D15. Townhouse Passageway
Superblock: | D. Tal'at Harb Superblock |
Genealogy: | Historically planned as passageway |
Morphology: | 2 Entrances - straight perpendicular |
Area: | 685m2 |
Total number of premises: | 25 |
Dominant activities: | Retail |
Originally a part of al-Nabarawi Street, this passageway is known as a destination for cultural events at the Townhouse Gallery and performances at the Rawabet Theater, and for its popular Al-Tak‘iba Cafe. The alleyway, which connects Mahmud Basyuni and Ma‘ruf Streets, passes through the remnants of a small 19th century settlement built around the shrine of Sheikh Ma‘ruf by his adherents, apart from the larger Mamluk-era port town of Bulaq on the banks of the Nile. The shrine still exists a few blocks to the north. The settlement was eventually subsumed into the European Downtown.