The Muski and al-Azhar districts at the heart of Islamic Cairo are not just part of the historic city, but are still very much at the hub of an area with a large and dense population and industrial workshops, many of which have been there for centuries.
Because of the narrow streets, the highly commercial nature and the large number of pedestrians, there is pressing need to alleviate congestion by transferring some of these workshops and shops to outlying areas. Towards this a plan was drawn up many years ago by the Cairo governorate to move the businesses off Muski, but it was delayed as the parties concerned did not agree on where they should be moved.
Eliminating pollution
Cairo governor Abdel-Azim Wazir says the transfer resolution came from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and added that the transfer of the Al-Azhar suq was not compulsory. “We are committed to safeguarding the rights of the merchants,” Dr Wazir said. No shops have been transferred so far, but a new commercial unit has been decided on. Vendors around Azhar will be later prevented from entering al-Azhar Street, so the area can focus more on culture and cultural legacy. So far the Ministry of Culture has restored 33 old buildings in the locality.
Abdel-Qader al-Derdeirri, the Deputy Minister of Housing for Cairo governorate, has carried out a study on transferring the wholesale textile merchants whose business is currently located at al-Azhar to a new plot on the outskirts of Cairo. Current plans indicate that the new location will be in the satellite town of New Cairo which lies east of Cairo. Ra’fat Shemeissi, in charge of planning the new commercial area, says the move aims at eliminating the noise, pollution and traffic confusion in the centre of the capital.
The plan
This project of emptying the historical capital from any wholesale commercial activities will be executed on three stages, the first of which will be the transfer of the wholesale textile and cloth merchants located on al-Azhar Street. The second and third stages will include the wholesale furniture and textile outlets and commercial workshops from Mohamed Ali and Manasra, the durable goods in Abdel-Aziz Street, and the sanitary equipment and stationery wholesalers at Faggala. The commercial activities in Muski, Muizz and the wood accessories and papers from the Roweie and Haret al-Yahoud will follow close behind. The plan will expand to include the Downtown part of Cairo which is close to al-Azhar such as the heavy equipment merchants in Naguib al-Rihani and Gomhouriya streets, car spare parts in Tawfiqiya, electric works and wholesale commercial food materials in the Darb al-Barabra.
But the really controversial issue is that, once the neighbourhood has been cleared of all commercial activities and been effectively ‘sanitised’, will it lose its timeless charm?