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Islamic Cairo South
The last remaining southern gate of Fatimid Cairo was built in 1092 and is named after members of the Fatimid army who hailed from a North African Berber tribe called the Zuwayla. The gate features a pair of minaret-topped semicircular towers. The lobed-arch decoration on the inner flanks of the towers in the entrance were used earlier in North African architecture and were introduced here following the Fatimid conquest of Egypt. They are seen in later Fatimid and Mamluk buildings.
The street level here has risen dramatically—what you see as you pass through the massive doorway would have been at eye level for a traveler entering the city on a camel. According to the architectural historian K.A.C. Creswell, the loggia between the two towers on the wall's exterior once housed an orchestra that announced royal comings and goings. The views from the towers themselves are some of the best in Cairo.
Bab Zuweila wasn't always such a lighthearted spot, however. Public executions once took place here. Indeed, the conquering Turks hanged the last independent Mamluk sultan, Tuman bay II, from this gate in 1517. The unlucky man's agony was prolonged because the rope broke three times. Finally, fed up, the Ottomans had him beheaded.
Al-Muizz, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE40
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Old Cairo
Opened in 1910 and home to the world's largest collection of Coptic antiquities, this museum traces Coptic history from its beginnings to its full rise, providing a link between ancient and Islamic Egypt, as most of the city's population remained Christian until the 11th century, a half millennium after the Arabs brought Islam to the country.
The insightful displays are more or less arranged by medium. The first floor has carved stone and stucco, frescoes, and woodwork. The second floor includes textiles, manuscripts, icons, and metalwork. In some cases, chronological divisions are made within each grouping to show the evolution of the art form.
The collections also demonstrate how eras can beautifully overlap to produce exceptional artistry, as is evident through the slight Pharaonic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman influences detected across the museum. Many carvings and paintings, for instance, help to trace the transformations of the ancient key of life, the ankh, to the cross. Depictions of the baby Jesus suckling at his mother's breast are also striking in their resemblance to pharaonic suckling representations.
3 Mari Gerges St., Kom Ghorab, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE100
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Giza
You've seen Giza's iconic superstructures in books or films, but nothing prepares you for the breathtaking, in-real-life magnetism of the pyramids. The 4th-Dynasty tombs of three Old Kingdom (2687–2181 BC) rulers that dominate the skyline of the desert plateau to the southwest of Cairo simultaneously inspire humility and awe. The largest and most perfect of them is that of King Khufu (Greek name: Cheops), referred to as the Great Pyramid, followed by those of Khafre (Greek name: Chephren) and Menkaure (Greek name: Mycerinus), his son and grandson respectively.
There is more than meets the eye at the Giza Plateau: each pyramid was built within a complex consisting of causeways, temples, a subsidiary queen’s pyramid, and a smaller, more symbolic "satellite" pyramid for the king. You can also visit some of the smaller pyramids belonging to female dependents, as well as the mastabas (large trapezoidal tombs) of the kings’ lesser relatives and courtiers—just ask for details when buying your ticket.
Preparation is key to visiting the Giza Plateau. The walks are long, and the sun is strong year-round, so wear comfortable shoes, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Be prepared for numerous encounters with souvenir sellers and animal tenders, some of whom overcharge for their products and services—to them, a firm and repetitive "la shukran" ("no, thank you") will get the message across. Exploring the interior of one of the pyramids should also be part of your once-in-a-lifetime experience, but brace yourself for a bent back and for tackling some very narrow and sloped corridors.
There's a general admission ticket to the area as well as individual fees for entering the structures that are open to the public and for accessing the Great Sphinx. The evening Great Sphinx and Pyramids sound-and-light show is on the pricey side, and some say it's not worth the money. Still, seeing the monuments lit up at night would be yet another once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Giza Plateau, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: General site admission: LE200. Great Pyramid: LE400. Khafre\'s Pyramid: LE100. Menkaure\'s Pyramid: LE100. Sound-and-light show: LE375.
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Giza
Carved from an outcropping of limestone bedrock on the Giza Plateau during the 4th Dynasty, this colossal statue of a recumbent Sphinx—a mythological creature generally having the body of a lion and the face of a human—wears a nemes (traditional headdress of the pharaoh). It also once had the so-called beard of divinity, as can be seen in royal statues in museums, although that has broken off, as has the Sphinx's nose. Egyptologists suggest that its facial features are those of Khafre’s disguised as Ra-Harakhty, a manifestation of the Sun God.
Between the Great Sphinx's paws is the Dream Stele erected by the New Kingdom ruler Thutmose IV. It narrates the story of a young Thutmose, who dreamed about an exchange with the Sphinx whereby, in return for the throne of Egypt, he was asked to clear the sand surrounding the statue. Thutmose happily obliged and became a successful ruler of the 18th Dynasty.
