Private Tour: Alabaster Mosque, Sultan Hassan, Khan el-Khalili

Cairo, Egypt

Look beyond the pyramids and pharaohs, and discover the Citadel of Salah el Din, Sultan Hassan and the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. This private tour will give you a deeper insight into the rich history that is Egypt.

The Alabaster Mosque at the Citadel of Salah el-Din sits atop a limestone hill overlooking Cairo and is the most important mosque in the city. Still used a place of worship today by the Muslims of Cairo, the architectural masterpiece opens its doors to visitors of all faiths. Inside the mosque your guide will introduce you to the basic beliefs of Islam, including a translation of the most common prayers.

Continuing to Khan el Khalili bazaar, your guide will give you an introduction to the famous markets which claim to have inspired Christopher Columbus to discover the USA. Enjoy free time to stroll through the maze of streets and try your luck bargaining with the shop owners for a souvenir of your trip to Egypt.

Continue to the Mosque and Madrassa (school) of Sultan Hassan. Built between 1356 and 1363, and is believed to be one of the finest examples of Mamluk architecture in Cairo. The mosque is also considered one of the largest, not only in Cairo but in the whole Islamic world, measuring some 492 feet (150 meters) long and 118 feet (36 meters) high. The highest minaret is 223 feet (68 meters) tall.

This is a private tour allowing you to determine the amount of time spent at each site during the tour. In addition you will have the chance to visit a Papyrus Institute to see how this famous artwork is made and have the chance to purchase genuine items if you wish. If you do not want to include this visit, just inform your guide on the day.

USD $41.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Andre E	October 2011
I had the most wonderful guide, he was asking me the entire time if I am still satisfied, if I want to hear more, if I want to go to the loo, if I'm thirsty, I can defnitely recommend this tour.

Review by: Carol P	May 2011
A good tour, guide was very knowledgeable and helpful.

Review by: Darrell G	April 2011
The mosque is impressive, but we didn't consider this tour good value. The visit was very short. If it was supposed to have been combined with something else, we didn't see it.

Review by: Thonemann	January 2011
Our overall manager, from South Sinai Travel, was Remon, who was excellent. Our guide was a woman called Hanan, who did a great job. Everything went smoothly from start to finish, and was most enjoyable.

Review by: Karen L	January 2011
So-so... I felt the guide we had rushed the tour and seemed overall disinterested in giving us the history of these beautiful places.

Review by: Deborah Anne J	December 2010
Incredible, but mostly because my tour guide was so informative and personable.

Review by: Tim	November 2010
Excellent

Review by: Alan H	October 2010
excellent tour & guide

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
This was a very informative tour with an excellent guide and a very reliable tour company. Since my time in Cairo was limited, this tour enabled me to gain insights into the history and architecture of old Islamic Cairo. The Cairo tours are really good for those whose time is limited and enable one to see a lot of important sights without wasting time working out public transportation.

Review by: Michael B, Australia	May 2010
Not all of Egypt is ancient, though it may still be a thousand years old. Visting more contemporary sites puts things in perspective.

Review by: Audrey-Ann K, South Africa	December 2009
The mosques were a great start to our holiday in Cairo. They were a BEAUTIFUL sight and there was so much to learn and be inquisitive about. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, flexible and accommodating and we were able to swop a few things to make our days there more enjoyable. We had a lovley driver and they were both ON TIME. Great and efficient pick-up drop-off service.

Review by: Shane W, Australia	November 2009
When our tour guide met us, we asked to not spend too much time viewing the mosques, as our main interest was the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. Our guide spent more time than we wanted at the mosques, and a Papyrus Institute, and a perfume factory, which we did want to go to. We did all these first, and the bazaar was the last place we went, and we only got to spend about 1 hour there, at most. Also, we seemed to transverse Cairo twice to go the these places and appeared to waste some time travelling. There was no cohesion about grouping the different places together. Having said all that, our guide did go past the allotted time by at least an hour so we could go to the bazaar. He asked us what we wanted to buy and took us straight to 2 shops. The goods did not turn out to be what they appeared. We were looking for sterling silver, but after we got home, we found out it was only silver plate. We were very disappointed to say the least. We went over our allotted time, so I offered to pay our guide extra, but to his credit he refused. Overall, we had a good time, but more attention needed to be paid to our request.

Review by: Richard C, United States of America	October 2009
Our Egyptian guide was superb. He was cordial and very knowledgeable. We had a great time!

Review by: Rosemary B, Qatar	September 2009
An excellent trip, highly recommended to take this tour on a Friday as the light traffic means you only have a fraction of the normal traveling time.

Review by: Anonymous	September 2009
An excellent trip, highly recommended to take this tour on a Friday as the light traffic means you only have a fraction of the normal traveling time.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	July 2009
A very Comprehensive tour, very enjoyable!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2009
Great photo ops on this tour! But insist on skipping the shopping.

Review by: PaTricia M, United States of America	March 2009
Our English speaking guide was great.

Review by: Najma R, Canada	March 2009
Not only were the sights terrific, but the company was very attentive, called me the night before my tour to confirm the arrangements, and arrived early at my hotel to pick me up. I had a private one-on-one tour, and the tour guide was absolutely fantastic and very knowledgeable.

Review by: Patricia F M	March 2009
Our English speaking guide was great.

Review by: Vasileios A, Greece	January 2009
Visiting Alabaster Mosque and Khan el-Khalili bazaar is a must in Cairo. We also loved our Viator Egyptian guide who was, simply, perfect! Absolutely loved this half-day tour!

Review by: Vas A	January 2009
Visiting Alabaster Mosque and Khan el-Khalili bazaar is a must in Cairo. We also loved our Viator Egyptian guide who was, simply, perfect! Absolutely loved this half-day tour!

Review by: Cindy S, United States of America	December 2008
Awesome having your own guide. Our guide explained the Islamic faith in very easy to understand details and linked it to other faiths. It was extremely interesting. At the Bazaar, he explained what we were to expect and cautioned us on how to be safe and how to negotiate prices. Afterwards, we had tea and sheesha at an outside cafe. He even found some children books for a friend back home. We couldn't have had a better time.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	December 2008
Our guide was flexible and asked us what else we would like to see. Enjoyed this as gave an insight into the Islamic culture and the architecture.

Review by: Cynthia S	December 2008
Awesome having your own guide. Our guide explained the Islamic faith in very easy to understand details and linked it to other faiths. It was extremely interesting. At the Bazaar, he explained what we were to expect and cautioned us on how to be safe and how to negotiate prices. Afterwards, we had tea and sheesha at an outside cafe. He even found some children books for a friend back home. We couldn't have had a better time.

Review by: Preston R, United States of America	November 2008
Awesome having your own guide. Our guide was an expert on egyptian and islamic culture, and she was great helping us negotiate at some of the shops. We did all of the "tour" portions first, and then went to the Bazaar which is very much like going to a mexican marketplace - EVERYTHING is negotiated.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2008
The sights were spectacular, but the guide was not very helpful or informative.

Review by: Wayne G, United States of America	November 2007
The structures and history were very interesting but the guide's explanation of the fundamentals of the Islamic religion made the tour meaningful and memorable.

Review by: Hedley M, Australia	May 2007
A good guide made the visit.