The adventure continued from the junction to Bab el Wazeer street until we reached Bab Zuwayla, then went through another busy narrow el Tabanna street and el Darb el Ahmar street. We had an elaborate stop at el Ghuriya before we continued to Bab el Futouh of the Fatimid city on the north through el Muizz el Din Allah street.
The hot summer sun of Cairo failed to de-motivate our zeal as we continued our adventure north along Bab al Wazeer street. In this phase leading to the Blue Masjid are numerous nineteenth houses, which, although now dilapidated and neglected, retain an aura of grandeur and elegance, often with fine mashrabiya (will elaborate later) windows almost intact. 5 minutes later, we reached the 3rd intended stop – the Masjid of Aytmish al Bagasi, which was built in 1383 by Prince Aytmish al Bagasi who was the regent of the Mamluk Sultan Farag Ibn Barquq.
We asked few Egyptians at their early 30s sitting on the plastic tools to confirm whether we were on the right track. Well, they advised us to check the signage on the front outer wal of the run down building. Sheriff peeped through underneath the wooden scaffolding and confirmed. The building, sad to mention was in a very despair condition. Nevertheless, some sign of restoration efforts around the main building had shown some hope that one day, the new generation would be able to enjoy its renaissance.
Amid the slow progress (seems to be) of the restoration work, one could still obeserve the decoration of the façade expounds some of the 13th century characteristics of decoration style.Around the Mosque appears a group of buildings with its unique features - the mashrabiyas, that date from Mohamed Ali period.
Mashrabiya literally means drinking place, and the term was used because porous earthenware jugs were placed near the latticed windows so that the incoming air would be cooled by the evaporation. During the Mamluk time, mashrabiyas were used as screens, partitions, and windows, providing gentle light, cool air, and privacy.
To the right of the façade is Bab al Turba Street, which led us to the Bab al Tarabay al Sharifi built and established by Prince Tarabay in 1504. He was commander of the army of Mamluks under Sultan al Ghuri. On the right hand side of the gate, is the sabil-kuttab (photo above) that once led to a madrasah. 3 meters after the gate, on the left hand side is the shrine of Tarabay al Sharifi (photo below). The façade of the shrine, a large domed cube.
I spent 5 minutes on the eastern side of the monument and planned to shoot the whole features, but was stopped by a man. “Masalamah”, I responded to him politely and continued back my adventure through Bab al Wazir Street to another cluster of building towards the north of the street. On the way out, there were few old women with their children (I presume) - street vendors selling local produce to survive the harsh life.
To the right of the façade is Bab al Turba Street, which led us to the Bab al Tarabay al Sharifi built and established by Prince Tarabay in 1504. He was commander of the army of Mamluks under Sultan al Ghuri. On the right hand side of the gate, is the sabil-kuttab (photo above) that once led to a madrasah. 3 meters after the gate, on the left hand side is the shrine of Tarabay al Sharifi (photo below). The façade of the shrine, a large domed cube.
I spent 5 minutes on the eastern side of the monument and planned to shoot the whole features, but was stopped by a man. “Masalamah”, I responded to him politely and continued back my adventure through Bab al Wazir Street to another cluster of building towards the north of the street. On the way out, there were few old women with their children (I presume) - street vendors selling local produce to survive the harsh life.
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