The interior of the Great Sphinx, which consists of small corridors, is off-limits to visitors. Nevertheless, it's hard to resist the opportunity to examine this enigmatic guardian of the necropolis up close—as well as to snap a selfie with it in the background. Note that although there is an evening Sphinx and Pyramids sound-and-light show, it's on the pricey side and some have reported that, for the money, it's underwhelming. Still, if you want a night-time experience at the monuments, it's something to consider.
Giza Plateau, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: General site admission: LE200. Sphinx admission: LE100. Sound-and-light show: LE375.
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Named after the architect of the Djoser step pyramid, this relatively small but superb museum brings Saqqara to life, with well-lit artifacts and exhibits that provide background on ancient Egyptian architecture, politics, and religion. Highlights of the collection include a statue of a seated Djoser, the Old Kingdom pharaoh who reigned from approximately 2686 to 2648 BC; a bronze statuette of Imhotep; a Ptolemaic mummy discovered by Zahi Hawass, who is considered Egypt's version of Indiana Jones; the enigmatic "famine" stela; and a set of vibrant blue and turquoise faience tiles that once decorated the interior of Djoser’s Pyramid. Note, though, that this museum has experienced temporary closures; keep your fingers crossed that it's open during your visit as it's well worth your time.
Pyramid of Djoser Rd., Saqqara, Giza, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE180, as part of the Saqqara site\'s general admission
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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The Citadel
Constructed between 1356 and 1363 by the Mamluk ruler Sultan Hassan, this is one of the world's largest Islamic religious buildings. Some historians believe it was partially built with stone from the Pyramids of Giza. Regardless, creating it nearly emptied the vast Mamluk treasury.
You enter the complex at an angle through a tall portal that is itself a work of art. The carving on both sides culminates in a series of stalactites above. A dark and relatively low-ceilinged passageway to the left of the entrance leads to the brightly lit main area—a standard cruciform-plan open court.
Unique to this mosque is a madrasa between each of the four liwans (halls), one for each of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, complete with its own courtyard and four stories of rooms for students and teachers. Also unique is the location of the mausoleum behind the qibla wall (wall in the direction of Mecca) which, in effect, forces people who are praying to bow before the tomb of the dead sultan—a fairly heretical idea to devout Muslims. Nevertheless, the mausoleum, which faces Salah al-Din Square, is quite beautiful, particularly in the morning when the rising sun filters through grilled windows.
Of the two tall minarets, only the one to the left of the qibla liwan is structurally sound. Have the custodian take you up to get a view of the city, including the Citadel. In fact, this roof was used by several armies, Bonaparte's expedition included, to shell the mountain fortress.
Salah al-Din Square, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE80, includes entry to al-Rifa\'i Mosque
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The Citadel
This huge congregational mosque was built in 879 by Ahmad Ibn Tulun with the intention of accommodating his entire army during Friday prayers. He was sent to Egypt by the Abbasid caliph in Samarra to serve as its governor. Sensing weakness in Iraq, he declared his independence and began building a new city, al-Qata'i, northwest of al-Fustat and al-Askar. When the Abbasids conquered Egypt again in 970, they razed the entire city as a lesson to future rebels, sparing only the great Friday mosque, but leaving it to wither on the outskirts.
In 1293, emir Lajin hid out in the derelict building for several months while a fugitive from the Mamluk sultan, vowing to restore it if he survived. Three years later, after being appointed sultan himself, he kept his word, repairing the minaret and adding a fountain in the courtyard, the mihrab (prayer niche), and the beautiful minbar (pulpit). All of this background is secondary to the building itself—you can delight in this masterpiece without even the slightest knowledge of its history. Its grandeur and simplicity set it apart from any other Islamic monument in Cairo.
The mosque is separated from the streets around it with a ziyada (a walled-off space) in which the Friday market was once held and where the famous minaret is located. Inside, the mosque covers an area of more than 6 acres. Four arcaded aisles surround the vast courtyard, and the soffits of the arches are covered in beautifully carved stucco—the first time this medium was used in Cairo. The minaret, the only one of its kind in Egypt, is modeled after those in Samarra, with the ziggurat-like stairs spiraling on the outside of the tower.
Ahmed Ibn Tolon Square, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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Islamic Cairo South
Often overlooked, this is one of the finest museums in Cairo, displaying a rare and comprehensive collection of Islamic art and antiquities. You can see woodwork, stucco, intarsia, ceramics, glass, metalwork, textiles, and carpets. Items are arranged according to medium, and every era—from Umayyad to Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk—is represented. Highlights include one of the earliest Muslim tombstones, dating from AD 652, only 31 years after the Prophet returned to Mecca victorious; a bronze ewer that has a spout in the shape of a rooster and that dates from the time of the Abbasid caliph Marwan II; a series of Abbasid stucco panels from both Egypt and Iraq; frescoes from a Fatimid bathhouse; wooden panels from the Western Palace; carved rock crystal; and an excellent brass-plated Mamluk door, which appears, at first glance, to have standard arabesque decoration but is in fact interspersed with tiny animals and foliage.
