Sufi dancing in Cairo
January 5, 2008 by Luka
Cairo, the capital city of Egypt is one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been to. Chaos at its best; polluted air, traffic jams, rubbish everywhere, all the smells of the world, street touts – it all adds to the great atmosphere of the city. I really enjoyed Cairo this new year’s holidays and one of the things I liked the most was the Al Taura Troupe and their Sufi dance performance. Actually I’ve seen them couple of times before, but this time I had my camera with me, so I used the opportunity to make some shots.
Read on for more photos and information about the show.
For some time the Sufis were performing at the Citadel, but now they returned to Al-Ghouri Mausoleum. This picturesque place is situated nearby the Khan el Khalili souk. You will find it in a narrow street between the Al Azhar and Al Ghouri mosques. If you have problems with finding the location just ask locals, they will be glad to take you there – for a small compensation – baksheesh. Sufis perform twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday at 8:30 pm. Admission free. Be sure that you get there early as it fills up quickly. Sound recording and filming with video-camera is prohibited, but you can take photos freely. And believe me – you will take a lot of photos!
You can read more about the show and Sufism here or at Wikipedia.
UPDATE March 2010: Sufis still perform at the same days and hours as described in this post….
This blog is about my two greatest passions; photography and travelling. I want to share my experiences with as many people as possible. If you like this place, leave me a comment and show it to your friends as well! Enjoy! 
Hi Luka, fantastic photos :O)
I live in Cairo and your description and photos really captures what makes Cairo so fascinating. Happy travels, Andrea
Good story and photos. Thanks for sharing.
Egypt is one of Africa’s top travel destinations. The great thing about egypt is that unlike most African safari and vacation destinations, it is relatively cheaper and so more affordable. This makes an egypt vacation package great value for money.
incredible display of visual and written content. quite enriching and informative. your photographic skills also add impacto this magnificent work.
beautiful photos, and very helpful info. thanx
Wow great photos. I visited Cairo in April of last year. Absolutely loved it. I”ve got a few pictures on my blog.
thanks for this insight! and your precise info. im going to cairo in two weeks and will def check this out. i was wondering what else you remembered in the way of performances and less advertised sights to see.
THANKS!
Besides Sufi show I also liked the camel fair at Birkash. A great experience, see the lonely planet for more information.
regards,
Luka