The Gayer-Anderson Museum, Cairo

The Gayer-Anderson Museum is made of two old Cairo houses that rest against the outer wall of the Ibn Tulun Mosque. The larger house, on the east side, was built in 1632 by Hajj Mohammad ibn al-Hajj Salem ibn Galman al-Gazzar, although some sources give about 1631, and it is known as Bayt al-Kritliyya, the House of the Cretan Woman. The smaller house, to the west, was built in 1540 by Abdel-Qader al-Haddad and takes its name from its last owner, Amna bint Salim.

The houses were joined, and one source says a bridge connects their third floors. Major R. G. Gayer-Anderson, a British army officer and collector, lived there between 1935 and 1942 with special permission from the Egyptian government, restored the houses and filled them with furniture, carpets and other objects.

It shows how a well-off Cairo household lived. The rooms are arranged around a reception hall with a carved wooden ceiling, and the house keeps the screens, rugs and furniture that its last resident installed.

It is a good indoor stop when you visit the Ibn Tulun Mosque, since the museum stands directly beside it.

It is small and atmospheric, with the kind of detail that larger museums cannot offer, including carved wooden window screens and rooms that feel lived in.

The two houses are of different dates, the western house of 1540 and the eastern house of about 1631 to 1632, and they were adapted and joined over time. Wikipedia notes that the purpose of the bridge between them is unknown.

Gayer-Anderson's years in the house, from 1935 to 1942, gave it its present character. He restored it and furnished it with his own collection, which is why the museum carries his name.

• Two historic houses of 1540 and about 1631 beside the Ibn Tulun Mosque
• A reception hall with a carved wooden ceiling and rugs
• Furniture, carpets and objects collected by Major Gayer-Anderson
• A bridge joining the two houses, according to one source