Photo : Yasmeen 94 — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cairo · Gamaliya
Beit el-Suhaymi
An Ottoman house of 1648 in a lane off al-Muizz, courtyard and mashrabiya intact.
The first part of the house went up in 1648 in the lane called Darb al-Asfar, a few steps off al-Muizz Street; late in the eighteenth century Sheikh Ahmad as-Suhaymi, whose name stayed on it, bought the neighbouring houses and made the lot into one dwelling around a courtyard. What you visit is the full plan of a Cairene house: the marble-floored qa'a for receiving guests, the women's quarters behind their mashrabiya, the bath, the well, the wind catcher that pulls the northern breeze down from above the roofs. The courtyard is planted, a palm standing in the middle of it, and the turned wood filters the light while giving the lane nothing to see. The state took the house over in the twentieth century and it has been restored since.
The extra bit
Go up to the first floor and look down into the courtyard through the wooden lattice: the house was made for that angle — seeing without being seen.
Know before you go
Paid entry, and a camera may cost extra. The lane is narrow and carries no sign visible from al-Muizz, so ask for Darb al-Asfar, on the eastern side. Steep wooden stairs, uneven floors and no lift: the house is not wheelchair accessible. Concerts are held in the courtyard; what is on changes and this guide does not follow it, so ask at the ticket window.
