Restoration of 16Th-century Sufi Complex Aims to Revive Cairo's Medieval District in Egypt

The Al-Gulshani mausoleum still stands, surrounded by ruins, as if it had been the last bastion of resistance of this exceptional place against the assault of time, regimes, abandonment, earthquakes, and looting. Across from it, the shops are so old that their floor level lies below that of the street. The most renowned merchants sell lamps traditionally used during Ramadan, drawing buyers from across the city and even the entire country.

They sit alongside carpenters and coppersmiths who make tools for butchers, as well as saddlers for the many donkeys and horses still used daily in Cairo. Vendors read newspapers on their doorsteps, listening to the radio on old transistor sets, and take shelter when the sun's rays become too strong.