Al-Muizz Street Cairo: ticket prices, opening hours and what to see

Al-Muizz Street in Historic Cairo is open every day from 9am to 5pm. One area ticket covers the main monuments along it: EGP 20 for Egyptian adults and EGP 10 for Egyptian students, and EGP 220 for foreign adults and EGP 110 for foreign students, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Bayt Al-Suhaymi and Wekalet Bazaraa are not included and have their own tickets.

What the street is

The street is named after the Fatimid Caliph al-Muizz li-Din Allah, who first laid it out and who ruled Egypt from 969 to 975 AD. It has carried many names over the centuries and has been called al-Muizz since 1937. The ministry calls it the largest open-air museum of Islamic monuments in the world, and it is part of Historic Cairo, which joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

It runs between two gates of the old city walls, from Bab al-Futuh in the north to Bab Zuwayla in the south, and crosses old lanes such as Amir al-Guyush Street, Darb al-Asfar, Borgowan Alley, Khan al-Khalili and al-Ghuriyya. Along the way stand 29 monuments, from the Fatimid period of the 10th century to the Muhammad Ali dynasty of the 19th: mosques, schools, houses, markets and defensive gates. Shops, stalls and craft workshops line the street between them.

Opening hours

The ministry lists the same hours for every day of the week, Sunday to Saturday: 9am to 5pm. Bayt Al-Suhaymi and Bab Zuwayla keep the same hours.

Ticket prices

The area ticket for Al-Muizz Street costs:

It lets you into the Qalawun complex, the mosque and sabil of Suleyman Agha Al-Selehdar, Al-Kamil School, the mosque and school of Al-Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalawun, the mosque of Sultan Barquq, the Musa Bin Maimun synagogue, Hammam Inal and the palace of Amir Bishtak. The ministry's Arabic page also lists the sabil of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda and the dome of Al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub in the same ticket.

Bayt Al-Suhaymi

This house in Darb al-Asfar lane, in al-Gamaliyya, is one of the finest examples of old Cairo homes. Its first part was built in 1648 and a second part in 1796, and it takes its name from its last owner, Shaykh Muhammad Amin al-Suhaymi. Around a large courtyard you will see carved wooden mashrabiya windows, a seated balcony, a reception hall, the old bathroom and wells, the wooden gear of a waterwheel and a mill once turned by a bull. Tickets: EGP 10 for Egyptian adults and EGP 5 for Egyptian students; EGP 220 for foreign adults and EGP 110 for foreign students.

Bab Zuwayla

The southern gate of Fatimid Cairo was built in 1092 AD. The two minarets on top of its towers belong to the mosque of the Mamluk Sultan al-Mu'ayyad Shaykh next door, added between 1415 and 1421. Tickets: EGP 10 for Egyptian adults and EGP 5 for Egyptian students; EGP 100 for foreign adults and EGP 50 for foreign students.

Wekalet Bazaraa

The old merchants' inn has its own ticket, but its price is not published on the ministry pages for the street, so ask at the ticket office.

How to plan a visit

Start at Bab al-Futuh in the north and walk south, so you pass the Qalawun complex and the Al-Nasir Muhammad school in the middle and finish at Bab Zuwayla. Buy the area ticket first, then add Bayt Al-Suhaymi and Bab Zuwayla if you want them. With every site closing at 5pm, a morning start gives you the most time inside.

Common questions

Is Khan al-Khalili part of Al-Muizz Street? It is one of the old lanes the street crosses, according to the ministry.

Does one ticket cover everything? No. The area ticket covers the monuments listed above; Bayt Al-Suhaymi, Bab Zuwayla and Wekalet Bazaraa are sold separately.

Are the prices the same for Egyptians and foreigners? No. Foreign visitors pay more, and students of both groups pay half.