A (Successful) Weekend in Cairo

From 23rd to 25th April we hosted guests for our trip A Weekend in Cairo. It appears to have been a great success.

Day 1
We kicked off the beginning of our trip to Cairo with an architectural tour of Downtown. Illuminated by Cairo’s neon streetlights, dazzling shopfronts, and the knowledge of our guide and historian Ahmed el-Bendary, we explored the construction of Downtown in the 19th and 20th centuries and today’s continued efforts to maintain the district as a thriving residential and commercial area. Thank you to Ahmed for a wonderful tour.

Day 2

Daytime: We began our day at the fabulous Museum of Islamic Art where we were led around by the wonderfully charismatic Dr. Duaa as she recounted the story of the museum’s collections and the legends that surround some of the objects. Many thanks to the MIA and Dr. Duaa for their wonderful hospitality.
Afterwards we headed to Bayt Yakan in the historic al-Darb al-Ahmar, a 17th century house renovated and transformed into a community centre by Alaa el-Habashi and Ola Said. We heard about the history of the building, their approach to the restoration, and their hopes for the future. The children’s club taking place at the same time as our tour was a wonderful reminder of their efforts to integrate their work and the house into the local community. Many thanks to Ola, Alaa, and all the team for their warm welcome (and of course Ziad for the fantastic coffee!).

Night: After a long day out and about we headed to the new Grand Egyptian Museum for a mesmerising private after-hours tour. The size, design, and contents of the museum were truly unforgettable and we were very unfortunate to experience it all to ourselves. Many thanks to Mariam, our wonderful, animated guide, and all the team at the GEM for a wonderful evening.

Day 3

In what felt like almost a lifetime’s worth of walking, visiting, and wonder(ing) we wrapped up the third and final day of the trip with an explore of historic Cairo.

We began with a tour of the dome of Imam al-Shafi’i in the southern cemetery led by Dr. May al-Ibrashi of Athar Lina and Megawra BEC to learn about the conversation work on the shrine and see a new exhibition about the lives of those who live in Cairo’s cemeteries. Both aspects were a poignant reminder of a rapidly changing environment. Afterwards, May took us to al-Khalifa where she told us about their urban redevelopment projects and how they involve and are led by the local community including summer camps for children and local farms. We were also honoured to visit their workshop where the women of the area were busy at work producing beautiful embroideries and wood artisan products.

After a lunch stop at Naguib Mahfouz Café we moved to al-Muizz Street for a tour of historic Cairo’s beating heart. Mohamed Adel led the visit through Mamluk madrasas, hospitals, hammams, and mosques.

At Bab al-Futuh, the historic exit gate of the walled city, the bus was waiting for a quick getaway to the airport and return home, dazed, tired, happy, and hungry to taste more of Cairo’s beauty, bustle, and most of all, generosity.

Wow.

Keep an eye out for future announcements about our trips.