Message #122168

[Bianca]

In the heart of Fatimid Cairo, all the monuments that line Al-Muizz Street have been restored. The whole street will become a pedestrian zone. Thirty-four monuments on Al-Muizz Street and 67 in neighbouring alleyways have now been restored. The treatment of road surfaces and street furniture enhances the experience of visitors to Al-Muizz Street, which lies between Bab Al-Fotouh and Bab Zuweila and was the main thoroughfare of the Fatimid city. The road has been lowered to its original level and a high-tech drainage system for rain water has been installed, while nearby houses have been spruced up and painted in colours that are sympathetic with the street's historic buildings.

This is the first phase of a major plan aimed at reviving mediaeval Cairo which began with refurbishing 62 Islamic monuments, including Cairo's old walls and gates. Also restored were the Abul-Abbas and Shaikhoun Mosques and two Islamic buildings in Al-Khalifa close to the Ibn Tulun Mosque. In Sayeda Zeinab, the historic mosque and khanqah (hostel for itinerant Sufis) of Prince Shaykhu and the sabil-kuttab (water fountain and Quranic school) of Prince Abdullah Kathuda, which reflect the brilliance of the mediaeval Mameluke period when Islamic architecture flourished in Cairo, have been restored and opened to the public.