El Muizz Street, is more than a long showcase of jewelry, antiques, and water pipes: it is a window on the rich historical legacy of the city’s Islamic quarter, which now shines again with its own play of light. Although not promoted to the level of wonders like the pyramids of Giza or the treasure of Tutankhamun, Muizz is one of the ancient roads of the Egyptian city that best preserves its essence, despite the chaos, noise and pollution that accompany it.
The historic Muizz Street is one of the oldest streets in Cairo, stretching from Bab al Futuh in the north to Bab Zuwayla in the south. It houses the largest number of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world. Al-Muizz Al-Deen Street, named for the first Fatimid Caliph in Egypt, was built as the cardinal way through the Fatimid’s elevated incorporated town and while much of the Fatimid first in consequence was destroyed when succeeding Sunni Caliphates regained ascendency of the incorporated town, Muizz Street retained its consequence.
Many of the palaces, mosques, and monuments of the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Turk rulers that controlled Egypt after the Fatimids continued to be built along this way through the center of the incorporated town.
Today, Al-Muizz Street still displays the greatest closeness of signifying Islamic monuments anywhere in the cosmos to this day.
In general, Al-Muizz Street is considered to consist of two sections along with the central core of Islamic Cairo, from Bab Al-Futuh and Al-Hakim Mosque in the north to Bab Zuweila and the spice market on Al-Azhar Street in the south is one of the most important places in the Islamic history of Egypt.
In addition to the impressive monuments scattered along its lengths, such as the Aqmar Mosque, the Qalawun complex and several well-preserved medieval mansions and palaces, it also houses a bustling neighborhood, home to thousands of artisans who manufacture products for sale in Khan Al-Khalili, which marks the midpoint of the street.
