Ibn Tulun is the oldest mosque in Egypt. This fact will excite an architectural historian, but for the casual visitor the main interest lies in its curious open-air minaret and in het adjacent Gayer-Anderson house, preserved as Cairo’s most fascinating and quirkily individual museum. The mosque is a little awkward to get to from the city centre and a taxi is the only option, but it is a mere one kilometre from the Citadel and the two can be combined in one half-day trip.

A commemorative plaque tells that it was opened for prayers in May 879. Its design is like nothing else found in Egypt and reflects Ibn Tulun’s Iraqi origins. Architectural historians point out the similarities to the Great Mosque at Samarra, built around 30 years previously, especially the spiral minaret.

Straight across the road from the museum and mosque as you leave is Khan Misr Touloun, an emporium stocked with pottery, glass, carvings, hand-woven textiles, and all sorts of beautiful objects made by artisans and craftspeople throughout Egypt.