Al-Hussein neighborhood

Al-Hussein neighborhood, located in Cairo, specifically in the Al-Gamaleya district, is known to feature a variety of religious, recreational and historical tourism, it is also one of the oldest neighborhoods in Cairo, distinguished by its antiquity.

Information about Al-Hussein neighborhood

This neighborhood was established in conjunction with the establishment of Al-Hussein Mosque, it includes many historical monuments that visitors from inside and outside Egypt come to see. Al-Hussein neighborhood features authenticity that visitors enjoy, especially in the holy month of Ramadan, during which the number of visitors increases significantly.

There are many various shops and markets in this neighborhood, where you can find all the goods that you may want to buy, and certainly antiques and souvenirs of the Egyptian, Pharaonic, Islamic and historical nature.

Tourist attractions

Al-Hussein Mosque

This historical mosque was built in the Fatimid period specifically in (549 AH, 1154 AD), the construction was supervised by the minister “Tala’a bin Razik”, nicknamed “the good king”. The mosque got its name because some people believed that the head of Imam Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib was buried therein, who was killed in Karbala by the Umayyads and they cut off his head. Opinions differed about the place of burial of the head, one of these opinions is that the Fatimids had brought the head from Palestinian Ashkelon to the city of Cairo, out of fear for it, and they built the mosque that still exists in the neighborhood, the mosque is famous for its inclusion of the world’s oldest complete copy of the Noble Qur’an.

The mosque includes 3 doors of white marble overlooking the Khan al-Khalili area, in addition to the most famous door called the Green Gate, the mosque was built of red stone. The minaret of the mosque was built by Sheikh Abu al-Qasim bin Yahya bin Nasser al-Sukari and completed by his son. It is a minaret full of decorations and has a square base bearing two marble panels on which the date of the minaret’s construction and who built it are inscribed, this minaret is located above the Green Gate.

The mosque was expanded during the reign of Khedive Ismail, who built the current mosque in 1873- 1893 AD, a room was built in which the Prophet’s artifacts were preserved, including a piece of the Prophet’s stick, hair from his beard, part of his shirt, and two Qur’ans of Othman bin Affan and the other of Ali bin Abi Talib.

Restoration and renovation works of the mosque were carried out, at a cost of 150 million Egyptian pounds, in March 2022 AD, it was closed during the restoration work until President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated it in April 2022 AD, and he was accompanied by the Indian leader of the Dawoodi Bohra sect, Mufaddal Saifuddin. These restoration works took only 21 days, which is considered a record time, there were approximately 300 restorers working there, who restored the walls and repaired the damaged parts of them, changed and improved the efficiency of the electricity network, installed central air-conditioning, added thermal insulation to the walls of the mosque, expanded the place for women’s prayer, which used to accommodate only 85 women, to accommodate more than 400 women, and built a wall that includes 6 gates for people, and 4 gates for cars.

Khan Al-Khalili

This spot was chosen during the Fatimid era to be the tombs of the Fatimid caliphs and it was called Turbat al Zafr’an, but with the beginning of the Mamluk era, specifically during the rule of al-Zahir Saif al-Din Barquq, the Emir of Akhur “Jaharkes al-Khalili” excavated these tombs and disposed of their corpses and built a khan over this spot to be a resting place for merchants and other travelers. The act that everyone considered had nothing to do with humanity, so when he was killed in one of the battles assigned to him by Sultan Barquq in Damascus, the historian al-Maqrizi said about this event when his body was left to be devoured by animals and birds, that this was a divine punishment for him for what he had done with the corpses of Turbat al Zafr’an. When Qansouh al-Ghouri took over in 1511 AD, he demolished the khan and built the new headquarters that includes the agencies and gates of which 3 remain until now, and the place still bears the name Khan al-Khalili in relation to “Jaharkes al-Khalili”.

Khan El-Khalili is considered till this day as one of the most important heritage and historical tourist destinations. It is an antique market that includes many shops that provide all the goods that any visitor wants to buy in addition to heritage products and souvenirs that express the ancient Egyptian pharaonic civilization and the ancient Egyptian heritage. This market includes many restaurants, cafes, and bazaars that make the visit experience comprehensive, it is also distinguished by its style that reflects ancient Egypt through the narrow streets and alleys that are decorated with historical wooden mashrabiyas.

Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi Street

Al-Moez Street was called by several other names, including “The Greatest Street”, but it was finally named Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi, in honor of him as the Fatimid caliph who established Cairo. This historical, archaeological street is considered an open museum that includes many ancient monuments such as agencies, gates, old mosques, and schools, some of the most prominent landmarks included in this open heritage museum is Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah Mosque, the most famous landmarks of Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi, Mosque of Sultan Barquq, Qansuh Al Ghouri complex, which consists of (madrasa, a khanqah, a sabil, a mausoleum, a kuttab, and a dome), Beshtak Al-Nasiri palace, which was built by Prince Saif al-Din Bashtak during the Mamluk era, Bab Zuweila, one of the most important landmarks, and Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun Mosque, in addition, there are cafes and restaurants therein to provide an integrated experience for visitors.

Bayt Al-Suhaymi

This house was built by Sheikh Abdul Wahhab al-Tablawi in 1648 AD, and the second part of which was built by Haj Ismail Galabi in 1796 AD, the two parts were combined together later to become one house. It is named after Sheikh Muhammad Amin al-Suhaymi, the Shaykh of the Turkish riwaq during the Ottoman era and one of the scholars of Al-Azhar, as he was the last to live in this house.

The design of the house features a garden decorated with wooden mashrabiyas, it also includes many ancient holdings such as a grain mill, which they used to operate by means of an ox, and pottery and stone utensils. The area of this house is about half an acre, it is now considered one of the most important museums of Islamic architecture and its arts. The house is also distinguished by its design, which includes a floor called “Salamlek”, for men, and another floor called “Al-Haramlek”, for women.