Street Smart: Mohammed Ali Street

Mohammed Ali Street in the heart of the city has always been associated with folk arts. From the gateway to cosmopolitan Cairo to the home of belly-dancers, the Street has many stories to tell

Mohammed Ali Street has always been associated with folk arts. As the gateway to cosmopolitan Cairo and the home of belly-dancers, wedding bands, a local market for musical instruments, and the popular district for furniture, the Street has many stories to tell.
The rebuilding of Cairo began in 1863 with Khedive Ismail's creation of Ismailiya Cairo, featuring Azbakiya, home to the botanical gardens, palaces and the Opera House (now Ataba Square market and a public car park).
In order not to isolate Ismailiya from Islamic Cairo with all its heritage, between 1845 and 1870 AD Mohammed Ali Street (also known as Al-Qal‘a Street) was planned to connect the Islamic with the modern and cosmopolitan. Mohammed Ali Street extends for two kilometres and a half, between Bab Al-Hadid (now Ataba Sqaure) and the Citadel.
On walking down the street, one can't help butnotice that arches crown the pavements to protect pedestrians from the heat. The street has few monuments remaining from the Mamluk era, as around 400 were destroyed when the road wasbuilt, according toLesley Lababidi in her book ‘Cairo Street Stories'.
Down towards the Citadel,on the left side of Mohammed Ali Street, lies the Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, a school for law and theology, built by Sultan Hassan between 1356-1363 AD. It is a cruciform madrasa, featuring four vaulted iwans (halls) that face each other across a marble-paved central court, with a façade that stretches in the direction of the Citadel, as Caroline Williams describes in her book ‘Islamic Monuments in Cairo'.
In the opposite direction, to the right of Mohammed Ali Street lies the huge Mosque of Al-Rifa'i dating back to 1869 and completed in 1880, containing the tomb of Sheikh Ali Al-Rifa'i. According to Williams, the mosque is deemed neo-Mamluk architecture with its overall symmetry. It features 19 different types of marble imported from seven countries, 44 grand columns to complete all its chambers, as well as ceilings gilded in gold.
The mosque is frequently visited in the belief that Al-Rifa'i will still grant blessings and holds the tombs of Farouk, the last king of Egypt, next to his father King Fouad I and his sister Princess Ferial. Mohammed Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, who died in exile in Egypt, was buried here in 1980.
Taking a walk in the passage between both mosques is a must as the view is breath-taking.
Down the road lies the Gate of Mosque of Qawsun, built between 1329-1330 by Sultan Al-Nasir Mohammed ibn Qawsun, one of the most famous rulers in the Islamic era. According to ‘Islamic Monuments in Cairo', the entrance to the mosque is all that remains, featuring a few stucco-grilled windows in an open courtyard. This mosque was among the Mamluk monuments that were demolished to make way for Mohammed Ali Street.
Along the Street lies the Mosque of Malika Safiya (Queen Safiya) built in 1610, in an alley called Sikkat Al-Malika (the Queen's Pathway) to the right. Uthman Agha, the slave and agent of the noble Venetian Safiya of the Baffo family, built this mosque, and it was inherited by Safiya after his death.
The mosque resembles those in Istanbul, Turkey more than any other in Cairo. It was originally set in a garden with high steps on the south side, leading to a courtyard surrounded by domed arcades. The central dome rests on six arches supported by red granite Ptolemaic columns. Unfortunately, what was once a garden is now a car park and homes.
A few metres away Mohammed Ali Street is intersected by Ahmed Maher Square. As you cross the roundabout at the corner of the street, you will find the last historical landmark of Islamic Cairo on Mohammed Ali Street, the two-storey Museum of Islamic Art inaugurated in 1869.
The entrance had a fountain and a garden but these have been replaced with rich decorations that complement Islamic designs, according to ‘Islamic Monuments in Cairo'. The museum has a library and includes over 3,000 antiquities from the main mosques in Old Cairo, such as the mosque of Al-Hakim.
Shopping Arena
Passing by the Museum of Islamic Art, the rest of Mohammed Ali Street is a popular residential and shopping area, busy with traffic. Cars are parked on both sides of the street, making it difficult for passers-by. The pavements have become extremely narrow, as storeowners have taken their businesses, not only out onto the pavements, but also directly onto the street and in between the parked cars.
The most common feature of this part of the street, as you walk closer towards Ataba Square, is the numerous Oriental and Western musical instruments, furniture, and Zincograph stores and workshops. One cannot differentiate among them because all produce the same merchandise of equal quality and it is only by bargaining that a deal is sealed.
The Mosque of Sheikh Sulleiman Salem was built by “a local worshipper who lived in the street in the early 20th century,” says one of locals. The entrance to the mosque features arches of engraved wood which has become the décor of three furniture shops. Around the corner lies another furniture store alleyway, Soweket El Manasra, where sofas, dining and bedroom furniture are displayed.
Heading towards Ataba Square, there stands a unique building that grabs the eye, not only because of its 20th century European architecture in the middle of old Mohammed Ali Street, but because of all the different businesses there. Occupying its upper three floors is the Nile Hotel, which overlooks the entire street.
Cairo's Musical Quarter
From the late 19th until the 20th century, Mohammed Ali Street was home to Egypt and the Arab world's most prominent musicians. One of the well-known shops, the Gamil Georges Oud Workshop belongs to Gamil Georges, the famous oud-maker who has produced instruments for many Arab and Egyptian musicians, including Farid Al Attrache, Shafiq Galal and Muhammad Abdel Wahab, to name but a few.
Originally from Syria, Georges' family settled in Cairo and founded their small workshop in 1906. “We produce the Syrian, Iraqi and Egyptian oud,” says Eid Mohamed Ali, as he smoothes the curved back of an oud.
Now we are at the end of Mohammed Ali Street and into Ataba Square, the busiest commercial centre in Cairo.
One might think that a two and a half kilometre walk is not long, but in Mohammed Ali Street there is a story behind every corner.
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