Mid-range · 6-hour walk · Cairo
Islamic Cairo in six hours
The medieval bazaar and the street of minarets, the mosque-university, then the citadel above the city.
This is the Cairo that is not the pyramids: a medieval quarter of mosques, madrasas and caravanserais that is a UNESCO site in its own right, and almost nobody on a three-day trip walks it. Al-Muizz Street was pedestrianised and restored in 2008 and is the densest concentration of Islamic architecture anywhere. Dress modestly and carry small notes for the mosque shoe-minders.
The route, stop by stop
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Khan el-Khalili
Trading since 1382. The further from the main tourist lanes you go, the more it becomes an actual working bazaar.
45 min here Walk here → -
Al-Muizz Street
A kilometre of medieval Islamic architecture, pedestrianised and lit at night. More listed monuments than any street on earth.
40 min here Walk here → -
Al-Azhar Mosque
Founded in 970 and the second oldest continuously operating university in the world. Visitors welcome outside prayer times.
30 min here Walk here → -
Cairo Citadel
Arrive by taxi from the previous stop
Saladin's fortress on a limestone spur, with the alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali inside and the whole city below.
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Coptic Cairo
Arrive by taxi from the previous stop
The Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and a Roman tower in a few hundred metres. Reachable by metro to Mar Girgis.
45 min here Walk here →
More in Cairo
Every walking route in Cairo, or the full Cairo guide for where to stay and what a day costs.