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CITY OF A THOUSAND MINARETS, Cairo, Egypt

2006.05.30.

In 1996, British director Anthony Minghella adapted Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient into a box office hit and critically acclaimed movie. In the film, the 1940’s Historic Cairo appears to be an untouched medieval Arab city. In reality, the scenes were filmed in Tunisia, as the real Cairo is a much more developed city. Nonetheless, the UNESCO World Heritage listed Historic Cairo, or commonly known as Islamic Cairo, is the “Cairo” that most travellers and audience of The English Patient desire to see: a vibrant neighbourhood full of winding alleyways, souks, fountains, medieval mansions, hammans, and most of all, mosques of different sizes and with them, a thousand minarets that make up the city’s skyline. Established in 969 AD, Cairo was the capital city of the Fatimid Caliphate until the 12th century. Then the city changed hands from one Islamic empire to another, including the Ottomans. Throughout centuries, Cairo was situated in the midst of caravan routes between Africa and the Middle East. From spices, Yemeni coffee to Indian textiles, Cairo has always been a trading hub in the Arab world.

Just like many old Arab cities, my first impression of Islamic Cairo was noisy, chaotic, disorganized, crowded, disorienting, and confusing. However, at certain moment when I stood under the shade of a minaret or took refuge at a tranquil teashop near the souk of Khan el-Khalili, I felt being miles away from the hectic activities and could easily imagine myself being in the Old Cairo of The English Patient.

Every time I ventured out my hotel I would likely go past the historical Midan Square. At the centre of the square stood a statue of Mustafa Kamil Pasha, a nationalist activist in late 19th century and early 20th century.

The Tahrir Square is the most famous public square in downtown Cairo. In recent years, the square is widely known as the focal point for the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and gathered at the Tahrir Square.

Without traffic lights, crossing the traffic circle at Tahrir Square was one of the most exciting experience in downtown Cairo, especially during rush hours.

As the main square in downtown Cairo, Tahrir Square is the most prominent spot for commercial advertisement.

Sometimes referred to as the Paris along the Nile, the 19th century Cairo had undergone a series of urban transformations after Khedive Ismail, the Khedive of Egypt, visited Paris and decided to leave his European mark in the city.

Touring Old Cairo allowed me to appreciate many historical buildings.

Founded by an Austrian merchant, the iconic Tiring Building was department store opened in 1912. However, due to WWI, the Austrian business was forced into liquidation by 1920. Since then, the abandoned building became home to many small business and workshops. The glass globe on the roof has became a well known feature in the neighbourhood.

In Old Cairo, each building is unique and can be photogenic in its own way.

Tea houses or the ahwa are popular in Cairo as the venue for relaxation and social activities.

Bab El Nasr or Gate of Victory, is one of the three remaining gates of the Old City of Cairo.

Traditional brass lanterns are eye-catching highlights for buildings in Islamic Cairo.

Mashrabiya, a projected bay window covered with wooden latticework, is a common feature in Islamic Cairo.

Wandering in Old Cairo was an enjoyable experience if not the overwhelming summer heat.

I spent most of the day walking around Islamic Cairo without a destination in mind.

I passed by a mosque entrance while morning prayer was called.

Then I noticed splendid minarets of Al-Azhar Mosque right in front of me. Al-Azhar Mosque was established in 972 AD as the first mosque of Cairo. The mosque also hosts the world’s second oldest university.

Al-Azhar University is well known in the Islamic world for the study of Sunni theology and Islamic law. Today, the mosque serves as a symbol of Islamic Egypt.

Built in the 15th century, the Minaret of Qaytbay is a prominent feature crowned by a finial top.

The decorative motifs near the entrances of Al-Azhar Mosque are quite spectacular.

November 9, 2020 | Categories: Africa: Middle East, Cairo, Giza & Memphis, Egypt, Middle East 2006 | Tags: Al-Azhar, Bab El Nasr, Cairo, Egypt, gate, Islam, Islamic, Khan el-Khalili, mashrabiya, minaret, mosque, Muslim, Mustafa Kamil Pasha, square, Tahrir, tea, The English Patient, Tiring | Leave a comment

DAY 5 (1/3): FUSHIMI INARI SHRINE (伏見稲荷大社) Part 1, Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.07

For several years the famous Shinto shrine Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) has been voted as the favorite tourist attraction in Kyoto on a number of travel websites. The images of the vermilion Senbon Torii (千本鳥居, thousands of torii gates) winding up the Mount Inari (233m) and the clusters of miniature shrines and private graves hidden in the woods certainly nourish the public imagination of a mysterious old Japan. We thought of visiting the shrine in late afternoon or early evening when the twilight was gradually fading away, shifting the tone of everything from orange to violet and then blue. Somehow that wasn’t realized, and instead we chose to explore this highly popular and spiritual place early in the morning of our last day of the trip. To beat the crowds, getting up before sunrise was crucial. It was only a short JR train ride from Kyoto Station to Inari Station. By the time we set foot at the entrance route of the Taisha it was a little before 7:30am.

