Al mu’izz street

We take a walking tour of this area which has the best preserved medieval islamic architecture in cairo: mosques including azhar mosque and university, madrasa (schools), houses with exquisite details, mausoleums, sabils (public fountains for drinking water), wikalas (caravanserai), sufi monasteries, synagogues, and markets. These streets are packed with historic and beautiful architecture, so walking is the best way to explore. Islamic cairo became the capital of egypt in 969 ad.  Al mu’izz street was the main street in medieval cairo, named after the fatimid caliph who conquered cairo and commissioned much construction. It is an open air museum that also remains a hub of everyday life. Medieval cairo was walled and the remaining large gates include bab al-nasr, bab al-futuh, and bab zuweila.  The many mosques in this area saw cairo become known as the city of 1,000 minarets. Part of the area includes markets used by thousands of cairo residents and where you see traditional crafts such as tent-making (appliqué).