That's Interesting!

So it's not a secret that I am new to the steemit community. A community that I find to be very engaging and interesting and that prompts me to stroll around the site often. I have recently stumbled upon the C.H.A.T (Culture, History, Art, and Travel). CHAT is a community of passionate people led by @ella-kay, who share a love for the arts and who indulge in a curious sense of exploration. In their chatcommunity discord channel, I got to meet people from all over the world and I was surprised by how welcoming they are.

Hey CHAT! I have got something for ya:

I would like to contribute to the CHAT community with a suggestion. No doubt we all love exploration and there is bound to be expert travelers amongst us, it would be amazing if the start a series of blogs with tips and tricks on travel and must-visit areas in each city. Also since we are a global community, we can organize ourselves so that when a member of the community is traveling he could meet some of the local members who will show them around. Wouldn't that be great!!

They are hosting a Contest:

also learned that Ella was hosting a contest, we would have to describe the cities in which we live and why they should be visited, and living in Cairo myself I thought: I should miss out on this! so without further ado ...

THIS IS CAIRO

Cairo Happens to be the Capital of Egypt and is the pulsating heart. It is the cradle to some of the most beautiful Pharaonic, Islamic & Christain monuments you will ever see. My foreign friends can never have enough of the city because there is always something to do. I decided to focus on its Islamic monuments for multiple reasons:

1. Most people are familiar with Pharaonic monuments.
2. I have been visiting alooooot of Islamic monuments lately.
3. It doesn't get enough attention at all.

A.R.T:

Most Islamic architecture in Egypt originated between the year 1200 to 1700s through the Ottman and Mamalek empires and is located in what is known as "Masr El-Adeema" literally translating to "Old Egypt". It relies heavily on mosques and Arabic calligraphy. You can also notice beautiful architectural repeating patterns that decorate the walls and roofs. Long chandillers of brass and glass usually hang from the ceiling to light up the area, just look at these:

To the Ottman and Mamalek, Mosques (the Muslim house of worship) were your legacy, most kings would be buried in special chambers that are hidden away in the mosques they build. So it's very common of you to find closed off rooms that are opened on occasion. However, the mosques are architectural marvels and it was a common theme to have huge yards right in the middle of the mosque that were used as schools back in the day to teach reading, writing, and the different sciences. At the center there are washers and water fountains.

As for the C. part:

Masr El Adeema is a very old part of Cairo, with streets of cobblestone and old craftsmen shops around every corner.It's like being shot back in time:

and it's not uncommon to find a street carnival or celebration over there:

One last tip I can leave you with is to attend one of the many tanoura shows over there because they are absolutely breathtaking. This dance has been part of the Egyptian folklore for centuries and its structured in a way to tell stories with the movement and the singing:

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In the End:

I am really not doing Cairo enough justice. I only tackled a small part of its islamic culture and remember there is even pharonic and catholic cultures there too and covering them would require books not blog posts. Not to mention the music and the food that we enjoy. All in all, you need to get here ASAP, its the adventure of a life time.

Anyways, I was truly serious about my suggestions. If you are seriously considering coming here, you are on your way or if you are already in Cairo, feel free to email me at iitsshafik@gmail.com and I will be glad to help you.