Downtown Cairo

Downtown Cairo (Egyptian Arabic: وسط البلد Wust al-Balad, 'middle of town') is the colloquial name given to the 19th-century western expansion of Egypt's capital Cairo, between the historic medieval Cairo and the Nile, which became the commercial center of the city during the 20th century. Given its rich architectural heritage from the era of Khedive Ismail, it has been officially named Khedival Cairo and declared by the government as a protected Area of Value, with many of its buildings also deemed protected.

Administratively Wust al-Balad covers areas of the Qasr al-Nil district, and the Abdeen and Azbakeya districts. The protected Khedival Cairo covers a larger area extending south to Sayeda Zeinab.

History

Downtown Cairo was designed by French architects who were commissioned by Khedive Ismail during a visit to Paris, because he wanted to make the Egyptian capital better than Paris and become the jewel of the Orient. It was he who stressed the importance of European-style urban planning in Cairo, to include broad, linear gridded streets, geometric harmony and modern European architectural style.

It was once home to the prosperous elite of late 19th- and early 20th-century Cairo. It is a relic of a bygone era – Egypt's belle epoque — and demonstrates the vision for developing Egypt. Yet decades of neglect by the neighbourhood's landlords and tenants following the burning of most of Cairo's buildings during the famous Cairo fire incident prior to the 1952 Revolution led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, and the ensuing departure of the upper classes have left the splendor of its ornate edifices mired in decay. Lax enforcement of laws and regulations gave way to the entry of commercial establishments into the neighbourhood, mostly with no regard to maintaining aesthetic harmony or preserving the historic buildings of Downtown Cairo. Now, most of the historic buildings within the area have been renovated by the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Development.