is finally now an increasing effort to restore the treasures of old Cairo. Here are a few pictures of old Cairo, including some of the recently restored monuments. Take a look at the Travelogue "Images from Old Cairo" for more pictures from this area. Directions: A quick taxi ride from Downtown Cairo and a good place to start is el-Azhar Mosque. You can ask the taxi to wait for you for a small charge while you explore the old town.
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