Prior to about 1087, Cairo was not really much of a fortified city with its sun dried brick walls, though this weakness had demonstrated itself on occasions. The city had outgrown these old walls, and along with the attempts by the Turkoman Atsiz to take Cairo, among other threats from the east, clearly there was [...]

During the Mamluk Period, the city of Cairo was the model for all Islamic cities, dazzling the world with its magnificence. The city stood out for its variety and number of buildings, designed for a multiplicity of purposes covering the full range of activities of the time, the majority of which still stand today, among [...]

It was my first day in Alexandria on this trip. I have visited Alexandria many times before. I usually go there every year to have fun at its many beaches, along with the beaches of the north coast west of Alexandria. This time the objective of the trip was different. I wanted to explore the [...]

While Beit El-Sennari was built in 1794 by Ibrahim Katkhuda El-Sennari, a Sudanese occultist, it is famous for another reason. In 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt bringing with him an army of scientists, scholars and artists to establish a French culture base in Egypt. Soon, they began their mission of making the first European study of [...]

The mosque of Amir Baha’ al-Din Aslam al-Silhdar was built by the amir in 1344-5 (745-756). Baha al-Din Aslam was a Mamluk who rose to the rank of silahdar (sword bearer), during the reign of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, who was a significant patron of the Mamluk era (120-1517) for his notable interest and efforts in [...]

 Today, it is not difficult for most westerners to believe that women are completely repressed in the Islamic world. Indeed, there are some Muslim cultures that seem to do so, but these should not be taken as completely typical, for there are a number of well known Muslim women with considerable power and influence. A [...]

The Bahri Mamluk Sultan Sha’ban ruled Egypt between 1376 and 1381 AD, and was a grandson al-Nasir Muhammad by his son, Husayn, His mother was Khawand (Lady) Baraka, a very wealthy and religious woman. His mother is better known to Mamluk history then his father, or perhaps Sultan Sha’ban himself. After the death of Husayn [...]

This lovely nineteenth century sabil was built by the granddaughter of Abbas I, who ruled Egypt from 1848 to 1854 A.D, and the mother of Abbas II. Sabil Umm Abbas or mother of Abbas is located in quite a remarkable spot off Saliba Street at the corner of the side alley ‘al-Siufiya’. Further along the [...]

 During the reign of Sultan Barsbay, a Circassian Mamluk, the Amir Taghri Bardi (Taghribardi al-Rumi) was a prominent fellow who led the army that invaded the Crusader kingdom of Cyprus. He is said to have been a somber character of violent language who was murdered by his own Mumluks (slaves) shortly after his elevation as [...]

The Ibn Tulun Mosque was completed in 879 AD on Mount Yashkur in a settlement named al-Qata’i by the founder of Egypt’s Tulunid Dynasty (868-905 AD), Ahmad ibn Tulun. Al-Qata’i was about two kilometers from the old community of Fustat. He was born in Baghdad, the son of a Turkish slave of Mongol origin owned [...]