Fodor's Expert Review Sabil-Kuttab of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda

This 17th-century, Ottoman monument is impressive for its ornate façade, tiled interior, and location at a fork on Islamic Cairo's main street. Katkhuda is a Persian word meaning "master of the house," and the powerful gentleman who endowed this building was a patron of the arts and architecture, as befitted his position. Before running water was available to most of Cairo's inhabitants, it was customary for wealthy patrons to build a sabil (a public fountain) that provided people with potable water. Often attached to a sabil was a kuttab (a basic school) for teaching children the Qur'an and other subjects.