Walking Old Cairo

Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref)

Visitors to Al-Muizz Street in Fatimid Cairo will encounter an unfamiliar scene in the next few days. They will be able to stroll along the street without having to worry about traffic. Nor will they have to negotiate the huge pumps that for years blocked the routes of pedestrians as they pumped out subterranean water. These, like the drainage pipes over which visitors once tripped, are no more. A majority of the monuments that line the street have now been restored and the handful that have not are nearing completion.

Workers are now busy repaving the street. Others, on wooden scaffolding, are cleaning the façade of houses and shops. On an empty platform in front of the Qalawun Mosque two gardeners with spades are busy planting a pair of date palms to recall the original spirit of the street. Before the Mohamed Ali sabil (public fountain), which has been transformed into a Textile Museum, a dozen engineers and technicians stand checking lamps that will illuminate the dramatic façades along the entire street. The lighting has been designed so that colours can be used to mark special events.

A total of 34 monuments along Al-Muizz Street and 67 located in neighbouring alleyways have now been restored.