Photo : Mohammad Gamal Salama — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cairo · Gamaliya
Al-Muizz Street
The spine of Fatimid Cairo, from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila, and best walked.
The street is named after the caliph al-Mu'izz, in whose name the Fatimids founded the city in 969, and it was its commercial artery, running from the northern gate — Bab al-Futuh — to the southern one, Bab Zuweila. Every dynasty built along it: Fatimid mosques, Mamluk madrasas, Ottoman sabils, houses with mashrabiya, and behind the façades workshops still beating copper and blowing glass. The middle stretch, inside the World Heritage perimeter of Historic Cairo, has been pedestrianised and lit; the paving is new, and the monuments are visited one at a time, with a ticket. Cairenes still do their shopping here.
The extra bit
Walk it north to south: a taxi to Bab al-Futuh, then down the street to Bab Zuweila, where the minarets can be climbed. Take the late afternoon — the light lands on the façades, and the lamps come on before you reach the end.
Know before you go
Pedestrianised does not stop motorbikes and delivery carts from pushing through, so keep your wits about you. The paving turns slippery when shopkeepers sluice the ground outside their doors. Men will present themselves as official guides to the street and will expect to be paid: agree the sum before you follow anyone, or decline. Friday around midday sends everyone towards the mosques, and in Ramadan the street stays full until dawn.
