We didn't stay long in the blue mosque. There was nothing to see there, anyway. Besides, I was tired with all the walking and was experiencing heat burns on my face and arms.
Our guide brought us to the mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun. It was another large Samarran-style mosque, seated on a hill called Gebel Yashkur (The Hill of Thanksgiving"). Our guide proudly said (in broken English, of course) that this was the place where Noah's Ark came to rest after the Deluge - not Mount Ararat.
It was a fascinating local legend indeed. I would usually ignore him but not this time. Maybe because I was tired, that is why I stayed on the taxi and continue listening to him. I forego the idea of roaming around the mosque.
The guide shared more stories like how the soldiers of Napoleon Bonaparte tried to bring down the walls using cannons but failed. Several movies, he added, where shot here including a James Bond Movie. (It turns out true: The Spy Who Loves Me")
When my colleagues came back, I strongly suggest to cancel all the rest of mosque visit. I argued that there was no significant difference among the mosques (aside from its history), and once you saw one then you've seen them all.
They readily agreed.
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