Tracing our heritage along the Nile
GE Heritage Journey participants at Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt.
By Salima Habib
The Global Encounters Heritage Journey to Egypt last year took the form of a dialogue between past and present. Participants gathered from different parts of the world to encounter history not as something preserved behind glass, but as a living force shaping identity, faith, and responsibility.
We walked along Al-Muizz Street, its stones worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. Above us, the rounded towers of Bab al-Futuh framed an archway that felt like an entry into another time. Standing in al-Qāhirah al-Muʿizz — the Victorious City of al-Muʿizz, now known as Cairo — I felt the significance of a place named in honour of the fourth Fatimid caliph and our 14th Ismaili Imam. Ahead was the mosque of Imam al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. Surrounded by this history, our journey into the past began.
Through seva with Ismailis around the world, I came to see my identity not just as something inherited, but as something formed through service and shared effort. In the moment of takht nishini, as Mawlana Hazar Imam succeeded to the Imamat, that sense of identity deepened into responsibility: to honour the continuity that guides us and to engage more deliberately with our history.
Heritage Journeys gave us a way to celebrate our Imams, learn from Ismailis from many cultures and regions, and strengthen our sense of shared identity. From the start, that common bond brought us together as we walked toward Bab Zuweila, one of only three remaining gates of the old Fatimid walls. As we shared our stories along the narrow streets, our connection grew and our individual reflections became part of a shared journey.
We visited Ancient Egypt, where the Grand Egyptian Museum reflects the geometry of the pyramids and stands as a reminder of human creativity across generations. From there, we moved forward in time to a period when Egypt became a centre of Islamic learning and leadership.
Next, we entered the Fatimid era, at the heart of the Islamic Golden Age. At Al-Azhar Mosque, the azan sounded through the space, linking architecture, worship, and daily life. I realised I was standing in one of the oldest universities in the world, founded by Imam al-Muʿizz li-Din Allah as a place for both worship and learning. Around me, students from many countries continued a long tradition in which faith and knowledge belong together.
Music offered another way to connect during an evening concert by musicians from the Darb Al Ahmar Music School, supported by the Aga Khan Music Programme. Their performance spoke of perseverance and renewal. As they shared their reflections on hope, we were reminded that art can connect people across time, place, and difference.
At Al-Azhar Park, we heard laughter along the palm-lined paths, a sharp contrast to its past as a centuries-old rubble dump. Beside the park, we walked through Darb al-Ahmar, where the sound of artisans’ tools filled the streets.
Further south in Aswan, we experienced a different pace of life. We were welcomed into a Nubian village with traditional dance and song. Through the Om Habibeh Foundation, we met women leading community development and tasted produce from their agricultural projects — a clear example of self-reliance and community-focused work. These encounters renewed my own desire to serve.
As we travelled along the Nile, the journey became more reflective. Approaching Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah’s sunlit mausoleum in Aswan, I felt a deep sense of gratitude and a stronger awareness of the bond that connects us across time and geography.
From Cairo’s pyramids, mosques, churches, and synagogues to the life of Aswan, we saw pluralism in practice. We arrived as individuals and left with a shared sense of connection, having sung, danced, and reflected together.
Walking the streets our Imams once walked increased my gratitude and deepened my connection to the continuity of the Imamat. It also gave me hope that others will continue to preserve and value these places. Heritage Journeys renewed my appreciation for our Imams’ vision and reminded me that heritage is an ongoing responsibility — something we are trusted to carry forward through compassion, service, and unity.
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