Learn Arabic as it is really spoken. Listen to and read Egyptian Colloquial Arabic.

Mostafa tells us about a recent outing with friends. What does he think about Islamic Cairo?

بعد اسبوع مجهد و متعب فى الكليه قررت انا و صحابى ان احنا نخرج نتفسح و نشم نفسنا شويه قبل ما نخش على الامتحانات. قعدنا نفكر هنخرج فين لحد ما واحد صاحبى قال: انا هعملكو مفاجأه، هنروح مكان اول مره نروحه. كلنا اصرينا ان احنا نعرف ايه هو المكان ده لحد ما قالنا شارع المعز. الاسم كان غريب بالنسبه لى و كان اول مره اسمع عنه. المهم جهزنا نفسنا و جه يوم الخميس. خلصنا الكليه و ركبنا المترو. المشوار كان طويل شويه، بس المكان كان جميل جداً. من اول الشارع بتلاقى باب اثرى اسمه باب النصر ضخم جداً و شكله جميل. المكان كان كله تراث و اثار اسلامى. و من اجمل الجوامع هناك جامع الحاكم بأمر الله. دخلنا الجامع ده. الساحه بتاعته جميله جداً مليانه حمام و قناديل و عمدان. شكلها جميل جداً و برضه كان فيه حاجه زى نافوره. بس معجبتنيش اوى. صلينا العصر هناك. و قعدنا نتصور و نصور المكان. و بعد كده دخلنا كذا جامع تانى. كانوا كويسين بس مش زى جامع الحاكم. المكان فى المجمل رائع، بس كان فيه شوية سلبيات زى ان نضافة الشارع مش اوى بالنسبه لمكان اثرى. كمان مفيش حاجه بتحكى عن كل مكان، زى مثلاً اتبنى ليه و امتى و الحاجات دى. بس زى ما قلت المكان تحف، و فيه ناس كتير فى مصر مش عارفه. لازم يفكروا يزوروه فى اقرب فرصه.

After a difficult and exhausting week at college, my friends and I decided to go out and have some fun before the exams start. We kept thinking about where we should go until one of my friends said, “I’ll surprise you by going to a place that we have never gone before.” We insisted on knowing the place, so he told us Muizz Street. The name was a little strange for me and it was the first time to hear about it Anyway, we got ready. It was Thursday. We finished school and took the subway. It was a bit of a long journey, but the place was amazing. At the beginning of the street, you can see an enormous, historical gate called Nasr Gate, and it looks so nice. The whole place was full of Islamic heritage and monuments. And the most beautiful mosque there is a mosque called Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. We went into that mosque. Its courtyard is fabulous, full of pigeons, lanterns, and columns. They looked so nice. Also, there was something like a fountain, but I didn’t like it so much. We performed the afternoon prayers there. And we kept taking photos of ourselves and of the place. After that, we went into some other mosques. They were nice, but not like the Al-Hakim Mosque. The whole street was fantastic, but there were some negatives, as the street was not that clean for a historic place. And also there was nothing to tell about the places, like why they were built and when, and things like that. But as I said, the place is amazing. And many people in Egypt don’t know about it. They should think about visiting at the earliest opportunity.

One Comment

  1. مصطفى
    مقال جميل?
    المره الجايه روحوا يوم سبت او اربع
    على الساعه سبعه بالليل
    هتلاقي عرض تنوره ف وكالة الغوري
    دي في اخر شارع المعز من ناحية جامع الأزهر
    العرض ده تحفه لازم تشوفوه

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