Cairo of Naguib Mahfouz

Cairo of Naguib Mahfouz

He turned his passion for her into novels... she turned her passion for him into the world's top literary award

dreamt that I was touring that Cairo of Naguib Mahfouz,  the novelist who made a record of the contemporary history of Egypt, with all its troubles, sufferings, horrors and major events in each and every novel he wrote, to the extent that we should take his works as a preserved historic document that witnessed the times this nation had. I remember the words of the great writer Gamal al-Ghitani who said: “No one has ever been faithful and sincere to his city as much as Naguib Mahfouz was to Cairo."

Mahfouz, the Cairo-man to the core, a plant that was rooted in the depth of its acolytes and alleys, is the one whose writings provide evidence for how deep his soul has melted in a particular way with

this Cairo entity that he discovered through his unprecedented ability to absorb the enormous figures and characters of its people (be they merchants, employees, bullies, rascals, belly dancers, beggars, dervishes or religious leaders). Mahfouz also managed to absorb, digest and integrate the local family relationships between children, parents, grandparents, husbands, wives and neighbors. He turned all that richness into heroes in his novels. That makes us very attached to these characters to the extent that we could envision them and acquire the ability to see their physical appearance through his words. For example, the character of “Ahmed Abdel-Gawwad”, the strict man in the famous trilogy, (Yehia Shahin in the film version) is said to have been revealed to Mahfouz through his encounter to one of the families that lived next door to his home when he was young. He says: “The house had closed windows all the time. They were never opened. No one ever was leaving the house except this man named Sheikh Radwan, with his majestic looks.” Mahfouz tells that his own mother used to accompany him to visit this family, and he saw that the man's wife is not allowed to get out at all.

Other people say that the character of “Ahmed Abdel-Gawwad” actually presents the well known Master Fishawi, the owner of the famous Fishawi café in Khan al-Khalili. While sailing with all your Sabeel Abdul Rahihan Katkhuda emotions and feelings in the vast sea of people of this Cairo of NaAl-Moezz Street guib Mahfouz, especially in the areas of Gamaleyya, Abbaseyya, alHussein and al-Ghoreyya, you would definitely be captivated by the spirit of this man who explored and interacted with these places and those people for nearly 100 years (Mahfouz was born in 1911). The one growing up in such atmosphere could be nothing but an innovative, creative writer. How could someone grow up in such an open-air museum of historical monuments evade the invitation to creativity of such impressive surrounding?

The Tour Starts from al-Hussein and Khan al-Khalili

I am now next to the Imam Al-Hussein mosque, which is a wonderful piece of gorgeous Ottoman-style architecture. Crowds from all over the world come to this mosque to become enriched with the 'blessings of that place, and to perfume their souls with its beauty. Voices of re- ligious chanters escalate and spread all over the area to pose on you - the ordinary passer-by - a peerless state of love!!

The glitter and the smell of incense rising from the old shops would attract you so that you follow the fragrance and let go your feet wonder unconsciously towards the beauty of the architecture and the genius construction of “Khan al-Khalili” as you encounter the kind tender faces of the traders, who came from Hebron area in Palestine dressed in their old uniforms. Here you can supply yourself with some of the pieces that bear a history within, and then return back loaded with a tangible memory, as well as the mental stateof-mind, which remains for ever.

This Khan is undoubtedly an architectural masterpiece, no doubt, yet to the left side, the road would lead you to a place that is a center of fascination, which is the most famous “Fishawy café”. By then you would realize that the eternal fascination is nowhere but here.

The charm of the Khan flows to AlMuizz Street, which is rich in artistic treasures. I cannot just call these pieces as historic buildings only, in fact they are architectural marvels made with unique style in every detail.

If Bab al-Fotouh would open the gate of tales, we would see the Mosque of Al-Hakem shining at our faces. It is the second largest mosque in Cairo, and it is an architectural masterpiece with an entrance of a huge stone structure. The mosque features an aesthetic decorated hallway and the oldest minarets remaining till this day. However, Bab al-Nasr brings us immediately to the tales of the wonderful museum-styled Street (AlMuizz Street). This masterpiece must take your breath away and capture your eyes. You will inevitably find many people fix- ing their eyes and adjusting their cameras to capture the looks of the magnificent decorations and the astonishing designs. Here you see also the school, mosque and fountain of Soleiman Agha al-Selehdar, with luster and splendor from outside that would catch your heart to delve into the very magnificent interior. Once you are out of your astonishment, you will be attracted by the façade that has not been matched in its decorations, carvings and inscriptions with any other mosques in Cairo. It is the mosque called Al-Aqmar, with its white colored moon-like stones. The name of this mosque and area was not only woven into the novel that has the same name, but it was also the background of many artistic creations. When you go through till you reach the Kottab and fountain of Abdel Rahman Kat-khuda, you will be surprised with this ultimately superior design and the attractive golden-colored scene. Maybe you will be caught in confusion as it becomes difficult to decide whether to complete your tour in the land of interlocutor art in Al-Muezz Street (Sultan Baeqouq Mosque, Muhammad Ali fountain, al-Ghori group, the Dome of al-Nasir Muhammad (and the most beautiful minaret of Cairo) and Sultan Qalawun group till you reach Bab Zuweila, which is decorated by the two Minarets of Al-Mouayyad mosque, or to move rightwards instead where you follow the tunnel that reminds me of a scene from the novel “Palace Walk”; the first volume of the famous trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz, which was turned into a movie later on - to take your path to Darb Cormez (Crimson Path) where Mahfouz was peering out of the balcony of his home to look upon his first beloved girl in his life (who was older than him and whom he never managed to talk to!! as he was silently in love with her when he was six years old!!).

As the literary critic Raymond Stock pointed, if Mahfouz was overlooking the love of his life from a balcony, he was also peering out on the other side of the human will; violence. From his home, Mahfouz overlooked al-Gamaleyya Police Station and al-Qady Square. That enabled him to witnessed many demonstrations against the British occupation, whose soldiers fired at the demonstrators. Mahfouz said: “What I recall as something that used to shake me from the inside was the demonstrations of women in al-Gamaleyya streets and al-Qady Square”. There are no words stronger than his own saying at the ceremony of receiving his Nobel Prize for Literature (October 1988) that he is the son of two civilizations that successfully mingled with each other in a glorious era of history: the seven-thousandyear-old Pharaonic civilization, and the 1400-year-old Islamic civilization.