Al-Muizz li-Din Allah Street
๐ Location: Islamic Cairo, Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila ย ยท ย ๐บ Period: Fatimid to Ottoman ย ยท ย ๐๏ธ Tickets: street is free; individual monuments charge
Often described as the greatest concentration of medieval Islamic architecture in the world, al-Muizz Street was the spine of the Fatimid capital al-Qahira when it was laid out in 969 AD. UNESCO calls it part of "Historic Cairo" โ and walking its single kilometre takes you past nearly every important monument type of Islamic Cairo: caliphal mosques, Mamluk madrasas, sultanic mausolea, wakalas (caravanserais), sabil-kuttabs, hammams, and merchants' houses.
The pedestrianised section between the northern gate Bab al-Futuh and the southern gate Bab Zuweila is best done on foot in the late afternoon, when the lighting on the carved stone and inlaid marble is at its best and the call to prayer rises from a dozen minarets at once. Highlights along the way include the al-Hakim Mosque, the Complex of Sultan Qalawun (one of the most beautiful Mamluk ensembles anywhere), the Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad with its Gothic portal looted from a Crusader church, and the Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda, perhaps the most photographed sabil in the city.
Highlights
- Walk the full kilometre from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila
- Qalawun Complex โ hospital, madrasa and mausoleum (1284โ1285)
- Madrasa of Sultan Barquq and the Sabil of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda
- Bayt al-Suhaymi โ Ottoman merchant's house off a side alley
- Connecting bazaar of Khan el-Khalili is one block east
Visiting
- Opening hours: monuments 9 am โ 5 pm (later in Ramadan)
- Tickets: a combined al-Muizz ticket is sometimes sold; otherwise per-monument
- Best time: late afternoon to early evening
- Nearby: Museum of Islamic Art, Khan el-Khalili