Boulaq[a] (Arabic: بولاق, romanized: Būlāq[1] from Ancient Greek: φυλακή "guard, customs post"[2]), is a district of Cairo, in Egypt.

[3] Bulaq is a dense indigenous district filled with small-scale workshops of industries such as the old printing press, metalworking and machine shops, which supported the early stages of building Cairo.

The building lay on the bank of the Nile River, and in 1878 it suffered significant damage in a flood.

The Museum's former location is indicated by the continued existence of a 'Maspero Street', named after the second head of the Antiquities Department.

[5] Following the building of the Nile Corniche, with a road running along the river front, the Bulaq area ceased to be a port; it is now home to various organisations, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Maspero television building, Ali Baba Movie Theater (dilapidated),[6] and the Al-Ahram newspaper.