Beit Zeinab Al Khatoun

Cairo


Beit Zeinab Al Khatoun is a small but interesting Ottoman-era house with a rooftop affording superb views of the surrounding minaret-studded skyline. The courtyard has a traditional ahwa, much frequented by young Cairenes. The house is on a little piazza at the end of a narrow street behind the Al Azhar Mosque.

Across the plaza, Beit Al Harrawi is another fine 18th-century mansion, but its sparse interior isn’t worth the entry fee. Both houses are often used as concert venues, and Beit Al Harrawi is home to the Arabic Oud House, a music school; at night it’s often open and you can wander in for free.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo attractions

1. Al Azhar Mosque

0.11 MILES

Founded in AD 970 as the centrepiece of the newly created Fatimid city, Al Azhar is one of Cairo’s earlier mosques, and its sheikh is considered the…

2. Midan Al Hussein

0.17 MILES

The square between the two venerated mosques of Al Azhar and Sayyidna Al Hussein was one of the focal points of Mamluk Cairo and remains an important…

3. Wikala of Al Ghouri

0.18 MILES

Built in AD 1504 by the Mamluk sultan Al Ghouri, this wikala was originally designed as an inn for traders following the caravan routes from the east and…

4. Mosque of Sayyidna Al Hussein

0.22 MILES

One of the most sacred Islamic sites in Egypt, this mosque is the reputed burial place of the head of Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed. Most of…

5. Mausoleum of Al Ghouri

0.24 MILES

The penultimate Mamluk sultan Al Ghouri built his funerary complex in 1504, on both sides of Sharia Al Muizz. At the age of 78, Al Ghouri was beheaded in…

6. Khan Al Khalili

0.24 MILES

The skinny lanes of Khan Al Khalili are basically a medieval-style mall. This agglomeration of shops – many arranged around small courtyards – stocks…

7. Mosque-Madrassa of Al Ghouri

0.25 MILES

On the western side of Sharia Al Muizz, opposite the mausoleum, is the second part of Al Ghouri's funerary complex, the intimate and richly decorated…

8. Midaq Alley

0.26 MILES

This tiny alley is Islamic Cairo's literary star thanks to being immortalised in Naguib Mahfouz's famous novel named after the street. Although the…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "egypt/cairo/attractions/beit-zeinab-al-khatoun/a/poi-sig/406232/355225",
      "destination": "Cairo",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "Egypt",
      "city": "Cairo",
      "position": "superzone"
    }