Fatimid towers
Stone military architecture.
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Two massive stone gates in the northern wall of Fatimid Cairo, built by the vizier Badr al-Jamali in 480 AH, 1087 AD, when he rebuilt the city walls in stone instead of mud brick. Bab al-Futuh stands at the northern end of al-Muizz Street, with Bab al-Nasr some two hundred metres to the east. Bab al-Futuh has two half-round towers flanking an arched entrance decorated with fine stone carving, while Bab al-Nasr is flanked by square towers carved with shields and swords. A surviving stretch of wall links the two gates, with the Mosque of al-Hakim and its minaret built against it. The gates are among the finest examples of medieval Islamic military architecture, and names that soldiers of the French campaign gave to the towers in the late eighteenth century are still carved into the stone. Viewing the gates from outside is free, and they make an ideal starting point for a walk south along al-Muizz Street to Bab Zuweila, past the Mosque of al-Hakim, Bayt al-Suhaymi and the Qalawun complex.
Stone military architecture.
On Bab al-Nasr's towers.
Walk to Bab Zuweila.
North end of al-Muizz Street, Gamaliya, Fatimid Cairo
Mosque of al-HakimThe second largest Fatimid mosque in Cairo, begun by Caliph al-Aziz in 990 AD an1 minute walk
Bayt al-SuhaymiA complete Ottoman house in an alley off Al-Muizz Street, and the best place in 5 minutes walk4.7
Al-Muizz StreetA single street said to hold the greatest concentration of Islamic architecture 7 minutes walk4.5
Qalawun ComplexA huge Mamluk complex in the heart of al-Muizz Street, built by Sultan al-Mansur9 minutes walk
Khan el-KhaliliCairo's great bazaar since the fourteenth century, and still a working market ra11 minutes walk4.3Start at Bab al-Futuh in the north and walk south along the paved street past mosques and historic houses to Bab Zuweila, in two to three hours.