Bab al-Barqiyya

Bab al-Barqiyya
Bab al-Barqiyya, seen from outside the walls, from al-Azhar Park.
Alternative namesBab al-Tawfiq
General information
TypeFortified city gate
Architectural styleAyyubid
LocationCairo, Egypt
AddressBurg al-Zafar Street
Coordinates30°2′36″N 31°15′54″E / 30.04333°N 31.26500°E / 30.04333; 31.26500
CompletedBetween 1176 and early 13th century
Renovated2000-2008

Bab al-Barqiyya (Arabic: باب البرقية) was a gate in the city walls of Cairo, Egypt. It acted as one of the main eastern city gates until falling into disuse and disappearing. In 1998, it was excavated and rediscovered, along with parts of the Ayyubid-era city walls of Cairo, as part of the creation of Al-Azhar Park. It was restored in the 2000s in the process of the park's completion.

There is some uncertainty and confusion as to the historical name of the gate. It is possible that the name Bab al-Barqiyya was actually the name of another eastern gate further north, located where a Fatimid-era gate, Bab al-Tawfiq, has been unearthed. If true, then the Ayyubid gate described here was most likely the gate identified as Bab al-Jadid ("New Gate") by historical writers such as al-Maqrizi, a name that in modern times also corresponds to another gate located in the northeast corner of the historic city.