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Cairo is big: just how big you'll see on the drive in from the airport, which sometimes takes so long you'll think you're driving to Aswan. And what you see on the way into town, amazingly, is only half of it—Cairo's west-bank sister city, Giza, stretches to the Pyramids, miles from Downtown. But if you are the sort of person who instinctively navigates by compass points, exploring Cairo will be a breeze because the Nile works like a giant north–south needle running through the center of the city. If not, you might find the city bewildering at first.
Taxi drivers generally know only major streets and landmarks, and often pedestrians are unsure of the name of the street they stand on—when they do know, it's as often by the old names as the postindependence ones—but they'll gladly steer you in the wrong direction in an effort to be helpful. Just go with the flow and try to think of every wrong turn as a chance for discovery.
Thankfully, too, you don't have to conquer all of Cairo to get the most out of it. Much of the city was built in the 1960s, and the new areas hold relatively little historical or cultural interest. The older districts, with the exception of Giza's pyramids, are all on the east bank and easily accessible by taxi or Metro. These districts become relatively straightforward targets for a day's exploration on foot.
Old Cairo, on the east bank a couple miles south of most of current-day Cairo, was the city's first district. Just north of it is Fustat, the site of the 7th-century Arab settlement. East of that is the Citadel. North of the Citadel is the medieval walled district of al-Qahira that gave the city its name. It is better known as Islamic Cairo. West of that is the colonial district. Known as Downtown, it is one of several—including Ma'adi, Garden City, Heliopolis, and Zamalek—laid out by Europeans in the 19th and 20th centuries. (The west-bank districts of Mohandiseen and Doqqi, by comparison, have only sprouted up since the revolution in 1952.) The most interesting sights are in the older districts; the newer ones have the highest concentrations of hotels, restaurants, and shops.
The vast holdings at this museum across from the Cairo Opera House consist of modern works by 20th- and 21st-century Egyptian painters, sculptors, calligraphers, and other artists. Highlights of the permanent collection include sculptures by Mahmoud Mukhtar and paintings by Mahmoud Said, both pioneers of the Egyptian modern art movement in the 1920s and '30s. The museum hosts temporary exhibitions as well.
The precariously perched kilns that dot the ravine at the edge of this village are a spectacular sight to behold. Specialized pots, such as the bukla, a squat vessel with a skewed mouth, are made here, but all are sold at markets in Medinet el-Fayyum.
For more than 3 millenia, Saqqara was used as a burial ground, bearing witness to many mortuary practices along the way. The beautiful non-royal tombs of the New Kingdom (1550–1077 BC) feature underground burial chambers and open, above-ground courtyards with tomb chapels typically surmounted by small pyramids.
South of the Unas Pyramid's causeway are a handful of tombs that belonged to eminent officials of the 18th to 20th dynasties, all lying within one wider complex. Among these officials was ‘Aperizia, a vizier of Amenhotep III; Ptahemwia, the "Royal Butler, Clean of Hands” under the rule of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun; Maia, the overseer of treasury; and Meryneith, the scribe. A tomb intended for Horemheb, the military general during Tutankhamun’s reign, also lies within the complex.
The meticulous art etched on the walls of these tombs was done by the best ancient artists and craftsmen, many of whom had practiced in the royal capital of Amarna. Many tombs here were also discovered with stelas and statues of the deceased within, but these artifacts have been moved to museums elsewhere.
At the southern end of Rodah Island, al-Miqyas (The Nilometer) was used from pharaonic times until the completion of the Aswan Dam in the late 1950s to measure the height of flood waters using carved measuring marks. Needless to say, this was something that the populace followed with great interest—and, if the waters were abundant, with great celebration.
Built in 861 on the site of an earlier Nilometer, the present structure is considered the oldest extant Islamic building, though the conical dome is a 1895 restoration. Inside, Qur’an verses that speak of water, vegetation, and prosperity are carved onto the walls. Nearby is a small museum for Umm Kulthum (a famous Egyptian singer-songwriter and actress) that showcases some of her personal effects, including her iconic wardrobes.
This open-air living museum takes you on a fascinating voyage through history and is particularly good if you're traveling with children. Although it has dioramas and a museum with educational information and replicas of artifacts that were made using ancient techniques, it's the boat ride through the site that's the main draw. It transports you through a recreated ancient kingdom where actors dressed in period costume go about such day-to-day activities as sculpting statues, making pottery, or even embalming.
The son of Unas, Teti was the first pharaoh of the 6th Dynasty (2345–2181 BC), and he's believed to have ruled for a little over a decade. Beyond this not much is known about him. Although his is the northernmost of the royal pyramids, it’s not far from the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
Originally, Teti's pyramid was encased in blocks of fine limestone. What remains is a core of smaller blocks of local limestone and debris fill, rendering it less majestic than other structures. You can, however, enter this pyramid through a sloping passageway located at the north face. Inside, an antechamber has a large basalt sarcophagus that might once have contained the pharaoh's body. It's the burial chamber and its pyramid texts (used to guide the soul of the deceased in the afterlife) that are truly captivating, though. Here, long vertical columns are adorned with elegantly carved spells in hieroglyphs, and the ceiling is punctuated by representations of stars set against a dark blue background.
Unas, sometimes referred to as Wenis, was the last pharaoh of the 5th Dynasty, reigning from approximately 2375 to 2345 BC. At first glance, his pyramid could easily be mistaken for a topographical feature in the Saqqara landscape. But the slanted case section of Unas's once glorious pyramid reveals a royal tomb that occupies an area of 17 square meters (188 square feet) and originally stood 43 meters (141 feet) tall. It was also the first ancient tomb to have its vaulted burial chamber decorated with resplendent green pyramid texts, meant to safely guide the deceased's soul through the perils of the afterlife. So self-assured was this innovative ruler that his pyramid was called “Perfect Are the Places of Unas” in ancient Egyptian.
