Muizz Street

Muizz Street, with Gamaleya Street intersection, and Sabil Katkhuda

Al-Muizz Street (Shariʻa al-Muizz li-Deen Illah) (30°02′ 48" N 31°15′ 36"E) in Islamic Cairo, Egypt is one of the oldest streets in Cairo, approximately one kilometer long. A United Nations study found it to have the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world.^[1] The street (shariʻa in Arabic) is named for Al-Muʿizz li-Deen Illah, the fourth caliph of the Fatimid dynasty. It stretches from Bab Al-Futuh in the north to Bab Zuweila in the south. Starting in 1997^{[2] [3]}, the national government carried out extensive renovations to the historical buildings, modern buildings, paving, and sewerage to turn the street into an "open air museum", with work scheduled to be completed in October 2008. On April 24, 2008, Al-Muizz Street was rededicated as a pedestrian only zone between 8:00 am and 11:00 pm; cargo traffic will be allowed outside of these hours.^[4]

Al-Muizz Street is commonly considered to consist of two sections,^{[citation needed]} with the dividing line being Al-Azhar Street. The northern part extends from the Al-Hakim Mosque in the north to the Spice Market at Al-Azhar Street and includes the antiques markets section, Al-Aqmar Mosque (one of the few extant Fatimid mosques), and the Qalawun complex, and several well preserved medieval mansions and palaces.

Map of the northern part of Muizz Street

The southern part extends from the Ghuriya complex to the Bab Zuweila and includes the magnificent Tent Market in the Gamaliya district.

Rehabilitation project

One of the aims of the renovations is to approximate the original appearance of the street. Buildings higher than the level of monuments have been brought down in height and painted an appropriate colour, while the street has been repaved in the original style. 34 monuments along the street and some 67 nearby have been restored. On the other hand, the nighttime appearance of the street has been modernised by the installation of state of the art refined exterior lighting on buildings.^[5] To prevent the accumulation of subterranean water – the principal threat to Islamic Cairo – a state of the art drainage system has been installed.

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  Boy selling ice in a sunny hot day in AL-Muizz street

• Qalawun.png

  Inside of the Qalawun School, part of the Qalawun Complex

Notes

1. ^ LA Times, July 10, 1998.
2. ^ LA Times, 28 Sept. 1998.
3. ^ LA Times, 10 July 1998.
4. ^ Reuters
5. ^ Al-Ahram Weekly

References

• Al-Ahram Weekly Online. 4-10 October, 2007. [1]
• Los Angeles Times. 28 Sept. 1997. Once-Splendid Medieval Cairo Crumbles Into Ruins.
• Los Angeles Times. 10 July 1998. Cairo Tries to Reclaim Lost Treasure Amid City’s Trash. Front page feature.
• Reuters. No date. An AOL video accompanied by a Reuters news brief.

See also

• Bab Zuweila
• Bāb al-Naşr
• Khan el-Khalili
• Azhar Mosque
• Saliba Street