Ibrahim



Ibrahim breathed in the cool morning air of the early winter. His back to Fustat, he reached Baab Zuweila. He paused and marveled at the gates in front of him. It was not his first time entering Cairo, but the sight of the massive stone gates in their beauty and strength never failed to inspire awe. “Assalam o alaikum,” he said to the guards.

“Walaikum as salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Esmuk walgharad? Your name and purpose?“

“Ismi Ibrahim bin Abdullah eindi maweid libaye almilh wataslimih lilqasr. My name is Ibrahim; son of Abdullah. I am to deliver this salt to the palace. Wahuna almustanadat alkhasat bi. Here are my documents.” He showed the guards his approval seal to enter the city.

“Ahilan fi alqahirih. Welcome to Cairo.”

Ibrahim stepped through the thick gates and entered the royal city. He stepped onto Shahre Moiz and saw the city shining in the early morning sun. The street was as wide as ten well-fed horses and seemed to gleam under the sunlight.

As he walked along the road he saw other merchants and craftspeople setting up their stalls for the day, getting ready as the market was about to open. The palace came into view and he saw the servants taking off the beautiful delicate summer curtains to have the thicker heavier winter curtains up for the coming colder weather.

“Assalam o alaikum,” he said to the man he saw waiting for him. “Hal ant Muhamad bin sadd? Are you Muhamed bin Sadd?”

“Walaikum as salam, na’am, hal ant Ibrahim tajir almilh? Yes, are you Ibrahim, the salt merchant?”

“Naam, huna almilh, Yes, here is the salt.” Ibrahim handed over the sack of salt from his back.

“Shukran,” said Mohammed, handing him a small amount of dinars.

“Shukran Alhamdolillah, InshaAllah lan yatadhawaq 'ahl alqahirat teaman 'afdal min hadha abdan. The people of Cairo's food will never have tasted better!“

As Ibrahim walked back to Baab Zuweila and towards his home in Fustat he thought to himself there had to be more for him than trading salt. How was he to make himself part of this glorious place? With that thought Ibrahim left the city behind him, determined to find a way back.



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