Al-Muizz Street

Introduction

When the Fatimids took control of Egypt in A.D. 969, the high taxes and misrule of the Abbasid Ikhshidids, who had ruled Egypt since A.D. 905, had devastated the region and its capital, Fustat. The Fatimids immediately set about consolidating their power over Egypt and its people.

The new caliph Al-Muizz initiated a major construction project, repairing roads, restoring the canal system on which agriculture in the Nile Valley depended, and building a new capital, Al-Qahira. The Fatimids were Shiite Muslims, who sought to expand the influence of their interpretation of Islam over the lands of the Sunni Abbasid caliphate and built Al-Qahira to rival the prestige of the Abbasid capital Baghdad, laying the foundations of modern Cairo.

Al-Muizz Al-Deen Street, named after the first Fatimid caliph in Egypt, was designed as the main street of the great Fatimid city and while much of the Fatimid capital was destroyed during later Sunni caliphates, Muizz Street retained its importance. Many of the palaces, mosques and monuments of the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman rulers who ruled Egypt after the Fatimids continued to be built along this street and in the center of the city.

Today, Al-Muizz Street still displays the highest density of significant Islamic monuments in the world to this day.

From Bab Al-Futuh in the north to Bab Zuweila in the south, it is one of the most important sites in Egypt’s Islamic history. In addition to the impressive monuments scattered along its length, it is also home to a bustling quarter, home to thousands of artisans who make goods for sale in Khan el-Jalili, and marks the midpoint of the streets. A walk along this street, which ends with a stroll through the maze of stores in the bazaar, is an essential part of any visit to Cairo.

Al-Muizz Street makes it easy to experience the history of Islamic Cairo and the modern neighborhood that exists alongside this aging architecture. The northern part of the road from Bab Al-Futuh to Azhar Street (next to Khan el-Khalili) was recently restored, although restoration work on the southern section of the road is just beginning, making it difficult to visit.

What to see in Al-Muizz Street

• Al Aqmar Mosque. One of the most impressive buildings of ancient Islamic Cairo on El Moez Street is the Al Aqmar Mosque. This small but unique mosque is one of the oldest buildings in Islamic Cairo. The builders of Al-Qahira, the walled city that today forms the core of Islamic Cairo, were the Fatimids, who ruled Egypt from 969 to 1171. Originally from present-day Tunisia, they conquered Egypt and installed their Shiite Islamic ideology as the state religion.
• Al-Aqmar Mosque, or Moonlight Mosque. An interesting visit for architecture lovers, as it has several unique architectural features. It was the first mosque in Cairo to use an offset facade, allowing the facade to remain square to the street front, while the rest of the building is at an angle, aligned with the qibla, the direction of prayer towards Mecca.
• Bayt Al Suhaymi. Darb Al-Asfar (the Yellow Road) where Bayt Al-Suhaymi is located, a few meters from Al-Muizz Street, became one of the richest streets in Cairo. Wealthy citizens competed for properties near “the Palace Promenade”, the title was given to Al-Asfar Muizz Street in Naguib Mahfouz’s novel of the same name. Bayt Al-Suhaymi, built in the 17th century, was one of the largest houses in Cairo. Restored in the last decade after falling into disrepair during the 20th century, this house is now a beautiful example of Cairo’s finest medieval architecture.
• Sultan Al Mansur Qalawun Mosque. The impressive complex was built along a famous historical street in Cairo, known as Shari’ el-Muizz Street, in 1284 by Sultan Al Mansur Qalawun. The complex houses a Mosque, a Madrasa, a Mausoleum and a small souk within its walls. The souk was replaced by a modern hospital in the 1920s. The complex shows the typical Mamluk architecture of the time. The exterior windows of the entire complex are inspired by the Gothic style, with which Sultan Qalawun was familiar through the architecture of the Crusader churches. The complex is built in the heart of Islamic Cairo at a site known as Bayn Al-Qasreen, or between the two palaces, named after the two Fatimid palaces that originally stood here. Like most of the Fatimid buildings in the city, these palaces were built by rulers seeking to erase the influence of the Shi’a dynasty. Qalawun built his complex on the base of one of these palaces.
• The Ghorya. The Ghouriyya complex is located just south of Al-Azhar Street, at the beginning of the southern section of Al-Muizz Street leading to Bab Zuweila. On the east side of the street is the mausoleum that Al-Ghuri built for himself. Tragically, his remains were lost in the battle with the Ottomans and were never buried there.

How to get to Al-Muizz Street

As the Jan el-Jalili market is the center of Old Cairo and is on the corner of Al-Muizz Street, it will be your reference point. It is not difficult to follow one of the public transportation routes to get there, but if you want to save yourself the hassle, ordering an Uber or Taxi would be more comfortable options.

The metro is one of the easiest means of access, just get to Ataba station and you will be 10 minutes away from Tahrir Square.

It is located 2 km from Al Rifa’i Mosque and the Sultan Hassan Mosque, which are usually visited together, most of the time within a tour that includes other points of interest: the Citadel of Saladin, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, or the Alabaster Mosque.

Visiting hours and prices

The best time to get lost in Al-Muizz Street and Old Cairo is in the afternoon, an hour or two before sunset and enjoy the neighborhood as night falls. This, if you are just going for a walk in the area. Afterwards, the schedules and prices of historical sites and monuments to visit will depend on each particular site.