El Nile Ensemble @ Beit El-Seheimy

Sufi and folk music from Upper and Lower Egypt performed by El-Nil Ensemble in Beit El-Seheimy.

In this song, the singer chants Sufi songs in the love of Muhammad and in yearning to visit his tomb in Medina. She sings "Ya Rab bel Nabi Tewe'dna" (Oh Lord, Promise us Seeing the Prophet)


Beit El-Seheimy is an old Ottoman era house museum in Cairo, Egypt. It was originally built in 1648 by Abdel Wahab el Tablawy in a very prestigous and expensive part of Medieval Cairo. In 1796 it was purchased by Sheikh Ahmed as-Suhaymi whose family held it for several subsequent generations. As-Suhaymi greatly extended the house from its original through encorporating neighbouring houses into its structure. This included the incorporation of the former house-turned-shrine of Shaykh Nasruddine, a local Imam whose green tomb can be seen and accessed from El-Darb El-Asfar, the alleyway on which the house lies.

The house is built around a sahn in the centre of which there is a small garden with plants and palm trees. From here several of the fine mashrabiya windows in the house can be seen. Today the house is a museum which can be viewed free of charge. Much of the marble floor work, wooden furniture, and ceiling decor is still in tact.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• El-Nil
• Seheimy
• sufi
• saidi
• falahi
• nabi
• ya
• rab
• ziyara
• medina
• madina