Bayn al-Qasrayn () is the district and plaza between two former palace complexes constructed in the 10th century by the Fatimid dynasty in medieval Islamic Cairo, within present day Cairo, Egypt. It was an original element in the Fatimid Caliphate's plan for a new palace-city, named al-Qahirah (today's "Cairo"), and later became the site of many monumental buildings constructed in the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods, even up to the 19th century. Many of these structures from different periods survive in the area today, located along what is now called al-Mu'izz Street. History Fatimid founding The Fatimids conquered Egypt in 969 C.E with a North African Kutama Berber army under the command of Jawhar al-Siqilli, the general of Caliph Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah. In 970, Jawhar was responsible for planning, founding, and constructing a new city to serve as the residence and center of power for the Fatimid Caliphs. The city was located northeast of Fustat, the existing capital and main city of Egypt. Jawhar, who served as al-Mu'izz's Grand Vizier and was most likely an Armenian slave, is recounted by 14th-century Egyptian Islamic historian, Al-Maqrizi, to have made the conscious decision to move further north and build Cairo on a 340-acre complex instead of develop Fustat. Jawhar organized the city so that the caliphal palace complex was at its center. The city was named al-Mu'izziyya al-Qahirah, the "Victorious City of al-Mu'izz", later simply called "al-Qahira", which gave us the modern name of Cairo. Although Jawhar was indeed important to the layout of Cairo, the Great Eastern Palace of Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah was drawn and designed by the hand of Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, himself. Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah's palace was finished in the year 996, but underwent renovations with Caliph Al-Mustansir Billah in the year 1058. The palace complex consisted of two main parts: the Great Eastern Palace, the first to be built in 970 by Jawhar for the arrival of the triumphant Caliph al-Mu'izz, and the Western Palace, which was added under his successor al-'Aziz (ruled 975–996). The two palaces faced each other across an open square or plaza which became known as "Bayn al-Qasrayn" (meaning "Between the Two Palaces"), on a pattern repeated from the original Fatimid royal city at al-Mahdia, Tunisia. The official entrance to the Great Eastern Palace, known as Bab al-Dhahab ("The Golden Gate") was located here and led to the "Golden Hall" where the caliph held