Travel: Medieavel Cairo

Imams, rabbis and priests all frequently crossed paths in Old Cairo back in the day when mosques and churches and synagogues all inhabited the same districts. In a city that has been home to a number of religions and cultures over the centuries, you’d be hard pressed not to find remnants of each era if you look hard enough.

As Egyptians, we’re all proud of our toorath, our heritage, but few of us take the time to really explore the architectural marvels that are literally on every street corner. The Citadel and the Egyptian Museum are as far as some have gone. Others have delved a bit deeper, pursuing the Fatimid, Mamluk and Ottoman monuments, but few remember that Islamic Cairo is only half of the beauty they can see.

Take a day out of your busy schedule and visit some of the most important Jewish, Muslim and Christian monuments in the city. There’s no better place to start than El-Muez Lideen Allah Street, the historic axis of Fatimid Cairo and a maze of over 30 mosques and monuments that span some 800 years. Stretching from the northern gate of Bab El-Futuh to Bab El-Zuweila on the southern wall, the two-kilometer street is the most important commercial thoroughfare of the old city. A walk down it can take you as little as 20 minutes or as long as a day.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities is in the middle of a LE 80 million project to restore El-Muez Street and the monuments lining it. Some 34 sites have been restored along the section of street running from the Qalaoun Complex to Beit El-Qadi, and the street itself has been turned into a cobblestone pedestrian zone.

Our walk starts at Bab El-Zuweila. Passing through the gate from El-Kheyemia (Tentmaker’s Alley), you find Sultan Al-Moua’yed Sheikh Mosque on your left.