Bab Zuweila

Lonely Planet review

Built at the same time as the northern gates (10th century), beautiful Bab Zuweila is the only remaining southern gate of medieval Al-Qahira. Visitors may climb the ramparts, where some intriguing exhibits about the gate's history are in place. The two minarets atop the gate, also open to visitors, offer one of the best available views of the area.

In Mamluk times, the space in front of the gate was the site of executions, a popular form of street theatre, with some victims being sawn in half or crucified. The spirit of a healing saint was (and still is) said to reside behind one towering wooden door, which supplicants have studded with nails and teeth as offerings over the centuries.

A five-year makeover of the gate was completed in 2003, leaving the entire structure cleaned and, most importantly for visitors, accessible. Inside the towers flanking the doors (now able to be closed for the first time in 500 years) plaques explain the gate's long history and showcase discoveries made during the restoration (like the teeth found embedded in the masonry as offerings to a saint associated with the area). Views from the top of the minarets are stunning and well worth the clamber up what seems like hundreds of steps.