Idéo Cairo

A library, a monastery and a church

Farah from Cairo

About me I study journalism and I love to read. I’m always looking for stories in the places and the people around me. Although it’s not easy for me to go around and talk to people, I’ve recently built up the courage to do so, especially since my field of study counts on it. In the end, I am grateful for all this, since that’s how I got the chance to make some really good memori...
""Idéo" in Cairo is a library specialized in Islamic studies - not something you wouldn't expect to find, but it was founded by Dominican friars in 1937!"

A library specialized in Islamic studies is not something you wouldn't expect to see in Cairo, but what if I told you this library was established by Dominican friars?

When, in 1937, Dominican friars decided to dedicate themselves to Islamic studies, Cairo seemed to them like the ideal location, what with it being the home of al-Azhar and a place of great culture.

The library opens its doors to all students holding a Master's degree and above. It contains over 150,000 monographs in the field of Islamic studies. IDEO also offers a home for researchers and students looking for a calm and quiet place to study and that is the scholar’s home in which you’d have access to their library and the institute’s garden all for a reasonable price.

Furthermore, the institute often organizes lectures and conferences for research seminars. The beautiful church that belongs to the institute also welcomes visitors and everyone there is friendly and welcoming. I love the atmosphere of knowledge and great love there.

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Art & culture
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Relaxing

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Cairo Spotter Farah

About me I study journalism and I love to read. I’m always looking for stories in the places and the people around me. Although it’s not easy for me to go around and talk to people, I’ve recently built up the courage to do so, especially since my field of study counts on it. In the end, I am grateful for all this, since that’s how I got the chance to make some really good memories and experience more than I could ever have experienced. Why Cairo Cairo is very big and very old, which makes it full of stories. I believe that there’s no neighborhood in Cairo ...

About this spot

Al Tarabeeshi

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Oct 2, 2025

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