Walking through the crowded streets of Africa's most populous city is truly an experience. Every alleyway has its own charm and unique atmosphere. You will encounter hundreds of small junk shops, crammed to the ceiling with all kinds of decorations, carpets, antique furniture, and, last but not least, persistent salespeople.
If you enter one of the shops, you will find cozy tea rooms full of aromatic teas and an impenetrable veil of smoke from hookahs, or you can decide to go in the opposite direction and discover the well-known achievements of the Western world and the familiar yellow arch of a popular American fast food restaurant. Cairo is simply a city of many faces, combining the past and the modern present at every turn. Take a closer look with us at the most important metropolis of the Arab world.
Cairo is located in northeastern Egypt on the right bank of the Nile, the most important river in the country, which has been iconic and vital since ancient times. The older part of the city lies farther away from the river, while the modern area, full of skyscrapers, government buildings, and luxury shops, stretches directly along the Nile. The most fertile region is located north of the city, where the life-giving branches of the Nile spread out into the delta. This fertile, green river delta contrasts sharply with the grayness and smog of this city of around 14 million people.
As we have already noted, Cairo is a city of many faces and there are many reasons for this. The city is located at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe, so it is clear that hundreds of years of development and cultural mixing have influenced the city itself, its architecture, atmosphere, and population. On the one hand, Cairo is a bustling city, full of poverty, abandoned children, dirt, dust, and smog; on the other hand, it is also a city of luxury shops, expensive cars, and modern hotels. This is another contrast that is almost tangible here, and just as the green Nile Delta differs from the concrete jungle of unfinished buildings, so too do the lives of individual residents differ.
From the previous lines, it may seem that Cairo has nothing beautiful to offer, but make no mistake, it is precisely this mixture of individual aspects and contrasts that gives Cairo its specific atmosphere and charm that you will not find anywhere else. Just stroll through the ancient streets and soak up the atmosphere of a city that hides many beauties that may not be visible at first glance.
The Arab world was known throughout the world for its progressive medicine and numerous scientific discoveries. If you want to learn more, don't miss a visit to Univerzity al-Azhar. It is the oldest Islamic university, which has been a center of Islamic knowledge, interpretation of Islam, and scholarship since ancient times.
The university was founded near the Cairo mosque of the same name. In earlier times, the university was dedicated solely to Islamic theology, but today it has a number of modern faculties that also specialize in natural and social sciences. However, no student can avoid compulsory theology lectures and Islamic law.
The city of Cairo itself was founded as late as the 10th century. In any case, the history of the place where Cairo now stands goes back deep into our history. According to Egyptian mythology, the mythical battle for supremacy over all of Egypt between Horus and Set took place on the site of present-day Cairo.
In Roman times, the Fortress of Babylon gradually grew into a relatively large Christian city. However, everything changed with the arrival of Islam, which came to Egypt sometime in the 7th century and forever changed the original Christian city and the rest of the country. Over time, Cairo grew richer and became an increasingly important city, eventually becoming the center of power for the whole of Egypt.
A time of decline also came, at a time when the city was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Cairo regained its lost glory during the time of Napoleon, who helped liberate Egypt from Ottoman rule at the end of the 18th century. Time passed and the city regained its prestige, its infrastructure and architecture developed, and the city regained its lost glory.
If you're heading to Cairo, you definitely shouldn't miss out on visiting a few key sights. All enthusiasts of Egyptology, archaeology, and history should head to to the Egyptian Museum. Here you will see almost 130,000 exhibits from ancient Egypt. On display are ancient jewelry, weapons, art, and even huge statues.
At the end of 2020, you will also be able to visit the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum, which will offer a complete exhibition of Tutankhamun and a number of artifacts that will be moved here from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The new museum is located near the pyramids of Giza, so you can combine your trip with a breathtaking tour of the pyramids. Visitors will see a nearly 3,200-year-old statue of Ramses II.
But back to Cairo. If you decide to visit the museum, it is best to go early in the morning, as during the day the museum is full of visitors and it can sometimes be difficult to get a good look at some of the exhibits because of the constant stream of people around you.
A limestone statue is located in the central courtyard of the museum. King Djoser from the 27th century BC, opposite it is located copy of the Rosetta Stone.
There are so many exhibits here that if you want to see most of them, it will take you at least an hour. If you don't have much time, focus only on what interests you, but don't miss out on exhibition of royal mummies, funeral mask a Tutankhamun's sarcophagus. The entire Tutankhamun exhibition will later be available at the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
If you are traveling around Cairo, your steps should also take you to to the Citadel and Muhammad Ali Mosque. The fortress is located above the city and was once the seat of Egyptian rulers and governors. You should visit Alabaster Mosque, which was built by Muhammad Ali and where he is now buried.
The building is a dominant feature of Cairo and one of the most visible. It is also worth mentioning that it was built in the Turkish architectural style, so one of the most visible buildings in Cairo is not Egyptian at all. You will also find a piece of European art here, namely tower clock, which was given to Ali by the French king Louis Philippe.
Today, in the former harem, you will find National Military Museum You can also visit the Police Museum or the Suleiman the Magnificent Mosque, built in the ostentatious Ottoman style.
Most Christian monuments in Cairo can be found in Old Cairo, or Coptic city It is the oldest Christian quarter and was built on the foundations of the original Roman fortress of Babylon. Here you can visit several Christian churches and cemeteries.
Worth mentioning are the Greek monastery and church of St. George, the Church of the Virgin Mary, and St. Barbara. In the area, you can also visit the Coptic Museum or the oldest preserved synagogue in Egypt.
Cairo is full of monuments, and you would need a lot of time to see them all. If you are looking for something truly unusual Visit Khan al-Khalili Bazaar It is the largest bazaar in Africa. But don't be fooled, it's not just a commercial building, it's an entire neighborhood full of bazaars and junk shops. You'll find everything from small souvenirs to clothing, dishes, furniture, and food.
If you search carefully, you may even come across some forgotten artifact. In the past, spices, silk, and precious stones were mainly traded here. For me, the Bazaar is one of those places that exudes the atmosphere of old times and offers a unique experience full of visual impressions, the shouting of merchants, and bargaining. The bazaar is definitely worth a visit.
If you want to see the whole city from a bird's eye view, your itinerary should include visit to the Cairo Tower, the 186-meter-high television and observation tower is located on the island of Gezíra Don't worry, it's not an island far from the city; it's located right on the Nile. You can visit a restaurant in the tower that slowly rotates, allowing you to enjoy a 360-degree view of the entire city while you eat.
If the weather is favorable you can see as far as Pyramids of Giza or the Nile Dam The Cairo Opera House and numerous museums are located near the tower, so if you would like to visit something else, it will be no problem, as everything is within easy reach.
This short list is just a fraction of the monuments worth visiting in Cairo. Egypt is a country steeped in ancient history, and thanks to the widespread academic interest in archaeology and Egyptology around the world, a remarkable number of monuments and artifacts have been discovered here. Exploring them all would take months or even years of visiting museums and archaeological sites. We hope that our list will help you navigate the multitude of monuments and see at least the most important ones.
Don't be afraid to get to know Cairo in all its shades and discover the beauty of this historic city.
