The number one natural resource in Egypt is history. Unlike its oil-rich neighbors, the Egyptian economy relies on the foreign money of tourists who fly into Cairo from all points of the compass to see colossal monuments, puzzle over cyclopean architecture, and experience walking where the ancients once lived out their days. This has resulted in an organic fusion of the very ancient with the ultra modern. 25
Jun
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Built more than 1,100 years ago, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun still looks largely the way it did when first constructed, although the entire city that was built around it was destroyed just 26 years later.
The mosque tells the story of a court servant, the son of a Turkish slave, who came to rule all of Egypt and part of Syria. He would rise to declare independence for his kingdom-as well as himself-from those who once owned him. This article will explore the history of Ahmad Ibn Tulun and the mosque that bears his name, an important part of the story of Islam in Egypt.
Coptic Cairo occupies the oldest part of the oldest part of a very old city, and is of historical import to no less than four empires, three world religions, the two most important men in the Bible, and one of the oldest languages still spoken. It is the heart of Old Cairo and the birthplace of the city itself. 
For seven centuries the Citadel was the seat of Islamic supremacy in Egypt. Like the pharaohs of old, the sultans built magnificent symbols of power and piety, pushed the boundaries of architecture and engineering, and wrote their history in stone and gold. If the pyramids are the most obvious symbols of ancient royalty, the Citadel of Salah al-Din is clearly the emblem of the Muslim dynasties.
