Al Tannoura show in Wekalet el Ghouri Khan el khalili, the performance is similar to the more commonly known whirling dervishes; however this version of the indigenous dance incorporates instruments and other additional elements.

It starts with a group of performers appeared with an array of instruments ranging from the Daf (tambourine) to the Oud and Ney (flute). After a few solos by various singers, a vocalist appeared on a balcony. This specific vocalist, officially known as the Muezzin, sings of spirituality. The second part of the performance, the Sufi Tannoura Dance (El Darawish) is derived from the dance performed as part of a Sufi ritual. The third part of the performance incorporates a more spectacular dance, more based on the showing of skills and costume design.

The show is Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, free entry, free seats, the show start at 8:30, they open the doors at 6:30 pm . In brief the show is an experience not to be missed while you are in Egypt

History of the place

Five hundred and fifty years ago, in the heart of Islamic Cairo, during the Mamluk era was one of several trade points, known at the time as ‘wekala’; Wekalet Sultan Al-Ghouri. The ‘wekala’ is a place where merchants gathered for trade, while it also served as residence for the merchants and their families.

Walking through the gates of those wekalas gives me a sense of strength, protection yet a soothing breeze of tranquillity. At the entrance of which stand very high and thick wooden gates, studded in metal. Beyond those high gates awaits a vast yard surrounded by a four sided building down el Azhar.

Wekalas were -more or less- all inclusive; the floor grounds served as warehouses and storage areas, topped by a second floor of shops. Above which were the domiciles which were designed in a villa-like manner. The first floor of the residential villas consisted of the merchants’ offices, then came the kitchen floor, followed by the females’ wing.

Wekalet El Ghouri is an architecturally stunning arts center in El Azhar area in Central Cairo, operating under the Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Development Fund (CDF).