The namesake founder of this art center near the Giza Plateau was also the architect who designed its mud-brick building featuring distinctive round domes. The center was established in the early 1950s, primarily to teach young Egyptians weaving techniques, and the colorful, elaborate tapestries made here exhibit ancient Egyptian, Coptic, and Islamic influences. You can tour the workshops and see woven works as well as pottery and sculpture. Bring a lunch to enjoy in the lavish gardens.
Named for the pinkish limestone of which it is made, this, like the Bent Pyramid, belonged to Sneferu (2613–2589 BC). It measures 67 square meters (721 square feet) and was originally 104 meters (341 feet) tall, making it only slightly smaller than the Great Pyramid at Giza, later built for Sneferu's son, Khufu. It also marks the first successful attempt at building a smooth-sided "true pyramid." If you can manage navigating the low-ceilinged passage leading down into the interior, you can see the pyramid's three magnificent corbelled chambers. You can also see evidence of tomb robbers, who battered the floor of the topmost chamber in search of treasure. Note, too, the graffiti left by 19th-century tourists.
This 17th-century, Ottoman monument is impressive for its ornate façade, tiled interior, and location at a fork on Islamic Cairo's main street. Katkhuda is a Persian word meaning "master of the house," and the powerful gentleman who endowed this building was a patron of the arts and architecture, as befitted his position. Before running water was available to most of Cairo's inhabitants, it was customary for wealthy patrons to build a sabil (a public fountain) that provided people with potable water. Often attached to a sabil was a kuttab (a basic school) for teaching children the Qur'an and other subjects.
One of the holiest sites in Egypt, this mosque was originally built by the Fatimids in the 12th century as a shrine and is said to contain the head of Husayn, the Prophet's grandson. Al-Husayn is the spiritual heart of the Islamic city. It is here that the president and his ministers come to pray on important religious occasions. Many of the Sufi orders in the neighborhood perform Friday prayers at al-Husayn. During the mulid (celebration) of al-Husayn, held during the Muslim month of Rabi'a al-Akhiri (the fourth month in the Muslim calendar), the square in front of the mosque becomes a carnival. During Ramadan, the area is packed with people from sunset to dawn.
The mosque itself is a 19th-century stone building heavily influenced by the Gothic Revival; only elements of older structures remain. On the south end of the southeast facade stands a partial wall with a gate, known as Bab al-Akhdar (The Green Gate), which probably dates from the Fatimid Dynasty. The mosque is technically closed to non-Muslims. However, while large tour groups are not allowed to enter, there is more leeway for the individual traveler, provided that you avoid prayer times (noon or 1 pm) and Fridays. Women should cover their heads and everyone should cover shoulders and knees.
This underground complex houses the most significant cult animals buried in Saqqara: the sacred Apis bulls, which were considered incarnations of the god Ptah. It is believed that each animal was very carefully selected, with the priests looking for special markings of divinity. In life, the bulls were as well-treated as they were revered. Upon death, they were mummified and placed in great (and extraordinarily heavy) sarcophagi. They were thought to become immortal as Osiris-Apis; over time, the name evolved to Userhapi ("Osorapis" in Greek) and was later associated with the Ptolemaic god, Serapis, resulting in the name of the site. The Serapeum, first used in the New Kingdom (1550–1077 BC), has a niche for each sacred bull; chapels and smaller temples would have been built aboveground.
Over the centuries, during Europe's many waves of persecution and expulsion, Jews sought refuge in Muslim lands such as Egypt, where they were protected as People of the Book. The Jewish community lived in peace alongside Muslims and Copts for generations, and it was only in the 20th century, with the founding of the state of Israel and the 1952 revolution’s privatization, that political and cultural tensions arose. Although not open to the general public, it's still worth noting this synagogue, an unusual concrete block with a subtle art-nouveau floral motif (the stained-glass windows are rumored to have been done by Tiffany). Financed by some of the Jewish community’s most powerful men, it was designed by architect Maurice Cattaui and erected in 1899.
Mercurius, or Abu Seifein (Of the Two Swords), is named for a Roman legionary who converted to Christianity after dreaming that an angel gave him a glowing sword and ordered him to use it to fight paganism. He was martyred in Palestine, and his remains were brought to Cairo in the 15th century. Today, this site is of great importance to Coptic Christians; when the seat of the Coptic Patriarch moved from Alexandria to Cairo, Saint Mercurius was the chosen location. The complex actually contains a monastery, a convent, and three churches: Abu Seifein, Abna Shenouda, and a church of the Virgin.
Surprisingly, Egypt’s largest waterfalls stand in the middle of the desert about 65 km (40 mile) southwest of the city of Fayyum. Embodying the region's natural beauty, this national park consists of seven main regions: El Rayan Falls, El-Modawara Mountain, the upper lake, the lower lake, El Rayyan Springs, El Rayyan Mountain, and Wadi al-Hitan. There’s a lot to see, so hiring a local guide is encouraged.
Silky sand dunes surround tranquil blue water that is itself framed by flora. El-Modawara Mountain provides breathtaking panoramas. The area's rich wildlife includes Egyptian gazelles and different kinds of foxes. With more than 169 species of birds—some migrants, some local—it’s also a bird-watcher’s paradise.
