Kodak Agfa presents: Cairo’s Ramadan Bazaar of Ahmed Maher Street or from Bab El-Khalk to Bab Zuweila Gate aka Taht el-Rab’a “Part.2”

It is like the last day of Ramadan, and I am really sorry to publish the second part of this post only now.

I should have posted earlier if it were not for the Ramadan procrastination, health issues, and work-life balance. It is not too late.

I am sorry that I am posting right now just as we are starting to re-watch the second season of the Gaza genocide again and watch live helplessly.

To be honest I am using this post as more of a runaway to escape the yet again footage and photos of killed children in hospitals.

I pray that when I finish this post a Ramadan miracle happens and ends this nightmare as soon as possible.

Now back to That el-Rab’a and that trip in that street from Bab El-Khalk to Bab Zuweila gate.

We stopped last time at the Ramadan Saint Patrons in Egypt: Bogy and Tamtam

Bogy and Tamtam, the saint patrons of Ramadan in Egypt 

Their facial expression may reflect many things in our time whether domestically or regionally or internationally.

Their statues on the street were like two ancient Egyptian statues guarding some ancient Egyptian King's tomb in some irony.

Despite the younger generations did not watch their shows in Ramadan as my generation had, many of them stopped and took photos with Ramadan’s most famous duo.

Snapping a photo with Bogy and Tamtam

Now you will know that you are near Bab Zuweila gate when you reach its famous walls or rather the walls of the Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad.

Ramadan lanterns in the shadow of
Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad Sheikh and Bab Zuweila

Bab Zuwayla or Bab Zuweila (Arabic: باب زويلة) is one of three remaining gates in the city walls of historic Cairo in Egypt. It was also known as Bawabat al-Mitwali or as Bab al-Mitwali or Bab al-Qus.

The gate was built in 1092 by the Fatimid Vizier Badr al-Jamali, but the walls visible in the photos belong to the Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad.

Ramadan lanterns stands in front of Mosque
of Sultan al-Muayyad Sheikh

Now outside the walls of the mosque that became part of the famous Cairo gate, there is another bazaar that stretches to Bab Zuweila.

It is not just a Ramadan Bazaar but a year-round market for traditional Egyptian handicrafts, with tent-making, or khayamiya, being one of the most prominent.

Little Khayamiya tents 

Egypt’s famous Khayamiya Market was just at the end of the street, but—spoiler alert—I didn’t go because it was incredibly crowded.

FYI, the tentmakers of Khayamiya have been working hard in the past 12 months to supply Gaza with tents.

The Khayamiya red cloth with its famous patterns are the most used in Ramadan
lanterns stand across the country

Needless to say, the Khayamiya's famous cloth and pattern were and are everywhere throughout the street.

From Ramadan lanterns themselves to tablecloths to the Ramadan lanterns stands themselves.

Ramadan Khayamia cloth lanterns sold on on the right along all sorts of textiles  

The Ramadan lantern stands are actually our folkloric stands for anything sold locally in seasonal bazaars.

Ramadan Khayamia stand became another icon itself  

I saw photos of the Ramadan lantern stands from 100 years ago and surprisingly we are speaking about the same shape of stands.

You got more handmade Ramadan decorations like cushions and ottomans

Here in the bazaar, Ramadan decorations are cheaper than in other places in Cairo or Egypt thus it attracts many locals.

As you continue walking, you can’t possibly ignore the magnificent twin minarets of Sultan Al-Muayyad Mosque, towering over Bab Zuweila and setting it apart from the other gates of Old Cairo.

Sultan Muayyad Mosque and its famous twin minarets on Bab Zuweila 

The two minaret towers on top of it were added between 1415 and 1422 as part of the construction of the adjacent Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad.

Despite its name is not that famous now the Mosque of Al-Muyyad Sheikh became one of the landmarks of Cairo thanks to the minarets on the gate, the gate known as Bab Zuweila 

The famous and iconic twin minarets towers of Al-Muayyad Sultan Mosque
on the towers of Bab Zuweila 

During the Mumlak era, the Mosque of Sultan Al-Muayyad Sheikh, also known as Al-Muayyad Mosque or Al-Mu’ayyadi Mosque was constructed to be among Cairo’s most renowned historical mosques.

