Islamic Cairo Tour

Your WOW Egypt Tours representative and driver will pick you up from your hotel, Cairo International Airport, Giza hotel, or your location in Cairo or Giza. You will be transferred by private modern air-conditioned vehicle with your private Egyptologist guide to begin your Islamic Cairo Tour.

Start your tour with a visit to Saladin Citadel, one of the most important medieval monuments in Cairo. The Citadel was started by Salah al-Din in 1176 AD as a fortified complex to protect Cairo and became a major seat of government for several centuries.

During your visit, your private Egyptologist guide will explain the history of the Citadel, its military role, its location overlooking Cairo, and its importance during the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods. The site gives clear context about Cairo’s political and military history after the Fatimid period.

Saladin Citadel remained an important center of power in Egypt from the late 12th century AD until the 19th century. Its high position on the Mokattam Hills gives wide views over Cairo and helps explain why the site was chosen for defense, administration, and control of the city.

Continue inside the Citadel to visit Mohamed Ali Mosque, also known as the Alabaster Mosque. The mosque was built between 1830 and 1848 AD during the rule of Muhammad Ali Pasha and is one of the most recognized Ottoman-style landmarks in Cairo.

Your guide will explain the architecture of the mosque, its domes, minarets, courtyard, interior decoration, and its connection with Muhammad Ali Pasha, who ruled Egypt in the 19th century and played an important role in the country’s modern history.

The mosque is located inside Saladin Citadel on the Mokattam Hills and is known for its high position overlooking Cairo. Its large central dome, two slender minarets, alabaster-covered walls, and wide courtyard make it one of the main highlights of Islamic Cairo sightseeing tours.

Lunch is served at local restaurant.

After lunch, continue to Sultan Hassan Madrassa and Mosque, one of the most important Mamluk monuments in Cairo. It was built during the 14th century AD under Sultan Hassan and is known for its large scale, high entrance, stonework, and strong Mamluk architectural style.

Sultan Hassan Madrassa and Mosque was constructed between 1356 and 1363 AD and is considered one of the major examples of Mamluk religious architecture in Cairo. During your visit, your private Egyptologist guide will explain the function of the building as both a mosque and a madrassa, the role of religious education in medieval Cairo, and the importance of Mamluk architecture in the city’s Islamic monuments.

The building gives clear context about Islamic Cairo during the Mamluk period, including mosque design, madrassa planning, religious teaching, stone decoration, monumental entrances, and the political power of Mamluk sultans in the 14th century AD.

Continue to Al Rifa'i Mosque, located beside Sultan Hassan Mosque. The mosque was built mainly during the 19th and early 20th centuries and is known for its large prayer hall, royal tombs, and architectural connection with the older Sultan Hassan complex nearby.

Al Rifa'i Mosque was completed in 1912 AD after a long construction period that began in the 19th century. Your guide will explain the history of the mosque, its role as a royal burial place, and how its design was planned to stand beside one of Cairo’s major Mamluk monuments.

The mosque gives clear context about later Islamic architecture in Cairo, royal burial traditions, and the connection between 19th-century religious buildings and older Mamluk monuments in the historic Citadel area.

Continue to Ibn Tulun Mosque, one of the oldest surviving mosques in Cairo. It was built in the 9th century AD during the Tulunid period and is known for its large open courtyard, arcades, simple brick architecture, and distinctive spiral-style minaret.

Ibn Tulun Mosque was completed around 879 AD by Ahmad Ibn Tulun, the founder of the Tulunid dynasty in Egypt. The mosque covers a large area and is considered one of the most important early Islamic monuments in Cairo.

During your visit, your guide will explain the history of Ahmad Ibn Tulun, the Tulunid period in Egypt, the mosque’s architectural layout, and why this monument is important for understanding early Islamic architecture in Cairo.

The mosque gives clear context about 9th-century Islamic Cairo, early mosque planning, open courtyard design, brick architecture, and the development of religious buildings before the later Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods.

Continue to Khan El Khalili Bazaar, one of Cairo’s most famous historic market areas. The bazaar was founded in the late 14th century AD, around 1382 AD, during the Mamluk period and remains an important commercial and cultural area in Islamic Cairo.

During your visit, you will walk through old market lanes, shops, and historic streets near El Moez Street. Your guide will explain the history of the bazaar, its connection with trade in medieval Cairo, and its role as one of the most visited old market areas in Egypt.

Khan El Khalili Bazaar is located near Al-Azhar Mosque, which was founded in 970 AD, and close to several monuments and streets from the Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The area gives clear context about markets, trade, local crafts, and daily commercial life in historic Cairo.

End your tour with a visit to El Moez Street, also known as Al Muizz Street, one of the most important historic streets in Cairo. The street is connected with the foundation of Fatimid Cairo in 969 AD and includes many Islamic monuments from the Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods.

El Moez Street extends for about 1 km through Islamic Cairo and includes gates, mosques, madrasas, sabils, palaces, old houses, and historic commercial areas. During your walking visit, your guide will explain the history of the street, its main monuments, and its importance in the urban layout of medieval Cairo.

El Moez Street gives a clear view of Islamic architectural development in Cairo over more than 1,000 years, from the Fatimid foundation of the city in the 10th century AD through later Mamluk and Ottoman additions.

After completing your Islamic Cairo Tour, you will be transferred back by private air-conditioned vehicle to your hotel, Cairo International Airport, Giza hotel, or your location in Cairo or Giza.