Few cities have so many surviving layers of the past. Unlike Rome or Istanbul, where history has been developed, curated and packaged for the visitor, in Cairo it has been left to pile up on itself over the centuries. There have been moments of destruction and moments of renovation, but mostly long stretches of neglect, both pernicious and benign. The result is an urban fabric unlike any, where centuries of textures are tangled together and are still visible in the neighborhoods, streets, alleys and monuments that surround us.

If you know where and how to look.

This interactive map is a modest attempt to describe those textures through the lesser-known stories behind Cairo’s landmarks. The stories compile narratives from the histories written in the Mamluk Era, along with other sources and my own personal impressions. The stories may at times dive too deep into the weeds and veer into overly strange tangents, but I hope they are interesting and entertaining.

The map will be added to over time (no doubt slowly) with more and more sites.

The Mosque of the ARCHITECT’S DAUGHTER

The Mosque of Emir AZBAK AL-YUSUFI

The Khanqah of Emir AYDAKIN

The Palace of Emir BAKTAMUR

The ENCHANTED BASIN

Hammam AL-FARIQANI

The Palace of FATIMA AL-KHASBAKIYYA

The Madrasa of Sultan HASSAN

The Mosque of HASSAN BASHA TAHER

The Mansion of Little IBRAHIM BEY

The KHASBAKIYYA family

AL-KHAZEN’s District

The Madrasa of Emir QARAQOJA AL-HASANI

The Mansion of RIYAD PASHA

SALIBA STREET

The Madrasa-Mausoleum of SANJAR and SALAR

The Madrasa of Emir SARGHATMISH

The Hammam of Emir SHEIKHOU

The Khanqah of Emir SHEIKHOU

The Mosque of TIMRAZ al-AHMADI

The Rab’ of Emir TUGHUJ