Splish Splash. Physically walking down Al-Darbal-Ahmar OR El Darb El Ahmar
St, as noted by the sign along our route, was no pleasure. Mud had compounded all over
my pants as if a new cement project had begun that would soon join the muddy
compounds of the street around us. We trotted on hoping to expand our experiences from
when we had first visited Bab Zweila and continued our exploration of Islamic Cairo with
the whole group. The day soon faded away as the call for Magrib prayer was heard. The
darkness made it harder to see the details and to appreciate the true intricacy of each site
we visited but nonetheless did add to our overall walking tour experience. The most
beautiful and serene experience of the night was walking inside the Mosque of
Altinbugha al-Maridani. Even though the carpet was damn from the earlier rain showers,
the environment was blissful. The courtyard with green trees, an octagonal timbre
fountain, complemented by the green glowing lights added to the blissful and serene
atmosphere. Behind the dark and rich wooden mashrabiya screen there were men praying
a jammat. I would have loved to stay longer and go near the qibla area but wanted to give
the people their privacy in prayer. I sadly departed to continue our adventure along our walk.
We walked passed Zawiyat ‘Arif Pasha, where I nearly got run over by a
motorcycle (our yelling screams were responded by a blank stare from the driver). As
the night got older, the narrow streets, cramped sidewalks, and the dark streets slowed
us down and increased the pressure to hasten our walk. Along our paths we saw some
random beautiful Mashrabiyas. There were moments where we would each take turns
looking at the book and our surrounding to figure out where and what exactly was before
us. This happened a couple of times and one time it had caught the attention of a local
resident who from what I understood, he pointed and directed us to the Blue Mosque
and welcomed us to Egypt. As we moved ahead, I didn’t see anything blue but did see
some more archaic structures on our path. Our walk concluded with a bright and glowing
Mosque of Sultan Hassan, a reward of beauty and glamor for our long and confusing
trail in the exceptionally muddy street of El Darb El Ahmar.
St, as noted by the sign along our route, was no pleasure. Mud had compounded all over
my pants as if a new cement project had begun that would soon join the muddy
compounds of the street around us. We trotted on hoping to expand our experiences from
when we had first visited Bab Zweila and continued our exploration of Islamic Cairo with
the whole group. The day soon faded away as the call for Magrib prayer was heard. The
darkness made it harder to see the details and to appreciate the true intricacy of each site
we visited but nonetheless did add to our overall walking tour experience. The most
beautiful and serene experience of the night was walking inside the Mosque of
Altinbugha al-Maridani. Even though the carpet was damn from the earlier rain showers,
the environment was blissful. The courtyard with green trees, an octagonal timbre
fountain, complemented by the green glowing lights added to the blissful and serene
atmosphere. Behind the dark and rich wooden mashrabiya screen there were men praying
a jammat. I would have loved to stay longer and go near the qibla area but wanted to give
the people their privacy in prayer. I sadly departed to continue our adventure along our walk.
We walked passed Zawiyat ‘Arif Pasha, where I nearly got run over by a
motorcycle (our yelling screams were responded by a blank stare from the driver). As
the night got older, the narrow streets, cramped sidewalks, and the dark streets slowed
us down and increased the pressure to hasten our walk. Along our paths we saw some
random beautiful Mashrabiyas. There were moments where we would each take turns
looking at the book and our surrounding to figure out where and what exactly was before
us. This happened a couple of times and one time it had caught the attention of a local
resident who from what I understood, he pointed and directed us to the Blue Mosque
and welcomed us to Egypt. As we moved ahead, I didn’t see anything blue but did see
some more archaic structures on our path. Our walk concluded with a bright and glowing
Mosque of Sultan Hassan, a reward of beauty and glamor for our long and confusing
trail in the exceptionally muddy street of El Darb El Ahmar.
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