Originally built in the 15th-century during the Mamluk Sultanate, Bayt Al-Razzaz is a mansion now comprising two houses, two central courtyards, and other utility structures such as stables, baths, storerooms, etc. The number of buildings along with its size gives the structure the impression of being palatial. The two properties, which collectively comprise 190 rooms, were connected via a single passageway sometime in the early 19th-century, as a result of a marriage contract. The first house was built in around 1480 by Sultan Quaytbay and features highly decorative mashrabiya windows on the second floor, overlooking the street and others looking out over the courtyard. One of the doorways on the eastern side of the courtyard is decorated in the Mamluk style and includes the cartouche or blazon of Qaytbay. The structure is primarily of stone and brick, with carved wooden windows. Interior walls and ceilings are of finely painted wood panels. The flat roof is constructed of layers of mortar over horizontal sheathing boards. The second floor was used as the women's quarters while the downstairs area was occupied by the men. The second house was built by a wealthy rice merchant, Ahmad Katkhuda al-Razzaz, in the 18th-century, probably to accommodate a growing family and an increasingly complex network of relationships. The buildings were occupied by the same families for centuries. Situated in Darb al-Ahmar neighbourhood, the complex occupies a vast area and is bounded by Bab al-Wazir Street on one side, and the Suwayqat al-'Izza/Suq al-Silah on the other, with entrances on both streets, and is adjacent to the Mosque of Umm Sha'ban. The structure was abandoned in the 1960s, and became the property of the Ministry of State for Antiquities. From the late 1970s, a team led by American Research Center in Egypt carried out restoration work on the eastern complex which were completed in 2007. The western building remains in need of restoration and the Ministry has plans to restore it for use as offices, however in light of the political unrest in Egypt, the World Monuments Fund considers the project to be "at risk".