The famous and iconic twin minarets towers of Al-Muayyad Sultan Mosque
on the towers of Bab Zuweila 

Before ascending to the throne, Al-Mu’ayyad Sheikh was one of the emirs serving under Sultan Al-Zahir Sayf Al-Din Barquq.

One of the famous twin minarets towers of Al-Muayyad Sultan Mosque
on the towers of Bab Zuweila 

He passed away in 824 AH (1421 AD), while the mosque’s dome was still under construction.

The dome was completed in Ramadan of the same year, but many of the mosque’s planned annexes had yet to be built at the time.

The Sultan Muayyad Mosque's dome and in front of it Sabil-Kuttab Nafisa al-Bayda

That’s the mosque’s dome from inside the Bab Zuweila. In front of it is the 18th-century Sabil-kuttab of Nafisa al-Bayda. 

Ms Nafisa was the wife of the Mamluk Ali Bey al-Kabir, after whose death she married Murad Bey, a Mamluk general and joint-ruler of Egypt along with Ibrahim Bey. The complex consists of a wikala (warehouse) and sabil-kuttab (public drinking fountain and school).

Yes, this is the part of Cairo where you stumble with layers upon layers of history.

Now to Bab Zuweila, the southern gate of Fatimid Cairo and one of the last surviving gates of the city's medieval walls.

Cairo was founded in 969 as the new capital of the Fatimids following their successful conquest of Egypt. It was surrounded by walls and gates made of mudbrick for protection.

The southern gate was called Bab Zuweila, also known as Bab al-Qus, and it was originally located at a site about 100 metres (330 ft) north of the current gate.

Bab Zuweila gate and Sabil-Kuttab Nafisa Al-Baida appears from it

Its name comes from Bab, meaning “door” or "gate," while Zuweila refers to a Berber tribe originally from Fezzan in modern-day Libya.

A group of Zuweila soldiers accompanied the Fatimids and were stationed at the southern gate, which was subsequently named after them as Bab Zuweila, Cairo’s southern gate.

In 1092, the Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali refortified the city with slightly expanded city walls.

The southern gate was rebuilt in stone at its current location and today's structure dates from this time.

Bab Zuweila gate 

In the early Mamluk period, sultans would sit on the platform above the gate to watch the procession carrying the Mahmal (ceremonial palanquin) as part of the annual pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca.

On a daily basis, drummers would also be positioned on this platform and would play their drums whenever an important Mamluk amir (commander) entered the city.

Yet, this is not why this gate had this legendary fame compared to other gates.

The gate also served as a venue for public executions and the heads of executed criminals or political enemies were often put on display on spikes above the gate.

One such occurrence was in 1260 when the Mongol leader Hulagu was preparing to attack Egypt and sent six messengers to the Mamluk Sultan Qutuz in Cairo, demanding his surrender.

 Qutuz responded by killing the six envoys, halving them at the waist, and displaying their heads on Bab Zuweila. The Mamluks went on to confront and defeat the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut.

It was the most famous execution display in the history of Cairo.

The domed ceiling of Bab Zuweila gate

The second most famous execution display in history is also remembered to this day.

The last Mamluk sultan, Tuman Bay II, was hanged on Bab Zuweila in 1517 on the orders of Selim I after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt.

Popular legends say that when Sultan Selim I ordered the execution of Tuman Bay at Bab Zuweila, the last Sultan of the Mamluks asked the Egyptians to recite Al-Fatiha for him three times.

It is Egypt so there is an even multi-lawyer for this legend.

The wall of Bab Zuweila gate 

According to the historian Ibn Iyas, when the Ottomans were executing Tuman Bay by hanging, the rope snapped twice, causing the popular hero to fall to the ground before he was finally executed on the third attempt. Selim I then left his body hanging at Bab Zuweila for three days.

