Bab Zuweila

The last great southern gate of the Fatimid city — and once its most public stage.

One of only three surviving gates of the walled Fatimid city of 1092, Bab Zuweila marked the southern edge of Cairo. Its towers later carried the minarets of the Mu’ayyad mosque, and its platform served as the city’s stage: sultans watched processions from it, and for centuries public punishments were carried out at its feet. Climb it today and the medieval city spreads out on both sides.