Wikala of Al Ghouri

The guide opens with the death of Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri outside Aleppo in 1516, a Mamluk ruler who clawed his way to Egypt's throne and spent his reign building a mosque, school, Sufi lodge and mausoleum meant to outlast him. It follows him into this five-story courtyard building beside his tomb and explains why Cairenes complained loudly about how he paid for it all. Look up at the carved wooden mashrabiya screens lining the upper floors as you listen.