|
 Al
Darb al-Ahmar,
(the red road) in Cairo may not be as famous or as visited as al
Darb al-Asfar (the yellow road) and Khan el-Khalili
Bazaar, but nevertheless, it retains much of its past riches
and historical atmosphere.
The Al-Darb al-Asfar area and Darb al-Ahmar
were originally connected as they all formed part of the Qasaba,
the main road running from the Northern Gates (Bab al-Nasr
and Baba al-Futuh) down
towards the Citadel, meeting the Darb al-Ahmar road at
the Southern Gate, Bab Zuweila.
Al-Mu'ezz Street, part of the Qasaba is named
after the conquering Fatimid Khalif and it was the
chief thoroughfare of
Islamic Cairo.
Over the years, the
Qasaba urbanely developed and was divided into sections,
each characteristic with different crafts or markets which
they were named after.
 
View
of the Darb al-Ahmar street and Al-Mu'ayyed Mosque next to bab
Zuweila
Unchanged over the centuries, the neighbourhood of Darb
al-Ahmar is a maze of narrow, twisting alleyways lined
with splendid mosques and medieval facades. This quarter became a fashionable residential area in
the 14th century, as Al-Nasir Mohammed
developed the Citadel area. It contains several interesting
mosques and monuments of which are Al-Mu'ayyed
Mosque and Mosque of Inal el-Yusufi, both in the
surrounding are of Bab Zuweila.
The alleys of this Southern area carry different names
nowadays, starting south near the Citadel with Bab al-Wazir
Street then Darb al-Tibbana and afterwards al Darb
al-Ahmar. Further near the massive 10th-century Bab
Zuweila, the area is named Suq al Silah Street formerly
the Weapons Bazaar.
 Facing
the ancient Zuweila Gate is one of the oldest
thoroughfares in Cairo - Shari Khayyamiya. Khayma
means "tent" in Arabic. There, in the Street of the
Tentmakers, the ancient craft of making huge tent pavilions,
or Suwan, out of beautiful cloth patterns has been
carried on for hundreds of years. The Khayyamiya bazaar
erected by Ridwan Bey in 1650 is one of the
best-preserved examples of a covered market left in Cairo. The
building is undergoing restoration work nowadays but not
preventing the daily trades and activities of taking place.
The market witnesses non-stop activities and a constant flow
of traffic and traders except on Sundays, when the shops are
closed. Sellers of brightly colored appliqued cloth in
pharaonic and Islamic patterns sit in their small boutiques
and workshops lining both sides of the street.
All down the street the owners hang samples of their work
out like banners. The insides of the shops are usually covered
from floor to ceiling with more samples.
Sitting silently, the craftsmen work eight hours a day
for months with the needles sewing and putting together this
amazing tent.
 
The craftsmen in their workshops where they display their various products
This art, inherited from father to son over centuries now
has become somehow scarce and faces an uncertain future for
only a hundred or so craftsmen still remain in the business.
The
colourful printed fabrics are mostly put up by the "Farasheen"
during feasts, Moulids celebrating religious occasions,
weddings and to screen unsightly building work.
Now much of there work has turned to pillow cases, wall
coverings and comforter covers. The tents are lined from top
to bottom with exquisite geometric patterns - usually in
brilliant reds, greens, blues and yellows.
 
A View of the Mahmud el-Kurdi Mosque
The geometric designs used in Cairo's tents today come
mostly from appliqued arabesques, calligraphy and marble inlay
patterns found in the walls and floors of Cairo's medieval
mosques.
Along the end of the Bazaar lies several ancient
mosques and monuments such as the Mahmud el-Kurdi
Mosque built in 1395. The mosque has an impressive
entrance portal facing the market street. The building has
been recently restored and reopened to the public.
 The
Darb al-Ahmar area hostess several other interesting
trades and crafts.
Facing Bab Zuweila and going further up north in Suq
al-Silah Street one will come across the Saddlemakers
Market called Suq al-Surugiyyiah which produces all
kinds of leatherware.
Further along, the street is full of shops where you find
stands of drums, belly dancer costumes, wooden tables and
chairs, embroidered cloth, and many other simple products such
as old oriental tea pots and cups.
Also, one of the main things sold on in the area are
the water-pipes, "Sheeha's" of all shapes and
sizes all made of beautifully decorated and coloured glass.
Basketry is also one of the trades of the area; used for
different objects mainly containers, stools, tables and mats.
They are made from simple materials such as palm leaf and
grass.
Another main attraction is the Attarin area,
spices shops, which are spread all over old Cairo streets.
There you'll find endless sorts of colourful spices, herbs and
strange mixes used for a wide range of things; cooking, hair
dies and healing herbs
 
More Shops along the Street
Seen along the streets are other interesting
trades where owners have the products; perfumes, carpets,
brass and copperware, glass, ceramics piled up on show outside
their workshops almost crowding the whole street turning it
into a pedestrian alley. This is particularly during holidays
and feast days when the whole neighbourhood comes alive to its
utmost with its central market surrounded by the ancient
Islamic buildings.
Resources:
Original
research by Lara Iskander.
Archives
|
