Can the Al-Muizz Street regain its serenity and divinity? Nevine El-Aref wonders When in 2000 the government launched its huge restoration campaign, the Historic Cairo Rehabilitation Project (HCRP), with the aim of protecting, conserving and preserving historic Cairo with a view to developing it into an open air museum, it was widely thought the dream was somewhat far-fetched. Over the centuries the majestic buildings of Islamic Cairo have suffered heavy damage, and none more so than those in Al-Muizz Street in the heart of the Islamic city. Encroachment along the one- kilometre-long street lined with more than 30 tall buildings displaying the distinctive architectural style of Islam -- embellishment with fine mashrabiya (decorative woodwork) façades and domes painted in geometric patterns -- as well as other forms of misuse by residents have caused irreparable harm. Environmental pollution has further undermined foundations and the 1992 earthquake left visible marks on the fragile historical zone. A large share of the LE850-million HCRP project has been spent on restoring the 34 listed monuments on Al-Muizz Street and a further 67 Islamic edifices in neighbouring alleyways. All of these can now be seen in their old glory, with their original features. Road surfaces and street furniture have also been given appropriate treatment to enhance visual impact along the full length of Al-Muizz Street, from gate to gate. The street width has been reduced to its original level, and paving has been kept simple to give direct expression of the urban quality of the street and recreate the irregular pattern it had during its heyday. Residential houses have had their façades spruced up and repainted in appropriate colours to blend in with the character of the street and its buildings, and a high-tech drainage system for rain water has also been installed. The project was completed and Al-Muizz Street officially reopened in 2008, with the street showing off its original splendour and allure. The street has been made a pedestrian zone from 7am to midnight so that visitors, including the many foreign tourists, could not only enjoy seeing and admiring the magnificent Islamic monuments within their original environment, but could also experience the living traditions and customs of those who lived during the various ages of the Islamic era. Trading is allowed outside these hours, so merchants can easily transport their goods in and out of the street. Access to emergency vehicles is allowed at all times. Unfortunately, however, the lack of security in Egypt following the January Revolution has taken its toll to Al-Muizz Street and its monumental edifices. With little or no supervision, peddlers, fruit vendors and grocers have moved in to sell their goods all over the street, often even on the monuments themselves. The street is used as a shortcut for vehicles, and has transformed the open courtyards of the Fatimid and Ottoman mosques into parking lots. The open court in front of the Ibn Barquq Mosque, which is in the monument safe zone, has been transformed into a folkloric food court where colourful wooden hand carts laden with koshari (a rice and macaroni dish), liver, brains and hummus (chick-pea paste) serve pedestrians and workers in the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, the empty space between the Beit Al-Suheimi, one of the area's most beautiful and interesting houses, and the house next door is now an oriental coffee shop with a dozen small tables. "It's in real chaos," Ehsan Mohamed ,a 55- year-old housewife who lives at Al-Muizz Street, told Al-Ahram Weekly. She went on to say that the people who had installed the coffee tables and chairs next to the Beit Al-Suheimi "were always making trouble". She said her family could not sleep at night because of the loud cassette music and the noise of customers playing cards and backgammon. "The atmosphere in the street has totally changed for the worse," Ahmed Mahmoud, a bazaar owner in Al-Muizz Street told the Weekly. He said the vibration from passing vehicles posed a huge threat to the monuments. He also complained about the noise tune of car horns. Karim Abdel-Hakim, another bazaar owner, pointed to the chaotic obstructions in the street. "The lack of security is affecting our business" he said. "Nobody can come here and stroll around the monuments or buy things from our stalls." He continued that the refuse from the food carts was thrown beside shops like his, which he called "a timing bomb that could explode at any time if anyone threw a cigarette butt. "The blaze could be all over the street and burn the monuments," Abdel-Hakim said. In an effort to halt the chaos, soldiers from the Tourism and Antiquities Police invaded the street and removed all the encroaching objects, but three days later the chaos was back. Asked by the Weekly about the procedures that could be taken to prevent the encroachment, Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, secretary- general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that following exclusive meetings several solutions had been suggested. Among them would be to install a permanent police unit to control the infiltration of cars and vehicles into the street. Security could be tightened in front of every monument in the street, as well as its four gates, to prohibit any violation or encroachment on the street and its archaeological edifices. "Archaeologists at the street are not equipped to deal with the security issue," he pointed out. Another suggestion is to create a special department to supervise the street and monitor any encroachment. Meanwhile, activists have launched a Facebook group named "Save Al-Muizz Street" to rescue the street and organises lectures to raise cultural awareness among the locals, emphasising the link between the monuments and their income. Most residents work in tourism or tourism-related professions. Abdel-Fattah promised that within the coming days Al-Muizz Street would return to be a pedestrian zone where people could stroll peacefully about the monuments.
