Khan Al-Khalili, Al Fashawi's, and Al Azhar Park

Yesterday around the time for Iftar (breaking of fast at sundown for Ramadan), Zeke and I headed to Khan Al Khalili, the largest and most well known bazaar in Cairo. We got off the metro and began making our way through the tiny streets towards Al-Azhar just as everyone was starting to eat. These streets that are usually packed and are very difficult to maneuver through were mostly empty with all the shopkeepers huddled in circles on carpets set on the ground, eating from bowls.

After twenty minutes or so we made our way to the Al Azhar mosque which was built in the 900s by the Fatimids- originally a Shia mosque then converted to be Sunni and one of the oldest and largest universities in the world with over 90 000 students.

View from the outside...


... and the inside...


We met up with Anita and after exploring the souq (bazaar) for a while, looking for rings and backgammon boards, we made our way into a packed alleyway and sat down at Al Fishawi's. Al Fishawi's is the oldest and the most well-known cafe in Cairo. It has now been serving for over 600 years! The atmosphere is unbelievable with Egyptians and tourists alike packed into this tiny place. Dust covered chandeliers hang from the ceilings and the walls are lined in old mirrors and random antiques and it's hot from the smoky shishas and all the people. The alleyway outside is constantly packed.

The Alleyway...

A shot of the inside...

The tea...

The pomegranate juice with banana on top and seeds on the bottom (unbelievably good)...


The shisha...


We stayed for a few hours and then got up to head to Al Azhar Park (which sits on a hill behind the mosque and university) to watch a concert. There were now four of us and it took about 30 minutes to find the park entrance and get inside. The park itself is beautiful and amazingly well kept. We got to the area where the concert was held and stayed for a bit, although the music was really pretty awful. They were a Muslim-American rap group called Native Din. Their rap was pretty embarrassing. At least the view was good...

We left 45 minutes later to head to the peak of the park to enjoy the spectacular view. We were joined there by Demetri.


We headed back down to Khan Al Khalili then and again to Al Fishawi's until 3 in the morning, finally getting back to the dorm at 4 in the morning.