Cairo, officially al-Qahirah but popularly and normally referred to as Misr (pron. Masr), the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The city occupies a triangular plain with the narrowest point to the S on the East Bank of the River Nile where the Muqattam Hills make their closest approach to the river.

The site is over 5000 years old so little of the actual city remains, but the site still boasts several impressive artifacts and an array of statues that have been uncovered in the past century.

Originally it must have looked much like the Mosque of al-Hakim, though the roof was much lower. It has, however, been much altered, many rulers having wished to contribute in some way to its glorification with endowments if not.

One of the largest and most famous mosques in Cairo, Sultan Hassan is a beautiful example of Mamluk style mosque architecture.

The Mosque of Amr Ibn Al As is the first Mosque in Egypt. The glory of this Mosque come from being the announcement of the beginning of the Islamic Period in Egypt after the hard defeat of the Byzantine Rule in Egypt.

Islamic Cairo is the historic core of the city, older than Downtown and the sprawl of Giza that ends at the pyramids and full of history and beautiful architecture.

The first collection of Islamic antiquities was formed around 1880 and housed in the SE riwaq of the Mosque of al-Hakim. Later a small museum was built in the courtyard and called the Museum of Arab Art. In 1903 the present building was erected to house the collection and that of the Khedival Library.

The complex is built at the heart of Islamic Cairo at a place known as Bayn Al-Qasreen, or ‘Between the Two Palaces, named for the two Fatimid Palaces that originally stood here.

The complex of Bab Zuweila next to the mosque was recently restored. Inside you can find explanation of the gate’s construction and renovation through the centuries.

Al Aqmar Mosque is an open enclosure mosque, but is much smaller than that of al-Hakim and rectangular in plan. It has several important architectural features. This site was a little to the North of the Fatimid Western Palace and originally occupied by the Coptic Deir al-Haykal (Monastery of the Skeleton).