The story
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Close your eyes for just a second and listen. Beyond the modern hum of the city, there is a rhythm here that has been beating for over a thousand years. You are walking through what records describe as the largest open-air museum for Islamic monuments in the world. This path, stretching about one and a half kilometers, serves as the spine of a city founded long ago. While you might know it as al-Muizz Street, that name is actually quite modern. Records say it was only given in 1937 to honor the Fatimid Caliph, al-Muizz li-Din Allah. He was the ruler who reigned from 953 to 975 AD, and he ruled over Egypt during the final years of his life after his forces founded this city, al-Qahira, north of the old capital in 969 AD.
As you walk, you are moving between two great gates. To the north stands Bab al-Futuh, the Gate of Conquest, built in 1087 AD. If you look closely at its stones, you might find an inscription that names it the Gate of Prosperity, or Bab al-Iqbal, but the story goes that the people of Cairo simply refused to use that name, keeping the one you hear today. Far to the south is the sister gate, Bab Zuwayla, completed in 1092 AD.
Between these gates, twenty-nine monuments from the tenth to the nineteenth centuries line the way. You might pass the Al-Aqmar Mosque, commissioned in 1125 AD. Take a moment to look at its facade; it is one of the oldest surviving stone facades in all of Egypt. Further along, you will find the massive complex of Sultan Qalawun, established between 1283 and 1284 AD. It originally housed a mosque, a school, and a hospital. Interestingly, that ancient tradition of healing continues today, as the site still serves as a hospital for eye and dental patients.
There was once a time when this very ground was a grand parade ground known as Bayn al-Qasrayn, which means Between the Two Palaces. To the east stood a palace built between 969 and 972, and to the west was another built by the son of al-Muizz. While those palaces are gone, the space they defined remains the heart of the street. This entire area was recognized for its incredible density of history when it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as part of Historic Cairo.
The street has seen many changes. A major rehabilitation project began in the year 2000 to restore thirty-four monuments. After the events of 2011, when some of the street's beautiful lighting was lost, a 2013 plan helped repair the lamps and install barriers against cars; the plan for the street was for it to be pedestrian-only from seven in the morning until eleven at night. Today, the air is filled with the scent of the markets and the sounds of vendors and craft shops. Before you continue, look for the Sabil-Kuttab of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda standing at a junction. Notice the intricate stone carvings from 1744 and imagine the generations of thirsty travelers who stopped there for a drink of water just as you are stopping to take in the view today.
That was Al-Muizz Street, Cairo. Avsha tells a story like this about wherever you are — any street, in your language.
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