Well-worn tourist routes Moezz Street and Khan el-Khalili have a new addition. The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) recently finished a route to the el-Darb el-Ahmar, located in Historic Cairo, which is listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site.
The restoration and maintenance were carried out in co-operation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).
During his inspection of the route, SCA Secretary General Mostafa Waziry said the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is working with the Aga Khan Foundation on a number of tourist paths in Historic Cairo.
The start of the two-kilometre route is the visitor centre in Al-Azhar Park where you can watch a video in many languages about the path, the history of el-Darb el-Ahmar and structures of archaeological interest.
Visitors riding in eco-friendly electric cars from Al-Azhar Park will be taken past the mud brick eastern Ayyubid Wall, built by the founder of Cairo, Gawhar Al Siqili. Further along the route is the Tarabay al-Sharifi Complex, completed in 1516 with its helmet-shaped dome dating back to the Circassian Mamluk era.
There is also Aq Sunqur Mosque, which was built in 1347 by Prince Shams Eddin Aq Sunqur, a Mamluk of al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun. This mosque is also known as the Blue Mosque, which owes its name to the faience tiles that cover the qibla wall and are predominantly blue. From there you will come to Al-Saleh Talaa Mosque, the last mosque built in the Fatimid era and the oldest hanging mosque in Egypt.
The SCA chief said a ticket to go on the path costs LE20 for Egyptians, LE10 for Egyptian students, LE120 for non-Egyptians and LE60 for non-Egyptian students.
There are sitting areas at certain points on the route with panels and display boards with QR codes so that you can find out more details about the building you find yourself in front of.
Co-ordination is underway with the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, and Cairo Governorate to make provision for handicraft shops, notably tent-makers, for which Historic Cairo was once famous.
Sherif Erian, CEO at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, said building restoration in el-Darb el-Ahmar has been in progress for the last 18 years.
“We are expecting 5,000 visitors to el-Darb this year,” Erian said, adding that there are plans to develop the local community in the vicinity of the path by holding workshops and training on how to deal with tourists and introduce the history of the area.
For further information, log on to https://aldarbalahmar.com
The event came within the framework of the plan of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to improve the tourist experience for visitors to the Egyptian tourist destination.
