and their Mamluk successors, who were Sunni Muslims eager to erase the influence of the Shi'a Muslim Fatimids, progressively demolished and replaced the great Fatimid palaces with their own buildings. The al-Salihiyya Madrasa, built by al-Salih Ayyub, was one of the first such major constructions, and his mausoleum (built after his death by Shajarr ad-Durr), is the first post-Fatimid mausoleum to be erected in a public location along Cairo's main streets; a practice that would become common thereafter. The ceremonial square consequently shrank and eventually became merely another stretch of the Qasabah, the main north–south street of Cairo (known now as Al-Mu'izz Street). Nonetheless, due to its central and symbolic location, the Bayn al-Qasrayn area remained a privileged site in Cairo, and many major mosques, mausoleums, and mansions of rulers and elites were built along the former plaza, particularly in the Mamluk era. Structures such as Sultan Qalawun's mausoleum, hospital, and madrasa, a major monument of its time, not only made use of the location but also discretely incorporated parts of the old Fatimid palaces into its construction. Ibn Batutah, who visited in 1326, reinforced this concept and commented that the space of Bayn al-Qasrayn was, “beyond one's ability to describe.” Urban context: the Qasabah Street The main north–south street of Cairo which passed through Bayn al-Qasrayn, became known as the "Qasabah", the city's main street or avenue. Today this street is known as Al-Mu'izz Street. This was the main commercial axis of the city, where the most important economic activities were centered. Shops along here included book dealers, spice and nut suppliers, saddle makers, and cloth merchants who sold their goods to the people of Cairo and to other visitors. The Egyptian historian Al-Maqrizi counted 12,000 shops on the Qasabah street alone. Even after the Fatimid era, this avenue was the focus of many civic or religious monuments built by subsequent rulers and governors up to the 19th century, including many major mosques and mausoleums. The Qasabah street spread both north and south from the original Bayn al-Qasrayn into a mile-long street which extended from the northern gate of the city (Bab al-Futuh) to the southern gate (Bab Zuweila). As Cairo expanded further outside the original Fatimid walled city, development of the Qasaba street extended to the road leading south from the city and reached as far as the Qarafa necropolis. List of historic monuments at Bayn al-Qasrayn today