Built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by Salah al-Din and his successors, the Ayyubid wall containing the gate of Bab al-Barqiyya served as Cairo’s eastern boundary for centuries. Although the wall continued to be a defining element for the city, it long ago ceased to be a defensive structure. Measuring over 1500 metres in length, the wall is the longest and best-preserved portion of Cairo’s old fortifications.