An art lovers journey through Cairo: everything but the pyramids
On a recent trip to Cairo, I happened to find myself in the most beautiful home library, surrounded by books on travel, architecture, art, design. The catalogue was almost as though the topics had been picked from my own mind and injected with years of expertise and knowledge ready for my perusal. When I first booked to come to Egypt, although the trip itself was centred around learning Islamic patterns, I had no idea that this enchanting city had been such a common destination for artists over the centuries.
“To a lover of history and art in general, Cairo is the most interesting city in the world, there is not one epoch of the history of different civilisations which has not left within it numerous and precious traces and every scholar will find here the opportunity of studying their favourite period, whatever it is”
I read this quote in a book I found called, ‘Rambles in Cairo’ on one of my first nights in the city. I remember raising an eyebrow, really? Cairo? A tourist hotspot which undoubtedly has some of the most incredible ancient architecture of the world, but art? I had in all honesty, never heard anyone attest to that thought.
My last visit here was many, many years ago. I was 12 years old, I don’t remember much. I have vivid, hazy – and I mean hazy quite literally – memories of the air feeling sandy in front of me wherever I walked. Riding a horse and carriage with my best friend in the scorching heat, trotting to see the pyramids. I remember traffic, noise and breathing in heavy pollution. Perhaps I was too young to appreciate the true essence of what this place had to offer.
Fast forward a decade (or two), and here I was travelling solo, sans husband, taking a trip that I spent years obsessively wanting to book and finally had the courage to do it. World famous artist, Adam Williamson regularly hosts study trips in various countries across the world to learn about Islamic geometric patterns and other forms of Islamic art. These trips are usually small groups of art lovers, all varying in expertise. It had been so long since I studied any kind of art, I wanted nothing more than to immerse myself in lessons from the teachers, Adam himself and Richard Henry who were, in my eyes, at the top of their league.
We stayed in the neighbourhood al-Darb al-Ahmar, in a house that had been meticulously restored and is now considered a cultural hub, with some good-looking rooms to spend the night in too. Originally built in the 17th century by a Mamluk military official, and later altered under Muhammad Ali Pasha’s reign (I believe, source to be located), Bayt Yakan beautifully weaves together distinctive Mamluk styles with a touch of 19th century European flourishes. The owners, Alaa el-Habashi and his wife Ola Said, shared with us their journey of rescuing this building, transforming it into a multi functional space whilst celebrating its original features, such as the Italianate ceiling, muqarnas carvings and the courtyard which we would soon find ourselves frequenting daily.
I won’t go into the details of my very dramatic entrance (this is a story for another day), but I will mention that I arrived late at night with no real bearings on where I was.
It wasn’t until the next day when Adam and Richard took us out on our first trip that the enormity of where we were staying sunk in. Right outside the haven of Bayt Yakan, that first step out onto the street was a moment like no other. Hoards of humans, tuk tuks, animals, cars, the medieval streets were lined with eager vendors. Stalls open and bustling and most were adorned in brightly coloured decorations as the month of Ramadan was approaching. The sounds of horns and automotive engines were just as common and prevalent as the sounds of birds, crewing of carts and when the time was right, the heavenly call to prayer. No tourist shop in sight, this was the historic centre of Cairo and in a really strange way, it felt like home.
Captivated by the magic of these narrow throughways, slightly concerned that my lack of direction might cause me some issues as the week went on, I nearly missed the real reason we were here in the first place. To discover the history of art in a city where the buildings themselves have stayed around to tell their stories. And I soon realised, all it takes, is a glance. Look up, to the side, over the road, the old town of Cairo is peppered with architectural marvels. Marvels that on closer inspection, bore lines of detail that would help us piece together the journeys that led them to being created and that remain here to this day.
It was through these encounters that I began to realise my understanding of Islamic art had been extremely naive. I had failed to realise art and architecture are often hand in hand. Islamic art is still to this day being analysed and uncovered, it raises many general questions about the nature of art itself. It covers a tremendous range of time and space, spanning many countries, ethnicities, cultures and in some instances even other religions. The study of Islamic art is actually a relatively new term and is incomparable to other religious art (I.e. Christian, Buddhist etc) rather than focusing on large scale paintings or sculptures, it encompasses all aspects of Islamic culture that can be expressed visually. It’s why to this day, historians still work on dissecting the elaborate stories, journeys, and incredible objects from the golden age of Islamic civilisations.
