There is no existing standard with which to measure Cairo. It has its own dimensions. It is approachable yet exudes an air of superiority. It is simple and undemanding yet incomparable.
It is the biggest city in Africa, one which has merged Heliopolis, Babylon and Fostat (Old Cairo) to where they now they are only components of its overall beauty. A miraculous city in the shadow of Giza’s pyramids, a unique metropolis that preserves the cultural treasures of 6,000 years of Egyptian civilization. This is Cairo.
Two stories, the past and the present, are intertwined into one magnificent ornament in this city divided by the Nile and surrounded by sand. What is Cairo? It is skyscrapers and luxurious villas, bell towers and minarets, palms and neon ights, bustling markets and small shops filled with tourist souvenirs. This city is a huge human beehive in which life is seething and at the same time flowing steadily, slowly, to the rhythm of the Nile as it rolls over the waves from ancient times.
Meanwhile, the great Sphinx watches the tumult from afar. He has no choice since Cairo is nearly encroaching on Giza, which attracts tourists from all over the world with its pyramids and other magnificent sights from the times of the pharaohs.
Would you like to enjoy a view of the city? Go atop the walls of Saladin’s citadel, one of the oldest fortresses of the world. From the filigree minarets of Muhammad Ali’s mosque and the mosque of Sultan Kalaun, the Egyptian museum, the giant aqueduct stretching from the Nile to the citadel, the tower Beit Al Sennar, the building of the oldest Arabic university Al-Azkhar, the crafts market Khan-el-Khalili-the largest in the Middle East and one that has seen little change since its founding in the fourteenth century…
Everything is spread before your eyes. Where would you like to go? To the Egyptian museum with the world’s largest collection of Egyptian art? To a papyrus factory? Maybe to a jewelry plant? To a perfume museum? Or to the market?
Son boy everything the East is famous for in Cairo: perfume*, spices, 90W and silver, carpets, products of copper and bronze, leather and glass,
ceramics…
Whatever you like! Fabrics of all possible types and colors, and musical instruments-anything you can find anywhere in the world. And though you don’t need a camel, still, you should visit a camel market for the unforgettable impressions. It’ll give you a lot to tell your friends about. And when you’re tired of city noises, go to the zoo or a public garden. Want something exotic?
Take a cruise and let the waves of the Nile lull you. If you can ride, follow the path from the pyramids of Giza to those at Sakkara. You’re not really keen on long trips? Then experience the feeling of a truly extraordinary meal and a breathtaking view in the revolving restaurant located 187 meters above the city in the Cairo Tower. At dusk, the city gains new momentum. Evening is the best time for shopping or for experiencing new oriental dishes. You can find a tasty dinner in a wayside cafe or in a floating restaurant. And it’s usually in the evening that entertainers, expert in oriental dances, perform in hotels.
Arabian music by moonlight-that’s one thing you’ll be sure to remember for a long time. But you won’t leave with a complete picture of Cairo if you don’t take the time to see the light-and-music show at the foot of the pyramids. Maybe you’ve been to Cairo many times. You’ve seen the pyramids, the Sphinx and everything else. But wouldn’t you like to go back to the shores of the Nile and watch how its waters flow so calmly and with such dignity? It seems that the Nile doesn’t even notice that skyscrapers now rise to the skies instead of palaces.