Just when you think that you have seen absolutely everything there is to be seen in Cairo, that you have exhausted every square and alleyway and that the guidebooks have nothing more to reveal, you stumble upon yet another gem. This is truly the magic of Cairo. In this ancient city of almost twenty million people, teaming with life every hour of the day and night, there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to discover all its treasures. If the British writer, Samuel Johnson, could write that the man who is tired of London is tired of life, what would he have said if he'd been to Cairo? Well, some months back the restoration work was done and yet another monument was once more made available to the public. In a city not short of grand and beautiful mosques, the mosque of Mohamed Bey Abu el-Dahab is nothing short of delightful. If you visit, it will be sure to take your breath away. Unfortunately, since the mosque's re-opening after years of closure, we seem to have stepped back again and the visitor's experience is not what it first was. Previously, the price of the entrance ticket admited you not only to a mosque, but also to a Khan and a Tekiya – more of that anon! Now the complex has been split in two, with a doorway inexplicably blocked up to prevent the kind of wandering about that was at first possible. However, by taking a few steps around the block to find the rear entrance, the resulting complex is one of the most splendid you will find anywhere. It not only speaks of the genius of both Mamluke and Ottoman builders, but it also shouts aloud the greatness of Islam. If you haven't been there yet, it would be wise to visit as soon as you can – who knows what other doorway will be blocked up next! The first gateway you will enter through is very tall, because here is the entrance to the Khan or Wikala, a mediaeval motel. Fully laden camels needed to pass through the gateway so that their owners could offload their produce into the storage galleries below. Once done, they would then refresh themselves and spend the night in the lodgings above. This is not the most excellent example of such a building in Cairo, but it is all the more remarkable because it forms part of a larger complex. The Khan itself dates back to the fourteenth century. Although this Khan is now being used as a second-hand book market, standing in the courtyard you notice that the left-hand section of the Khan no longer exists. This is because in the eighteenth century, its new owner tore down that wall in order to build a mosque. The mosque is now known to us as the mosque of Abu el-Dahab. To enter it, you now have to leave the Khan and travel around to an alleyway at the back of the building, where a ticket will admit you to the rest of the complex. Mohamed Abu el-Dahab ("the father of gold") took his name from an incident which so pleased the citizens of Cairo that they bestowed it upon him. He had been the head of the army that went to Syria and he was granted the title "Bey" by his master the ruler of Egypt. The ceremony took place in the Citadel and when it was finished the newly ennobled Bey was so pleased with his new title that he distributed large quantities of gold to the common people. Despite the title, he managed to murder his master and ascend to the highest position in Egypt himself, becoming the Governor in 1773. His mosque is the fourth mosque in Egypt to be built in the Ottoman style. It is in the shape of a rectangle, 33 metres by 24 metres, topped by a large semi-circular dome. The dome, in fact, quite dominates the area on the other side of the road from Hussein Square. The adjoining minaret, square in style and consisting of three separate stores, stands out clearly on the skyline in this part of the city. Originally intended as a madrassa, or school, for some of the students from the neighbouring Al-Azhar Mosque, the mosque of Abu el-Dahab soon took on a life of its own. Surrounded by an arcaded and covered walkway, the mosque is very beautiful. Setting your foot through its door is taking a step back in time. The interior of the dome is decorated with tiles from Turkey, and at its base are verses from the holy Qur'an. It is the simplicity of the prayer hall which is most striking. There is enough light from the large windows to make the interior bright, yet there remains a prayerful atmosphere. Who knows, except Allah Alone, what prayers and supplications have been made here in this place over the centuries. The only other thing inside the mosque itself is beautifully inlaid mother of pearl and marble mihrab, pointing out the direction of Makkah, and next to it a pulpit of wood and ivory. To arrive at the mosque, you will have travelled through the Sufi hostel. This is yet another gem: the Ottoman Tekkiya, or hostel for pilgrims and religious students, which adjoins the mosque and khan. Restored to its original splendour, this tekkiya is a marvelous example of such a building, showing very clearly how those in need of lodging were housed simply out of charity, for Allah's sake. There is more to visiting such a place, though, than mere curiosity with the past. Muslims read these words in the Holy Qur'an: "To Him is due the true prayer. Any others that they call upon besides Him Hear them no more than if they were To stretch forth their hands For water to reach their mouths, But it reaches them not: For the prayer of those without faith Is nothing but vain prayer." 13:14 Let us learn from our visits in the city, inshallah, that there is more to life than life itself. Maybe our curiosity with the past can help us to be better people in the present.
British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, is a lecturer at Al-Azhar University. The author of eight books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com
