Islamic Cairo: Citadel & Mosques Tour

The Citadel of Saladin (Cairo Citadel) is a medieval fortress on the Mokattam hills, begun in 1176 by Salah al-Din (Saladin), founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, to defend Cairo against Crusader attack. Expanded by later Mamluk and Ottoman rulers, it served as the seat of Egypt's government for roughly 700 years and today houses several mosques and museums.

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali stands atop the Cairo Citadel in Egypt, built between 1830 and 1848 for the Ottoman-era ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha and designed by architect Yusuf Boushnaq in Ottoman imperial style, modeled loosely on Istanbul's Sultan Ahmed Mosque. Its twin minarets and large central dome dominate Cairo's skyline, and it houses Muhammad Ali's tomb.

Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo was founded in 970 CE by the Fatimid commander Jawhar al-Siqilli as the congregational mosque of the newly built city of al-Qahira. A university was established there by 988, and it remains one of the oldest continuously operating institutions of Islamic learning in the world, historically central to Sunni theological scholarship.

Khan el-Khalili is a historic bazaar in Islamic Cairo, Egypt, founded in 1382 CE by Emir Jaharkas al-Khalili under the Mamluk Sultan Barquq as a caravanserai for trading merchants. Still a working market today, its narrow lanes sell gold, spices, textiles, and souvenirs, and it sits adjacent to the al-Hussein Mosque and the historic al-Azhar area.

Your guide explains nearly a thousand years of Islamic architecture and history.

Enjoy sweeping views over Cairo from the Citadel courtyard.

Travel in a modern, air-conditioned vehicle between stops.