The Essential Map for Exploring Islamic Cairo

The duo behind Blue Cairo share their essential map for exploring Islamic Cairo

Just south of where the Nile river branches into three streams, is a vast land that is the heart of Egypt. Five thousand years ago, the ancients founded the prosperous city of Memphis here, along the river. And by the Pharaonic Canal, the Byzantines built their Babylon fortress. Not far from there, Amr ibn al-Aas established the city of al-Fustat. And to the northeast, Ahmed ibnTulun outshined it with his Sectioned City, al-Qata’i. But this is also where the Fatimids founded our beloved Cairo, the city named in honor of a rising star in the sky, al-Najm al-Qahir, Mars. 

Cairo would then be nurtured by the slave-king Mamluks to become the City of a Thousand Minarets. Doctors, astronomers, mathematicians, historians, and scholars of the religious sciences all flocked from the farthest lands to the city, hoping to access its metropolitan institutions. It was the heart of the Islamic world, and where the most enlightened people congregated. As Ibn Khaldun would describe it, “[in Cairo] khanqaahs, madrasas, and youth bloomed in every horizon; and the people of knowledge illuminated it like Moons and Planets.”

Centuries later, the Mamluks’ patronage of pious foundations still has an impact on the urban culture of Cairo. If you visit the Old City today, you will find a mosque around every corner, a sabil (fountain) at every turn, and a madrasa on every street. And after you walk through the city and reach its borders, you will find yourself amid the Mamluk domes in the City of the Dead.

Map of Cairo’s Historic Islamic Sites

To help navigate through this endless sea of monuments, we have translated a map that has 537 of the city’s historical sites. It is a guide to simplify your exploration of the city and one that will reveal to you Cairo’s hidden treasures. We recommend that you use this map along with Caroline William’s book entitled “Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide”. The book will help you set the routes for your walks and the map will guide you in finding each monument along the way.

And so, with these resources you can experience the city by yourself and at your own pace, without ever getting lost in the maze of Cairo’s streets and alleyways.

For more on Cairo, read A Walk through Cairo’s ‘Greatest Street’ and Cairo: City of a Thousand Minarets