Al-Muizz Street to be pedestrian zone

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/843/he1.htm

"Through the different ages, Al-Muizz Street maintained its glorious position and encouraged Mamelukes, Circassians, Ayyubids and Ottomans to enhance its character by building splendid mosques, sabils (water fountains), Kuttabs (Quranic schools), houses and wekalas (trade complex). The one-kilometre-long street then became a spine lined with over 30 soared monuments displaying distinguished styles of Islamic architecture embellished with fine mashrabiya (woodwork) façades, painted mosaic and decorative domes. Among these are the Sultan Qalawun complex, which consists of a palace, a madrassa (school) and a hospital, the school of Ibn Barquq Beit Al-Qadi, the Sultan Al-Saleh Negmeddin dome, the sabil-kuttab of Khesru Pasha, and the Mohamed Ali Pasha sabil. . . .

The 34 monuments along Al-Muizz Street and the almost 67 Islamic edifices found along its neighbouring allies have been restored to their original features. Appropriate treatment of road surfaces and street furniture enhances the full length of Al-Muizz Street, from gate to gate. Its height has been reduced to its original level, paving is kept simple and direct to express the urbane quality of the street and the irregular pattern it had during its heyday. Residential houses have been polished and painted with an appropriate colour suitable to the street's monumental characters, while high-tech drainage system for rain water has been also installed.
At the end of this year, after repaving, and following the excavation of the Al-Azhar tunnel and the completion of the street's rehabilitation, Al-Muizz will be declared a pedestrian zone."

See the above page for the full story.