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Historic Cairo
A Walk Through the Islamic City
Review by
Glen Perry
Whilst many would support the claim that
first impressions are all important; holding that once
formed, they are almost impossible to change, I’m thankful
that books present us with an opportunity to take our time
when deciding whether we like them or not.
 A
brief scan through Historic Cairo: A Walk Through the
Islamic City, by Jim Antinou RIBA, MRTPI, FRSA; combined
with the author’s position as UNESCO consultant to the
Supreme Council of Antiquities, led me to believe that this
would be the ideal guide for those wishing to explore Cairo’s
Islamic monuments in greater detail. Certainly there are
many who feel they would prefer to explore the area at
leisure, following on from the standard; & normally,
rather hurried, organised, tour of the Citadel, a couple of
mosques & the Khan al Khalili bazaar.
Certainly, the examples of maps &
scale plans of the monuments, on pages 8 & 9; almost as
an appetiser for things to come, would lead one to believe
that the rest of this work would continue in a similar vein
& with an equal attention to detail. Sadly, like a huge
entrée in an expensive restaurant, one is destined to be
somewhat disappointed with the main course.
Before getting to the guide proper, we
are first given a, brief, overview of the history of the
city. Starting with the Pre-Dynastic period & the
foundation of Pharaonic Memphis, we are then taken through
the Greco-Roman period, the Islamic Conquest, featuring the
founding of al Fustat, & finally to the history of
medieval Cairo itself.
There are clues here that the author
probably isn’t all that comfortable with parts of this
subject; e.g. His statement that Babylon in Egypt was a
Persian fortress, founded by troops under Nebuchadnezar.
This is despite the fact that this Babylonian king had been
long dead by the time that Cambyses marched in &
extinguished the 26th Dynasty. He also fails to
mention that the most widely accepted theory as to how this
fortress got its name was due to a Greek corruption of the
Egyptian Per Hapi en Iunu; or the Nile house of Heliopolis,
just as Men Nufer became Memphis.
The account of the founding of al Fustat
gives the impression that this was Amr ibn al As’ first
choice as the site of the capital of the newly conquered
province of the Islamic Empire. In fact Amr preferred
Alexandria, but was overruled by the Caliph, in Damascus,
& so returned to the site of his old siege camp outside
the walls of Bablyon fortress.
Once he actually reaches the Fatimid
Period, he appears to be on much firmer ground. However, he
does fail to mention why it was decided to change the name
of their new palace city from al Mansariya to al Qahira.
Coverage of the Ayyubid & Mamluk
periods is fairly broad in scope; though this is to some
extent made up for within the later sections of the book,
whilst fairly scant details of the Ottoman & later
periods are given; possibly as these are seen as falling
somewhat outside the topic with which the book aims to deal.
A nice feature of the guided walk through
the old city is that it is broken down into 3, easily
manageable, sections; thus simplifying life for those of us
who would like to space out such a tour over the course of
more than one visit. This also has the advantage of making
the whole walk seem less daunting.
Starting in the north, by the Fatimid
gates of Bab al Nasr & Bab al Futuh, the author proceeds
to lead the reader southwards along Sharia Mu’izz li Din
Allah; with occasional meandering to either side, pointing
out the many major & minor monuments on the way.
The author’s familiarity with this
subject is much in evidence, as he is able to point out
little details that would otherwise be missed.
Additionally, the guide is able to offer
advice as to locations for one to have some rest &
refreshment; e.g. the Naguib Mahfouz & Fishawi’s
cafés, at the end of each section of the walk. This only
serves to emphasise the more relaxed attitude of the author,
when compared to many organised tours of the area. Whether
intentional or not it has the additional benefit of
encouraging those utilising his guide to take the time to
actually sit back & watch the activities being carried
out around them and, in some way, experience the life of
this part of the city to even a small degree.
Vignettes, with accompanying text, give
further details of characters, events & terms
encountered in the main body of the text, whilst charming
sketches of street scenes provide a backdrop to each page.
Again, however, there are omissions;
whether by the author, or by the editing staff at the AUC
press, which detract for the utility of the guide to those
who are not already familiar with the layout of the area.
First, although we are given a general
plan of the area of Khan al Khalili around the Mosque of
Sayyidna al Husayn; showing the areas where various goods
can be found, the promised guide to recommended shops/stalls
never actually appears. Perhaps this was dropped from the
final text as being too commercial or, perhaps, someone has
finally realised that such information, when given in a
guide, is often out of date by the time the book gets to
print. Whichever is the case I do feel that leaving it out
will seriously reduce the book’s popularity; in the light
of the number of shopping enquiries received on the Tour
Egypt Bulletin Board.
The absence of street names from the maps
provided could present the possibility that users of this
guide could find it much more difficult on the ground;
especially as the directions given are generally based on
distances & compass directions.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment is
that, after tempting us with his marvellous plans of Sultan
Hassan’s Mosque, Madrasa & Mausoleum complex; in
various scales, at the start of the book, the similar plans
for the other monuments, though promised, fail utterly to
materialise. This, in my opinion is a oversight which is
serious enough to place the utility of the guide to its
intended, non-specialist, audience open to question & it
is to be hoped that it will be rectified in future editions.
Overall, although this book is open to
criticism, there are many things to recommend it to those
who wish to remind themselves of a tour of Old Cairo and
those who can only wish to visit her. The sketches &
vignettes; I especially like the one of Shagarat ad Dur, who
looks like a brunette rendition on Baby Spice, in sun
glasses, alone make it worthy of consideration for these
latter purposes. Judged purely as a guidebook for the area I
do feel that it would be advisable to supplement it with a
decent map or to invest in a copy of Michael Haag’s
"Discovery Guide" to Cairo. The best option of all
would be to get someone local to the area to show you
around.
(Historic Cairo: A Walk Through the
Islamic City, Jim Antinou RIBA MRTPI FRSA, ISBN
977-424-497-4, published by the AUC Press, 1998 should be
available from decent booksellers and is priced in the UK at
£13.95p)
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