Cairo is currently undergoing a profound transformation. The metropolis is being split into two parallel realities, and if the plan succeeds, it will permanently change one of the world’s oldest and most historic cities. On this tour, we visit both the new and the old Cairo to understand how the popular uprising of 2011 has revolutionized Egypt’s capital — just not in the way the demonstrators had hoped for.

We begin at Tahrir Square in Downtown Cairo, which for decades has been the epicenter of both state power and people’s power. Colonial rulers, modern pharaohs, political movements, and ordinary citizens have all competed for control over Downtown. Today, however, the district has become a place that no one claims ownership of. The elite have abandoned it and erased their own traces, while ordinary citizens keep their distance. We walk through the streets to see how Downtown’s history is being rewritten and hear some of the stories that renovations attempt to conceal. It is here that we find the explanation for why Tahrir Square has become a place feared by both the powerful and the powerless.

From here, we travel to the elite’s new city in the desert, where only a few years ago there was nothing but stone and sand. Here, the rich and powerful plan to isolate themselves from old Cairo’s inferno of people, traffic, garbage, poverty, and protests. They are building their own Dubai — but with an Orwellian character. Clinically clean, hyper-modern, and monitored around the clock from every angle. We move from one Guinness World Record-setting building to the next, trying to understand why Egypt’s current ruler finds it necessary to construct a new, pompous seat of power — just like some of the pharaohs and caliphs of the past did. Out here in the desert, not only Cairo’s future but the future of all of Egypt is being decided. The current regime stands or falls with its new city.

For 1,000 years, the beating heart of Cairo was its Islamic quarter. At its medieval peak, Islamic Cairo was likely the largest and wealthiest city in the world. This enabled its rulers to construct monuments that rival the temples and tombs of ancient Egypt in both size and beauty. For many Egyptians, this golden age remains an important point of reference that still feels relevant today, while the era of the pharaohs seems more distant in both time and mindset. Some even wish to recreate the Islamic caliphate in our own time. But what was life really like in an Islamic state?

On this tour, we walk down the main thoroughfare of Islamic Cairo and visit mosques, mausoleums, universities, and bathhouses to gain insight into life in the Middle Ages. We hear stories of both eccentric and philosophical caliphs, of clever and ambitious female sultans, and of a corps of warriors who rose from slavery to become rulers. Through these stories, we seek to understand how the caliphs and their jurists actually governed — and whether this aligns with the glorified image of the caliphate promoted by present-day Islamists and jihadists.

We also venture beyond the city walls to visit the vast Islamic cemeteries. They form an entire district where the dead live side by side with people, who eak out their daily living caring for those who have passed away. We see how many pharaonic traditions connected to death survived both the arrival of Christianity and Islam and can still be felt today. More than anywhere else, the duel between spiritual belief and dogmatic religion has been played out here in the cemeteries.

We conclude the day with a visit to Cairo’s largest park, from which there is a magnificent view over Islamic Cairo.

In chaotic Cairo, creativity is an absolute necessity. Without it, it can be di6icult to navigate the obstacle course that the city presents to its inhabitants. One of the best examples of this is Cairo’s artisans. Under constant pressure from all sides, they continually find new ways to sustain their craft and keep traditions alive. On this tour, we travel across the city to visit some of them.

We begin at an art center on the outskirts of the city. It was founded by the architect Ramsis Wissa, who has played a decisive role in preserving and developing traditional Egyptian building techniques. At his center, it is spontaneous, childlike creativity that he seeks to protect. Wissa trains locals from nearby villages to weave detailed wall tapestries from pure imagination, not using any sketches.

We then head to “Garbage City.” Here, impoverished residents have made a living from sorting and recycling the city’s waste — and they are as e6icient as any Scandinavian recycling facility. Up to 90 percent of the waste is repurposed, and some of it is transformed into handicrafts. A local organization has established workshops where volunteer artists teach residents to sew, fold, paint, and design everything from jewelry and carpets to stu6ed animals and everyday objects.

From there, we continue to the Tentmakers’ Street in the Islamic quarter, where for centuries craftsmen made mobile homes for traveling merchants. The era of caravans is over, and today these artisans produce wedding pavilions and home textiles. Their designs draw on all of Egypt’s traditional motifs — Islamic, Arab, and pharaonic alike. We proceed to the great bazaar, Khan al-Khalili, where cheap Chinese-produced goods and kitschy souvenirs mix with traditional craftsmanship. And finally, we visit shops where handicrafts from across the country are given the space and attention they truly deserve.

Duration:6–7 hours

Price:1,500 DKK per person, including transportation, entrance tickets, lunch, tea, and coffee.

Booking: Request a tour by writing an email to Rasmus at boegeskov@gmail.com.