Bayt al-Suhaymi: the Ottoman courtyard house hidden away in Darb al-Asfar, Cairo

Al-Muizz li-Din Allah Street is one of the most photographed streets in Islamic Cairo: Mamluk minarets, restored sabils, lamp sellers and, in the evening, rivers of people. Most visitors walk its whole length without turning into the side alleys. One of these is Darb al-Asfar, a narrow lane on the east side. A few metres in, on the right, a tall and almost blind stone façade conceals Bayt al-Suhaymi, one of the best-preserved Ottoman townhouses in Egypt.

The inner courtyard

From the outside it promises little, and that is exactly the point: the domestic architecture of Ottoman Cairo turned its back on the street to protect the family's privacy. Past the bent entrance (a corridor that turns to prevent a direct view from outside), you emerge into the sahn, the inner courtyard. Here there is a small garden with palms and plants, a fountain, and all around the open, decorated inner façades. The contrast with the outer wall is what strikes you most: the building keeps its greenery and its shade to itself.

The oldest house was built in 1648 by Abdel Wahab el Tablawy. In 1796 Haji Ismail Chelebi added the second part, joining the two blocks together; the house takes its name from its last resident, Sheikh Muhammad Amin as-Suhaymi: the family held it for generations and enlarged it by absorbing the neighbouring houses, until it became the elaborate complex you visit today. It is built in the Ottoman style, with separate floors for men and women, following the traditional division of domestic spaces. Going up and through the rooms you can still see, largely intact, the inlaid marble floors, the painted wooden ceilings and the wooden furnishings.

The mashrabiya

The detail that is worth the ticket is the mashrabiya: the screens of turned cedar wood that close off the windows and inner balconies. They served to let air and filtered light through while allowing those inside to see who was below without being seen, above all from the women's rooms overlooking the courtyard. Seen against the light they are a very fine lattice; touched, they are pieces of joinery assembled without a single nail. Go up to the upper floors: from the loggias you get the best view over the courtyard and the rooftops of the neighbourhood.

From museum to restoration

The house had good fortune even after the family. In 1931 the Suhaymis sold it to the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe, the body that saved many of the monuments of historic Cairo. In 1996 a restoration funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development also recovered the adjacent houses of the complex (Mostafa Ga'afar, the Sabil-Kuttab of Qitas and Kharazaty). Today it is a museum devoted to both architecture and folklore, and now and then it hosts small concerts of traditional music in the courtyard.

Why do people walk past without going in? Because it is on a side alley and not on the main street, because the façade is uninviting, and because those walking along al-Muizz tend to aim for the large, floodlit monuments. The result: even on busy days, inside Bayt al-Suhaymi there are only a handful of people, and the courtyard remains one of the quietest and shadiest corners in the area.

How to get there

How to get there: you are in the heart of Islamic Cairo, at the northern end of al-Muizz Street, near Bab al-Futuh and the mosque of al-Hakim. From Bab al-Shaaria metro station (line 3) it is about ten minutes on foot; alternatively, take a taxi or ride-hailing to Bab al-Futuh and then walk into the alley. Early morning is best, when the light cuts across the courtyard and the tour buses have not yet arrived. Check the hours and ticket price on site, as they can change; admission is charged.