Upon arriving in Cairo, Ibn Battutah focuses most on the religious people living there, the structures within the city, such as the pyramids and mosques, and the natural features, particularly the Nile river. As it is such a large city, he lists the many sorts of people that can be found within— “learned and simple, grave and gay, prudent and foolish, base and noble, of high estate and low estate, unknown and famous” (15). He does not seem to have a particularly low or high opinion of the people, as this general overview is really the only description he gives of most of the city’s population. He does however concern himself with the lives of those in the numerous convents of Cairo, one of which he stays at, describing the food and clothing its members receive, and the Qur’an readers hired by the people in the al-Qarafah cemetery. He stayed for what sounds to be a single night in a convent at Dair al-Tin which contained some relics from the Prophet himself, such as the awl for sewing his sandals, a fragment of his wooden basin, and his kohl pencil. However, he does not make any mention as to what his stay was like there, such as what he ate and who else was with him, only that the Sahib (of whom no description is provided, therefore it is possible Ibn Battutah never met him) provides it with funds to feed the travelers who stay there.He shows reverence for the current sultan and some of the amirs, describing him as “a man of generous character and great virtues,” who demonstrates his nobility through his service to causes of religion and charity, as do many amirs (18). He seems overall wonderstruck by the city and all it has to offer, making no mention of any negative experience he has while staying there.

 

Ibn Battutah is fascinated with the mosques and convents of Cairo, and offers a blessing after many of the names listed, such as (God’s blessing and peace upon him). Thus it can be assumed that Ibn Battutah is also Muslim, as he seems knowledgeable about the religion and writes in a similar manner to other Muslim travelers we have read. He also does not make mention of any cultural differences between Cairo and where he comes from, which implies that he comes from a similar culture—otherwise, he would likely note any differences in culture, food, or practices.However, from the sound of his writings, we know that many pilgrims travel through Cairo along their journeys, as one of the things the Sultan does is provide supplies for pilgrims without the means to supply themselves, and the convent he stays overnight at seems to be outfitted specifically to house travelers in need of shelter during their stay in the city. The Nile river is particularly unusual to him, as it runs south to north, the opposite direction of all the other great rivers, and that it floods during the dry season but diminishes when other rivers typically rise.