To this day, some people including yours truly read the Al-Fatiha for Tuman Bay three times when they pass by Bab Zuweila.

The gate was still used as a place of execution in the time of Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century.

It’s a bit strange to realize that the street now known as the heart of Egypt’s Ramadan lantern celebrations has such a grim history — but then again, this is Egypt.

The gate later acquired the popular name Bab al-Mitwali or Bawabbat al-Mitwali during the Ottoman period. This name even has a wilder legend than Tuman Bey II’s last wish.

At some point, a tradition developed whereby the gate also became a religious site associated with Mitwali al-Qutub, an imaginary Muslim saint (wali) whose name also became the popular name of the gate.

Local people came to pray here for the saint's intercession in times of need. They would hang hair, a piece of clothing, or some other item on the doors of the gate to supplicate for Mitwali's assistance against sickness.

Now, there is no shrine inside the gate itself like the Shrine of Hassan El-Zouk at Cairo’s Northern Gate, Bab El-Fotouh or El-Fotouh gate.

I did not go further into Bab Zuweila because I would enter the famous Muizz Street which is like another universe or another mega-open museum.

In front of Bab Zuweila in Ahmed Maher Street aka Taht el-Rab’a, there are still ancient Islamic monuments.

Directly in front of the gate, there is Zawyat and Sabil Sultan Faraj Ibn Barqouq which was constructed in the 15th century.

Zawyat and Sabil Sultan Faraj Ibn Barqouq in front of Bab Zuweila 

Interestingly, the daughter of that ill-fated Mamluk Sultan, Khawand Satita, or Lady Satita, was married to the son of Sultan Al-Muayyad Sheikh, who had, in fact, been acquired by her own grandfather, Sultan Barqouq, as a slave boy to be raised as a Mamluk. Sultan Al-Muayyad later led what could be considered a successful coup against her father. 

This was Mamluk Egypt—a real-life Game of Thrones.

Centuries later, the Zawat and Sabil of Sultan Faraj Ibn Barqouq stand in front of the Al-Muayyad Sheikh Mosque, technically.

There is also the Mosque of al-Salih Tala'i (Arabic: مسجد الصالح طلائع) but I did not take its photo. Still, I shot it quickly on video.

Located south of Bab Zuweila at the far end of Taht El-Rab’a, Al-Salih Tala'i Mosque is a late Fatimid-era mosque built by the vizier Tala'i ibn Ruzzik in 1160.

In a way, this area needs a standalone visit in the morning to enjoy all the historical and monumental places away from the buzzing Ramadan bazaar

Yet, I won’t deny it. At the Ramadan bazaar, there’s something else you shouldn’t miss — an experience deeply tied to the indescribable ambiance.

At night ,it is something different too

It is another experience that many will love especially if you go at night

Customers being Ramadan supplies from deocarations at the bazaar

.Ramadan in Egypt is truly special.

Even two weeks before it begins, you can already feel the festive vibes in local markets and bazaars.

Customers asking about lanterns in the bazaar

There are fewer people in this bazaar than in El-Sayeda Zeinab’s annual Ramadan bazaar because we are speaking about a main street compared to a narrow mostly car-free street.

Customers asking about lanterns in the bazaar

The first part of Ahmed Maher Street allows cars, but as you approach Bab Zuweila, it becomes a narrow, car-free street.

Tuk-tuks in the street made a bit chaotic 

Tuk-tuks are allowed on the street, but navigating through the crowds and tuk-tuks was chaotic.

By the way, the Ramadan lantern fashion this year was the Rattan Ramadan lantern.

The Rattan Ramadan lanterns

There was also this moving Ramadan lantern set.

The Ramadan movable lanterns

Needless to say, there are fewer Chinese-made lanterns than El-Sayeda Zeinab bazaar.

Also the prices are cheaper than in El-Sayeda Zeinab bazaar.

You can the rest of the photos here on Flickr.

All the photos here were taken by Sony Alpha a6500 with a kit lens 18-55m