To make the most out of the last day in Kyoto, we get up before dawn and carried our backpack and luggage to Kyoto Station. At daybreak, we bid farewell to the tranquil Shirakawa River in our Higashiyama neighborhood.

At Kyoto Station, we stored our belongings at one of the many lockers and hopped onto a Nara-bounded train for Inari Station.

The ride to the peaceful Inari Station took only a few minutes, and the entrance route of Fushimi Inari Taisha was just right across the road.

***

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) was first established in the 8th century dedicated to Inari (稲荷大神), the God of Rice and Sake. In the agricultural nation, the God of Rice was a powerful figure who governed the fortune of lives. In the modern age, the power of Inari had been shifted to offer blessing on the prosperity of businesses and people’s lives in general.

A large torii gate led us towards the Romon Gate (楼門, Lower Gate).

The Romon Gate (楼門, Lower Gate) was a donation in 1589 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉), the famous daimyō (大名, feudal warlord) who unified a large part of the country.

There were only a few visitors at the Worship Hall in front of the Honden (Main Building). After paying our respects, we couldn’t wait longer to begin the hike up to the peak of Mount Inari via the remarkable Senbon Torii.

***

On Mount Inari, two features stood out. First was of course the vermilion torii gates. Donated by individuals and business companies, there were over 5000 torii gates guiding our way up the Mount Inari. The second feature was the kitsune (fox). Uncounted statues of foxes appeared along the trail, usually came in pairs standing in front of the Shinto shrines. Foxes were believed to be the Kenzoku, the messenger of god.

We walked past the first pair of bronze fox statues right after the visit of the main shrine. Many fox statues here carried a key in their mouth (to the rice granary).

Our hike up the 4km trail began at this cluster of the vermilion Senbon Torii (千本鳥居, thousands of torii gates).

Only a handful of visitors were there, such a blessing given this place is also famous for big visitor crowds throughout the day. The record was 2.69 million during the 3 days of New Year period in 2006.

Soon we arrived at the trailhead of the dual route. Both route would ultimately converge back to a single path. We picked the left route.

From one direction, the Senbon Torii appeared clean and minimal.

Looking back we could see columns of dates and donor’s names along the path as far as the eye could see.

We stopped at most of the sub shrine along the trail.

After a while, the trail gradually turned steeper with stone steps.

Half way through the ascend, the view from the Yotsutsuji Intersection was amazing in a clear morning. Many tourists would turn back from here.

We continued on the uphill journey, and stopped by a number of miniature shrines and grave clusters. Mini fox statues, mini vermilion torii gates and candles were often seen as offerings.

We often made detours from the trail into groups of mini shrines and graves. We bumped into this what looked like a shrine guardian cat.

The cat came from behind the shrine and jumped from a a stone stele to another, and finally stayed on a small tablet under the morning sun… just for a few seconds.

A pair of stone lions and foxes were on guard by the small shrine of God of Rain.

The early morning sun was nice and warm, and cast a magical highlight onto the torii gates.

Fallen autumn leaves added an extra sense of solitude to the quiet trail.

While at certain spots the autumn leaves gave a vivid background to the otherwise greyish setting of stones steles and statues.

By the time we reached “Second Peak” we knew we were just minutes away from the peak.

At around 9:15 we reached the top of Mount Inari, after about an hour and 45 minutes of hike.

***

March 3, 2017 | Categories: Japan, Japan: Kyoto and Nara 2016, Kyoto and Nara | Tags: autumn, cat, 稲荷大社, 稲荷大神, 鳥居, fox, Fushumi, gate, hike, Inari, Japan, Kyoto, maples, rice, senbon, Shinto, Shintoism, Shrine, torii, Trail, vermilion, Yotsutsuji, 千本鳥居, 京都, 伏見 | Leave a comment

Blue Lapis Road ultramarinus – beyond the sea

Posts tagged “gate”

CITY OF A THOUSAND MINARETS, Cairo, Egypt

DAY 5 (1/3): FUSHIMI INARI SHRINE (伏見稲荷大社) Part 1, Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.07