A Different Drummer

One of my favourite places in Cairo is the Mosque and Madrassa of Qalawun, one of the biggest and oldest buildings in the Old City of Cairo. Its huge - huge on a scale of the huge things we are used to seeing today, so it must have been fucking gigantic when it was built 750 years ago. (look for the little ant-sized people walking on the street in the old timey photo to the left...)

Its an incredible building by any standards, but one of its special charms is that it is currently "closed for renovation", meaning that while the workmen are repairing it, the main entrance appears closed, guarded by a couple of policemen. However, what any good Cairene knows is that this actually means something much better - that for a little contribution to the guards' back pocket, you can enjoy a private tour of the place, at any time of the day or night, completely free of hassles, tourists, or other people at all.

It is one of the regulars on my standard Old City walk, and anyone who has visited me in Cairo has been to this place - most memorable for the incredible carved gold ceiling, that looks like a million dollars, and is probably worth far more.

This Friday night I went there with Luly, The Dode, Nisrin and Amr, and we got to experience the beauty of the place with both barrels. It was about midnight when the guards opened the doors up for us, and because of the repairs going on in another part of the building, there was no electricity at all, meaning no lighting. I will never forget pushing open the gigantic wood/iron doors, they weighed a ton and took all my effort to get them open. We went inside and for that moment, I was Indiana Jones. Feeling through the pitch blackness, navigating along stone hallways, searching for the sliver of moonlight that would guide us to the main courtyard....ahhh, I live for these moments.

We got into the cental, open courtyard, a giant marble floored square, opening outwards into the sky with high stone walls. It was a full moon, and courtyard, with the moonlight glowing against the marble and sandstone, was one of the most beautiful sights of my life. It was perfectly silent and we were all just in awe of the experience, and although I was trying to express it in words, I just couldnt explain how beautiful the whole thing was. Not as if I needed to though, because we were all just sharing this amazing place and soaking it in with all of our senses.

Just one more reason for you all to come to Cairo sometime - how many other places have stunning ancient masterpieces where you can bribe a dude for ten bucks and basically get given the keys to the place? At midnight? I'm all about it....