al-Azhar and Whirling Dirvishes

Monday night, our professors at AUC were gracious enough to take us Fulbrighters out to explore up-all-night Cairo. We took a cab and headed to Old Cairo, the location of the famous Khan al-Khalili market and  al-Azhar Mosque, widely considered to be the center of Sunni Islamic learning as well as host to the second oldest university in the world. It was founded around AD 970, so it was quite a feeling to be in the midst of such a historical institution.

With it being Ramadan, the crowds were out in full force. After fasting from before dawn to sunset, Egyptians take full advantage of the night to fill up on dinner and a host of sweets. People generally stay up to all hours eating and spending time with family and friends. The bustling streets, stores, and restaurants are an amazing sight, and one can feel the joy in the air. Good times all around. I myself tried several dishes, my favorite being similar to rice pudding--only milkier and with crushed nuts. I probably could have eaten a couple pounds of the stuff. We also got some tea and shisha (water pipe) at a local cafe. Our big group of Americans stood out like a sore thumb, but the workers enjoyed having us visit their shop. The line of people trying to sell us goods while we were there became almost comical. The item of the night was wallets. After a while, I started to think the wallet factory was next door. Their tenacity, however, was laudable. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. And try they did.

We were also fortunate enough to attend a cultural show that featured whirling dirvishes, thus named for their ability to spin for extended periods of time. One of the "whirlers" must have spun for a good 20 minutes. I felt myself getting sick and holding my breath after a while just watching him. When he finally stopped, he didn't even flinch or wobble. Amazing. This spinning is also a Sufi (mystical Islam) religious activity, whereby the whirlers are said to enter a trance-like state and achieve a closer one-ness with God. Any way you "spin" it, it was pretty cool to watch. Of course, there were several musicians that accompanied the show, including horn and percussion performances. The music definitely reinforced my desire to take tabla (drum) lessons when I finally get to Zagazig. 

We didn't get back til late, but that's the norm now. When in Rome Cairo. . .