In these pages you will hopefully find interesting tips on how to take advantage of Cairo's many cultural opportunities, with particular attention to live events. Cairo Live Events Guide does not pretend to be exhaustive but will try to cover main events open to the public.

This is a private, independent, nonprofit endeavour. This blog was started in August 2008 by Cairowanderer who has been running it solo up to May 2011. Since then Cairene Beat contributes as well to the blog. If you have any comment, tip, or information you think might be relevant for the blog, please write to cairowanderer@gmail.com or cairenebeat@gmail.com.

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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Beit Al-Harrawi

Beit al-Harawi, in the area to the south of the mosque of Al-Azhar, was built in 1731 and occupied until 1920. A joint French-Egyptian restoration project in the 90s has saved whatever could be saved of it with brilliant results. It is now home of the Arab House of Oud run by the famous oud player Naseer Shamma (see bio at http://cairoliveeventsguide.blogspot.com/2008/09/naseer-shamma.html) and hosts concerts in its courtyard; it is a very evocative surrounding.
It is easy to reach there if you know where the main entrance of the Al-Azhar mosque is. Imagine you come out from the mosque, turn left and then again left, bordering the mosque’s southern walls. You are in Mohammed Abdou St. Continue along this alley (flanked on its right side by the Caravanserai of Qaytbay with the shop of the famous bookbinder Abd El-Zaher) until you find Beit Zeinab Khatun literally blocking your way. Follow the street bending on the right and you’ll find in front of you a small square closed to the traffic. To the far end of the square are two old houses. The one on the left is Beit al-Harawi (the one on the right is Beit Al-Sitt Wassila, also renovated). There you are! If you’re in for some shopping there is a lovely handicraft shop on the square itself.
The whole walk should not be more than 300 meters … but beware, I am terrible calculating distances. To me, walking in these alley is always so charming and effortless, and I stop so often to get into a building or to take a picture that I … “loose track”.
Address: Mohamed Abdou St., Tel. 25104174

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