Cairo is, in fact, considered a medieval city. It still retains much of its character and appearance today. Thus, we find that the ancient Islamic city today mocks and challenges the influence of the West. This city has been rebuilt time after time, and each time it has lost some of its splendor. However, what remains is to show us what Cairo was like five hundred years ago.
The purpose of this book, as its author asserts, is "to clothe the monuments of that city with meanings that give them value. Many of Cairo's buildings, especially those mosques that date back to the last Mamluk era, are signs of beauty, and are themselves considered wonderful masterpieces of art. However, at the same time, there are many worn-out palaces, dilapidated buildings, and crumbling walls...those monuments that have nothing to do with the art of architecture, until we uncover the curtain on their history."