The House of Al-Suhaymi

Bayt el-Suhaymi is an easy site to miss.  Walking down al Muizz street from Khan el Khali, you are facing the wrong direction to see this large sign, or if you do see it, you might not realize it is necessary to walk down the narrow alley to find the house.  That's the almost hidden entrance below the mashrabiya windows.


The walk down the alley is really a part of the journey back in time to see the house, as the street itself is a remnant of earlier centuries. 


You'll have to pay an extra 35 Egyptian pounds to enter, as this special treat is not included on the regular al Muizz tour ticket.

Once inside, you will find a huge house that takes quite a while to tour and is worth the admission price.  There are plenty of windows.


The central courtyard garden has a pleasant domed setting with stained glass on the top that casts patterns on the floor.





The interior rooms have many attractive patterns of light.


Or, if you particularly enjoy doors, there are many types.





Marble inlaid floors and fountains?




Ceilings?









The lamps are interesting viewed in the context of the room or by themselves.


And there are a few pictures of the house before restoration that are interesting.




Like almost all monuments in Cairo, there is no brochure with details available, so bring along a smart phone or other device to scan a site such as this one to make sure you see everything.  We missed an entire section so now we will have to return to Cairo next winter to see that part of the house.

As always, just click on any of the pictures above to go to our Flickr site and see the photos in greater detail.