MEDIEVAL CAIRO WALKING TOUR

The photo above was taken in the medieval underground water cistern – now closed because a tourist fell on stairs …… anyway, the photo is not doctored so I think I caught a ghostly inhabitant on film that day. I love Medieval Cairo because when I sit on the steps beside the Qalawun Complex or across the road from it, close my eyes and relax I can imagine it a thousand years ago!

Note from Mara: Don’t ask AI to plan your walking tour – AI hasn’t walked the streets. Learn to distinguish between real blogs and those written by people sitting at home using AI and a tiny bit of research – you will learn to recognise these the more you actually research yourself. I say this because what I have found so many using bones of my blogs and tours in what they are writing as their own experiences and worse than that – they are not even copying them correctly. Some of those will tell you to walk from the Citadel to Al-Azhar and other places. You will be taking your life in your hands doing that!

I coined the phrase “Medieval Cairo Walking Tour” back in 2011 when I started exploring Cairo on foot and I fell in love with Muezz St. I could not believe nobody was doing a tour there and so I invented one. Since then, many have come to use the same phrase. The thing about walking from the Citadel to the mosques we call “islamic Cairo” which is actually two mosques – Sultan Hassan and Rifaii is that, if you survive the traffic, you will be totally exhausted anyway. Half a day walking along the streets, taking your time to go into each of the opened monuments, is enough. And a relaxing way to end the tour is with a meal – be it lunch or dinner – at the famous Naguib Mafouz Restaurant and then a browse around the biggest open air souk in the world – Khan El Khalili.

You can do the street without a guide but you will not get the real benefit of hearing the stories of the people and the buildings.

History of the street now known as “Muezz St” in Cairo

Gawhar al-Siquilli, also known as Jawhar al-Siqilli, was a significant historical figure in the early history of Cairo, Egypt. He was a Christian slave of Sicilian origin who served as a secretary to the Caliph of Tunisia. After the Caliph’s death, he was freed and continued to serve the Caliph’s son in a high-ranking administrative role. Later, he rose through the ranks in the military and was entrusted with leading the military campaign to conquer Egypt.

His approach of forbidding harm to the people of Alexandria when he entered the city helped him gain the respect and support of the local population. Subsequently, he established his camp on the plain that would become the site for the construction of Cairo in 969 AD. The construction of Cairo, known as Al-Qahira in Arabic, was a remarkable achievement, taking only four years to complete. The city became the new capital of Egypt and played a central role in the region’s history for centuries.

The street, named after the reigning , al-Muizz li-Din Allah (341–365 AH / 953–975 AD), is about 1050 year old. and is a reminder of the city’s medieval origins and the contributions of individuals like Gawhar al-Siquilli in shaping its history.

Cairo used to be surrounded by great Walls with huge gates. Only 3 gates remain,

one called Bab El Zewela (bab means door in arabic, Zewela was the name of the Berber warriors from the desert charged with guarding the gate),
the second called Bab El Fotoh “fotoh” means “conquests” and
the third is Bab Al-Nasr “Al-Nasr” means “victory”.