May 22, 2010 - 10:15pm
Today was Islamic Cairo day, and it was exhausting but thrilling. Our first stop was the mosque of Ibn Tulun, which was incredible, but distressing: for class, we had to read an article regarding the renovations of historic sites like this mosque. The article condemns the practice of modern renovation, saying that it is being done shabbily here with little regard for historical accuracy and structural integrity (a copy of the article can be found here). It was easy to see where renovations had taken place, and the mosque (like others we saw that day) seemed too "new" to be accurate. Still, the majesty of the mosque remained, and I was excited to be there. Our guide, Dr. Tarek Swelim, gave us an exhaustive run-down of all the mosques that day, and pointed out many architectural elements that definitely made me appreciate the details more. In the mosque of Ibn Tulun, he pointed out that the windows were aligned with the columns just so - not in the center of two columns, but slightly off, as to make the visitor want to move around the mosque to visually center the windows. The mosque was designed for the experience of moving around it, which was very intriguing to me.
I loved visiting the mosques, they're just incredible. Because Islam forbids religious imagery, there are beautiful geometric designs and examples of calligraphy in the mosques. Plus, they're generally wide open, shaded, airy places that are very relaxing to visit. Taking off your shoes to enter the mosque (and sometimes donning a headscarf) is kind of special in its own way, too. We were able to climb the minaret at Ibn Tulun, which afforded us an amazing view of the city. It was so high, but I pushed myself to climb it, and boy was it worth it!
Next we visited the mosque of Sultan Hassan, which was one that Obama had visited on his recent trip to Cairo. For his visit, the mosque (and the rest of Cairo) had been scrubbed clean, and carpets were made for the bare marble floors. We were able to see a performance by that mosque's mohandisen (the man who sings the call to prayer), which was remarkable. He didn't use a microphone, but his voice resonated beautifully through the mosque. It was quite the experience, and gave me chills!
Afterwards, we relocated to the Khan el-Khalili area. We began at al-Azhar University, then walked through the Khan (Fishawy's), then on Sharia al-Muizz (Muizz Street - named for the Fatimid leader Mu'izz li-Din Allah). We visited Qalawun's mausoleum (the mausoleum of Mamluk Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun, which had just been recently renovated and re-opened). We ended at Bayt Suhaymi (the house of Suhaymi, a wealthy coffee merchant's house from the time before Napoleon). We left the ancient city of al-Qahira (Cairo) via Bab al-Futuh (one of the Fatimid gates to the old city, built in 1087!). We had to do a snap writing assignment after our visit, which asked us to explain the Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ottoman rule in Egypt, and identify the artifacts from each time period that still stand in Cairo. We're definitely not on vacation here!
We were all so exhausted by the time we got back that we grabbed a quick lunch and then napped. At 6:30, most of us met up again and took the vans to al-Ashar Park. As we watched the sun set over Cairo from on top of a hill in that beautiful park, I could not believe that I was really there. When the call to prayer rang out at all the mosques in unison, I was speechless. What an incredible city. Before we left the park, we got some delicious ice cream (fresh strawberry - yum!) and looked out at the city lights. It was a perfect way to end the day, and it was great to see the city from a different angle.
1 comments:
I bet those mosques were incredible to behold. And the sunset must have been amazing.
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