Book of Khidr

Minaret of Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo, Egypt, built entirely of carved stucco, red brick, and plaster, with a helical (spiral) outer staircase (similar to the minaret in Samarra). It was said one could climb these stairs on a horse and this has fascinated me since childhood. Architectural historian Doris Behrens-Abouseif asserts that Sultan Lajin, who restored the mosque in 1296, was responsible for the construction of the current minaret. Photographed by K.A.C. Creswell circa 1921-1924.

Inner arches of Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo, Egypt. The mosque was commissioned under the rule of Ahmad ibn Tulun (Abbassid governor of Egypt from 868–884), designed by the prominent Egyptian architect Saiid Ibn Kateb Al-Farghany (a Christian Orthodox architect and engineer who designed the Nilometer), constructed in the Samarran style common with Abbasid constructions. It’s the oldest mosque in Egypt surviving in its full original form, and the largest mosque in Cairo. Photogravure by Martin Hürlimann (Swiss publisher and photographer) in 1937.

Ibn Tulun mosque commissioned under the rule of Ahmad ibn Tulun (Abbassid governor of Egypt from 868–884), designed by the prominent Egyptian architect Saiid Ibn Kateb Al-Farghany (a Christian Orthodox architect and engineer who designed the Nilometer), constructed in the Samarran style common with Abbasid constructions. It’s the oldest mosque in Egypt surviving in its full original form, and the largest mosque in Cairo.

Paul Strand (American photographer 1890 – 1976), Facade Naga El Dosour, Egypt, 1959

Paul Strand, Man and a donkey, Hag Khalil, Egypt, 1959

Paul Strand, Abu Gandir, Egypt, 1959

Paul Strand, Kawthar, Kalata al Kobra, Egypt, 1959

Holy Qur’ān, illuminated manuscript signed Tanam Al-Najmi Al-Maliki Al-Ashrafi, Egypt, 1489

Ian Berry (British photojournalist with Magnum Photos, born in Preston, in 1934), Women workers in a field of vegetables, Nile Delta, Egypt, 1998

Samer Mohdad, The Imam Hussain ibn Ali quarter of the Al Ahzar mosque of Cairo, Egypt, 1994

Thomas Hoepker, The Nile at Aswan, Egypt, 1966

Harry Gruyaert (Belgian photographer, born in Antwerp in 1941), Cairo, Egypt, 1987. The beautiful red textile featured here is called khayamiya (derived from the Arabic word khayma خيمة meaning tent in Arabic, khiyam and khayam -depending on the dialect- خيام for plural). It’s the quintessential Egyptian art of tent-making and sadly an endangered art form (with only 20 more or less of artisan tentmakers).

Harry Gruyaert (Belgian photographer, born in Antwerp in 1941), Town of Assouan, Egypt, 1992

Pascal Meunier (French documentary photographer, born in 1968), The last baths of Cairo, Egypt, American University Press, 2009

Les derniers bains du Caire de Pascal Meunier, Éditions Le Bec en L’Air, 2009

The last hammams of Cairo, The American University Press, 2009

René Burri (Swiss photographer, born in Zurich, 1933 – 2014), Alexandria, Egypt, 1962

Eve Arnold, Women bringing water home, a small village across the Nile from Luxor, Egypt, 1970

Alex Webb, Cairo, Egypt, 1980