As we went from building to building, even shop to shop, I began to truly understand this definition. The art we were studying here wasn’t hung in a frame, it was surrounding us. In the mid thirteenth century, the centre of civilisation in the Arab world shifted to Cairo, it became the largest city in the Islamic lands, Capital for the Mamluk Sultans. At that time, land was a premium commodity, equal some say to the land in Jerusalem, Cairene architects were forced to develop their buildings in the thoroughfares of this now prestigious city, where passers-by could easily walk in and say prayers in memory of the founders.
Each construction undertaken during this time was adorned with symbolic decorations, domes set on high drums adorned with geometric patterns and arabesques, exploiting the fact that their grandeur could be visible from all sides. Mamluk architects favoured long narrow windows, plain outer walls, muqarnas details staggered in entrances and tombs. And of course, Quranic inscriptions always found a way to surround us in some form. The materials we see inside are now varied, wood, marble, metal grills and the patterns and architectural elements are inspired not just by Islamic design but there are nods to Christian, Jewish, European and Chinese influence. It’s quite impossible to list and describe the vast number of historic sites we visited, each deserve their own story, but it’s safe to say there wasn’t a single one that underwhelmed me and there wasn’t a single moment where I wasn’t wanting to see more.
Day by day, alongside classroom lessons, Adam and Richard took us out to various old sites. Bayt Yakan was only a short walk away from Al-Muizz Al-Deen street, named after the first Fatimid Caliph in Egypt, built originally as the main street through the Fatimids grand city and still a main route now.
We studied the patterns, with the help of our teachers and expert guides and were privileged to spend time in these ancient mosques, gates, courtyards and tombs steeped in Islamic history. Some so beautifully preserved and the ones that weren’t were just as special, their raw beauty still striking even when the walls were crumbling into dust.
By night, the city was ours to explore, when we had the energy! As groups, we went out either to catch shows; we would browse the markets, where I bought my fair share of Ramadan decorations; we’d hunt for hidden gems such as Abd El Zaher’s Atelier, one of Cairo’s last book binders, just a short walk away from the alley selling underwear and thick fleece quilts; and of course, the prime reason we often ventured out, was to find food. Even months later I can remember the taste of fresh falafel from the street vendors, unlike any falafel I’ve ever tasted - a meal that would cost the same as the price of a fizzy drink back in England. The walk home wherever we were in old town soon became second nature, with domes and decorative archways guiding the turns needed to make it safely back to base.
On the nights where our feet longed for a break, we spent time in the very library I encountered on my first day at Bayt Yakan. A place where we congregated as students, completing our drawings, getting to know one another. Here I found myself with a group of people that I instantly wanted to know more about. Friends who were passionate about travel, experiencing life, finding beauty in discovery and of course, sharing a love of art. I was blown away by the skills and talent demonstrated by so many. The technical expertise, knowledge and experience they had, and the kindness in their nature to share that with those of us (ahem, me) that were not really there yet.
The days flew by and soon everyone left to travel back to their homes or onward to new adventures. Although geographically apart, our lives are now in some ways intertwined, like the streets of the old town. I left with a feeling that I had lived a short story, where we followed the traces of the many art lovers who came before us. Walking in the footsteps of Caliphs, Sultans, Imams and Saints. I am now entirely satisfied that Cairo truly is the most interesting city in the world.
This trip was a stark lesson that there is so much about Islamic art I have yet to learn. And it served as a much needed reminder of why Islamic Art Prints means so much to me. Being able to share this love, passion and the absolute beauty of Islamic art is exactly why we started this venture. We wanted this to be a place where you could come to and discover the beauty of what our artists create based on a foundation of historic traditional practices, fused with their own interpretations.
And more than anything, I just hope you feel intrigued enough to visit Cairo for yourself one day. I know I can’t wait to return.
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