Cairo is the capital of Egypt and, with a total population in excess of 16 million people, one of the largest cities in both Africa and the Middle East It is also the 19th largest city in the world, and among the world’s most densely populated towns.
Cairo,historical and unique city, combinds old city and modern city. As you fly into to Cairo, Egypt one will be left speechless as they look out the window and see the contrast of the setting. Out one side of the plane, you can see the vast arid desert which seems to be never ending; out the other side of the plane you see a busy city which looks like a modern day Oasis. Travelers from all over the world have been marveling at Egypt ‘s wondrous antiquities for thousands of years.
Places to Cairo:
The Citadel and Sayyida Zaynab: The Citadel commands wonderful views of the city—smog permitting. From there, you can visit some impressive monuments, including the amazing Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, one of the largest such structures in the world, and the remarkably calm, austere Mosque of Ibn Tulun, one of Cairo’s oldest buildings.
Coptic Cairo (Mari Girgis): The Coptic Museum has a collection of local Christian art that displays pharaonic, Hellenistic, and even Islamic influences. And there is a soothing quality to the neighborhood. In contrast to the big-city feel of downtown Cairo, or the hustle of the al-Husayn area, Coptic Cairo is relatively quiet and calm.
Downtown and Bulaq: Downtown—called Wist al-Balad in Arabic—is still loved today, but more for its shoe stores and cinemas than for its architecture and the unique melding of cultures and influences that it once represented. Walking through the district gives you a sense of infinite discovery, of little fragments of a time and place now lost that haven’t quite been swept away by the changing politics. Although all the shops at street level have redecorated their own pieces of facade, look higher and the fin-de-siècle city comes alive. Sadly, most of the buildings are in an advanced state of decay, so you have to use a little imagination to re-create the neighborhood’s former glory.
The Fayyum: There are two centers of activity in the area: one is the very salty Birket Qarun, the other Medinet Fayyum, the major city. The site of old Karanis is on the way in from Cairo, as is the lake. Medinet Fayyum is 20 km (12 mi) south of the lake, and the Hawara and Lahun pyramids are south of the city.
Giza: Giza Plateau opposite the Mena House Hotel. Hiring a taxi for the day to take you to the pyramids and other ancient sites is by far the most convenient way to get to and from the site. Your hotel can arrange a taxi, or you can hail one in the street. A reasonable daylong taxi hire should cost £e30-£e40 per hour—if you bargain well.
Heliopolis: The grand Heliopolis Palace Hotel is now the presidential palace, set behind well-guarded walls. However, the downtown core—the Korba—a diminutive quarter of ornate colonnaded streets in neo-Renaissance style, is now gentrified with a smart coat of paint and is a lovely place to relax. The colonnades now house cafés, boutiques, and jewelry shops where the well-to-do families of the area stroll in the evenings.
Wadi Natrun Monasteries: Wadi Natrun’s earlier isolation, the monasteries still feel remote, huddled behind the high walls the monks built a millennium ago to protect themselves from Bedouin attacks. But make no mistake: these are some very hip monks. They speak countless foreign languages, run several successful businesses that include a large fruit and vegetable farm, and are more clued in to the ways of the world than most young Cairenes.
Some Hotels in Cairo:
Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah
Fairmont Cairo, Nile City
Staybridge Suites Cairo-Citystars
Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah
Hotel Longchamps
InterContinental Citystars Cairo
Fairmont Towers Heliopolis
Osiris Hotel
Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino
Conrad Cairo
Concorde El Salam Hotel