
Al-Darb al-Ahmar () is a historic neighbourhood in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, Egypt. It is part of the UNESCO
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
of
Historic Cairo
Islamic Cairo (), or Medieval Cairo, officially Historic Cairo (القاهرة التاريخية ''al-Qāhira tārīkhiyya''), refers mostly to the areas of Cairo, Egypt, that were built from the Muslim conquest of Egypt, Muslim conquest in 641 C ...
.
Located south of the old walled city of Cairo, originally built by the
Fatimids
The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...
in the 10th century, it began to urbanize largely during the 14th century in the
Mamluk period.
Today, al-Darb al-Ahmar is an administrative division (''
qism'') within the district of ''Wasat al-Qahira'' (Central Cairo).
This division includes the area south of al-Azhar street, encompassing the southern half of the original Fatimid Cairo and what is now
al-Azhar University
The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...
, as well as the nearby
Al-Azhar Park
Al-Azhar Park () is a public park located in qism al-Darb al-Ahmar, in Historic Cairo, Egypt.
Among several honors, this park is listed as one of the world's sixty great public spaces by the Project for Public Spaces. The park was created by the ...
.
History

The area south of Cairo's city walls, between
Bab Zuweila and the
Citadel
A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
...
, was initially the site of
Fatimid
The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...
and
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...
-era cemeteries.
Under the prosperous reign of Sultan
al-Nasir Muhammad
Al-Malik an-Nasir Nasir ad-Din Muhammad ibn Qalawun (), commonly known as an-Nasir Muhammad (), or by his kunya: Abu al-Ma'ali () or as Ibn Qalawun (1285–1341) was the ninth Mamluk sultan of the Bahri dynasty who ruled Egypt between 129 ...
(between 1293 and 1341) the population of the city reached its peak and the area began to be developed in earnest. The city expanded southwards and many
Mamluk
Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
elites were eager to build new establishments closer to the Citadel, the seat of the sultan's power. Al-Nasir himself encouraged this development and even built some of the palaces northwest of the Citadel for his
amirs
Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...
(e.g. the
Palace of Amir Qawsun), just as he was building his own palaces inside the Citadel.
The
Bab al-Wazir Cemetery also developed next to the neighbourhood at this time, just outside the old Ayyubid city walls.
As a result of this period's development, most of the neighbourhood's notable historic monuments date from the 14th century.
From the late 14th century onward, however, Cairo suffered from the
Black Plague
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...
and its population declined and did not recover until centuries later.
Nonetheless, the area did develop further during the
Ottoman period
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Euro ...
. The
Qasaba of Radwan Bey (now part of the
Tentmakers' Street), for example, was a commercial urban complex developed in the 17th century along the old ''Qasaba'' road (now
al-Mu'izz Street
Al-Muizz li-Din Allah al-Fatimi Street (), or al-Muizz Street for short, is a major north-to-south street in the walled city of Islamic Cairo, historic Cairo, Egypt. It is one of Cairo's oldest streets as it dates back to the foundation of the cit ...
) and partly aimed at promoting urbanization of the area.
The area received further urbanization impetus during the 19th century when
Muhammad 'Ali Pasha again redeveloped the nearby Citadel as a seat of power. He granted various plots of land in al-Darb al-Ahmar to important army officers who were thus encouraged to build in the area.
In 1979, al-Darb al-Ahmar was listed by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
as part of the
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
of
Historic Cairo. The district was a center of craftsmanship for generations, but in recent years it has suffered from the liberalization of Egypt's economy and the neighbourhood is hampered by poverty.
The district also suffered heavy damage during the
1992 Cairo earthquake.
The weakness of central authority has recently created problems for historic conservation, as many old houses are being demolished and replaced with modern high-rise structures.
Geography and description
The neighbourhood historically consists of the area between the
Citadel
A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
...
and
Bab Zuweila.
However, the modern administrative ward (''
qism'') of al-Darb al-Ahmar has different borders:
it is bordered to the north by al-Azhar street, to the east by Salah Salem Road, to the south by the Khalifa district and the Cairo Citadel, and to the west by Port Said Street (or al-Khalig).
The neighbourhood is centered around two or three main streets, one of which is named al-Darb al-Ahmar, giving the district its name. The southern sections of al-Darb al-Ahmar Street officially have different names, however, such as Bab al-Wazir Street (named after a
former city gate). Another major street, which branches off al-Darb al-Ahmar street, is Souq al-Silah Street, which was once a market for producers of arms and armor near the Citadel.
The modern Muhammad 'Ali Street (''Shari'a Muhammad 'Ali'') also cuts across the southwestern side of the district.
Demographics
In the 2017 census, the neighbourhood had about 58,489 residents, living in 14 shiakhas (census blocks):
According to a 2010 report
[Morbidoni, Michele (2010). "Cairo, Egypt: The al-Darb al-Ahmar Housing Rehabilitation Programme." Report by United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights. URL: https://www.uclg-cisdp.org/sites/default/files/Cairo_2010_en_FINAL.pdf] on the neighbourhood, the district includes some of the poorest households in Egypt, with unemployment as high as 60% (mostly among women) and a 45% rate of illiteracy. About 83% of the population was born locally.
Present-day conservation efforts
Since around 2000, the area has been the subject of a long-running conservation and restoration program led by the
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a family of institutions created by Aga Khan IV with distinct but complementary mandates to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the develop ...
, aimed at restoring and rehabilitating historic monuments within the urban fabric of the neighbourhood. Monuments that were restored include the
Mausoleum complex of Khayrbek and surrounding structures, the
Madrasa of Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban, the Mosque of Aslam al-Silahdar, and the
Mausoleum of Tarabay al-Sharifi
The Mausoleum of Tarabay al-Sharifi is a late Mamluk funerary complex in Cairo comprising the tomb of amir Tarabay al-Sharifi as well as a sabil and kuttab (primary school), built in 1503–1504. It is located in the Bab al-Wazir Cemetery on th ...
.
The development program also involved the creation of
al-Azhar Park
Al-Azhar Park () is a public park located in qism al-Darb al-Ahmar, in Historic Cairo, Egypt.
Among several honors, this park is listed as one of the world's sixty great public spaces by the Project for Public Spaces. The park was created by the ...
, one of the few major green spaces in Cairo, which adjoins the neighbourhood today to the east.
Historic monuments in the neighbourhood

Below is a list of some of the notable historic monuments in al-Darb al-Ahmar:
*
Qasaba (covered market) of Radwan Bey
*
Mosque of al-Salih Tala'i
*
Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi
*
Mosque of Aslam al-Silahdar
*
Mosque of al-Maridani
*
Mosque and Mausoleum of Amir Ahmad al-Mihmandar
*
Madrasa of Umm Sultan al-Sha'ban
*
Bayt al-Razzaz palace
*
Mosque of Aqsunqur (Blue Mosque)
*
Mausoleum complex of Khayrbek
*
Mausoleum of Tarabay al-Sharifi
The Mausoleum of Tarabay al-Sharifi is a late Mamluk funerary complex in Cairo comprising the tomb of amir Tarabay al-Sharifi as well as a sabil and kuttab (primary school), built in 1503–1504. It is located in the Bab al-Wazir Cemetery on th ...
*
Madrasa of Uljay al-Yusufi
*
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...
City walls (excavated and restored as part of the development of al-Azhar Park)
*
Maristan of al-Mu'ayyad
References
{{coord, 30.0414, 31.2584, display=title
Medieval Cairo
Districts of Greater Cairo