This evening a few of my friends and I went into Islamic Cairo to visit al-Azhar, grab dinner, and explore Khan al-Khalili. The last time we had attempted to visit al-Azhar after our visit to the Egyptian Museum, it had been prayer time and we never made it inside. Today, however, there was no problem. It was actually one of the few trips that I can say everything went smoothly and we didn't get ripped off by taxi drivers.
Al-Azhar was founded in 970 AD by the Fatimid rulers of North Africa. At that time, it was the main mosque and center of learning for the city. Today, the university is the most revered center of learning in the Sunni Islamic world, and it provides free board and education for Muslim students from all over the world. Al-Azhar is certainly gorgeous. There are marble floors and columns and intricate carvings are etched into the stone walls. Inlaid wood decorates the doors and delicately painted and crafted lamps hang from the ceiling. There is an open courtyard in the center and off of it are roofed rooms for prayer. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me, but the mosque was definitely a site to be seen.
After visiting the mosque, we ventured out to find al-Azhar Park, which we'd heard is beautiful and contains some nice restaurants. We had a general idea of directions, but soon felt that we had taken a wrong turn. We made our way back to the main road and tried to ask some Egyptians where the Park was. The people we asked couldn't understand us, but luckily an Egyptian man walking by was willing to help us. He himself had the most beautifl blue eyes and was carrying the cutest little boy on his shoulders dressed in camo overalls. His little toddler daughter walked by his side and his wife, dressed in a full burqa, walked a bit behind carrying groceries. Although they didn't fully speak English, they understood where we wanted to go, and led us in that direction. Finally nice, genuine people!! They didn't even ask for tips! We were so grateful to them!
The park was gorgeous, and from it you could see most of Cairo. There were lush greenery and beautful fountains. It was like a little oasis in the middle of busy Cairo. Families sat on the grass enjoying the day, and couples strolled about. We had a delicious dinner at a restaurant that had a view of the Citadel. It was wonderful.
After dinner, we grabbed a taxi to go to Khan al-Khalili, one of the biggest bazaars in the Middle East. We only had a short while to explore, but we all made some great purchases and will definitely be back. We then took another cab a bit of a distance to the area where AUC's bus picks up. Unlike other times when we've ridden in metered taxis, this one actually charged us correctly. Most meters have two speeds - one for foreigners, and one for non-foreigners. The foreigners option increases the price more quickly and is really unfair. This time, however, we were treated like Egyptians! Yessss, success.
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