The metalwork section contains the doors from the Mosque of al-Salih Tala'i, as well as incense burners, candlesticks, and vases—some items have Christian symbols and some are inlaid with gold and silver. The armor and arms hall is still impressive even though Selim, the conquering Ottoman sultan of 1517, had much of this type of booty carried off to Istanbul, where it is on display at Topkapi Palace. In the ceramics section, pieces from the Fatimid Era and Iran are particularly noteworthy, as are the Mamluk mosque lamps in the glassware collection.
Bur Sa'id St., Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE120
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Old Cairo
Egypt’s first museum to focus on all its different civilizations truly takes you on a trip through history. The collections are designed to tell a story, some chronologically and others thematically. The chronological collections follow the Archaic, Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, modern, and contemporary eras. Thematic collections map a route through the Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking, and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.
There are currently around 1,600 pieces on display, with plans to display 50,000 artifacts over time, and they range from monumental to the more mundane, like one of the first-ever prosthetics—an artificial toe from the Pharaonic era that predates the Roman Capula Leg. The museum is also the new home of the royal mummies of ancient Egypt. Designed to feel like a tomb, the Gallery of Royal Mummies has the remains of 22 rulers, including 18 kings and four queens. Displays are interactive: you can scan QR codes to learn about each royal.
El-Fustat Road, Ein as Seirah, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE200
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Rodah Island
Built between 1900 and 1929 by Prince Mohammed Ali, King Farouk’s uncle, the interiors of this palace are influenced by Ottoman, Moorish, Persian, and European Art Nouveau and Rococo styles, all of which mark also important periods in modern Egyptian architecture. Highlights include the mosque; the sabil (fountain); the clocktower; the Throne and Gold Halls; the tile-adorned Blue Salon; and the hunting and taxidermy museum, which showcases a range of creatures, from insects to mammals. The palace is also renowned for its stunning gardens and distinctive collection of plants.
1 Al Saraya St., Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE100, Closed Fri. and Sat.
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The quest for immortality is tangible at what is considered Egypt's first pyramid, so old that it was a great attraction even in antiquity: as the graffiti attests, people came here as tourists and seekers of blessings as early as the Middle Kingdom (2130–1649 BC), if not earlier. It was designed by Imhotep—a great architect who would, in time, become deified and worshiped as the patron god of architects and doctors—for the 3rd Dynasty pharaoh, Djoser, who reigned from approximately 2650 to 2575 BC. Although not much is known about this ruler, Egyptologists surmise that he sent expeditions to Sinai to mine copper and turquoise.
The Step Pyramid was ingeniously erected as a single-level mastaba tomb prior to ending up a a six-step pyramid. It was the predecessor of the "true" pyramid forms, which, like those in Giza have smooth sides. Its interior is a logistical wonder, with almost 6 km (3.5 miles) of passageways and tunnels, as well as chambers. The simple mortuary temple attached to the pyramid is to the north rather than to the east. Djoser also reserved a spot for an Egyptian alabaster sarcophagi belonging to his daughters. After earthquakes destabilized the pyramid, making its interior unsafe, Egyptian authorities embarked on a 14-year, restoration that was completed in 2020 and that cost nearly US$6.6-million.
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE180, as part of the Saqqara site general admission
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Downtown
After living in Paris, the 19th-century Khedive Isma’il embarked on a mission to create a European-style district in Cairo, both as a way to modernize the city and to cement his political legitimacy. His plans included this square, originally named Ismailia Square, and it became a popular Cairo hub. Although in subsequent decades it lost favor owing to its association with colonial rule, it remained an epicenter for political demonstrations, evolving into a symbol of liberation.
After the 1952 Revolution, its name was changed to Tahrir Square (Liberation Square), and it was a focal point during both the 1977 Egyptian Bread Riots and the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. In 2021, history was made here yet again when the Parade of Mummies passed through the square, in a grand spectacle celebrating the transfer of 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Today, the obelisk of Ramses II, moved from the Tanis archaeological site, stands tall here.
Tahrir Square, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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The Citadel
Local rulers had long overlooked the strategic value of the hill above the city, but, within a few years of his arrival in 1168, Salah al-Din al-Ayyub began creating defense plans with the Citadel at their center. He and his successors built an impenetrable bastion using the most advanced construction techniques of the age, and, for the next 700 years, Egypt was ruled from this hill. Nothing remains of the original complex except a part of the Ayyubid walls—33 feet (10 meters) tall and 10 feet (3 meters) thick—and the Bir Youssef (Youssef Well), which was dug 285 feet (87 meters) straight into solid rock to reach the water table and is still considered an engineering marvel.
In the 1330s, most of the Ayyubid buildings were replaced by Mamluk structures. After assuming power in 1805, Muhammad Ali had all the Mamluk buildings razed and the complex entirely rebuilt. Only the green-domed mosque and a fragment of the Qasr al-Ablaq (Striped Palace) remain.
For more than 150 years, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali has dominated the City's skyline. Although Ottoman law prohibited anyone but the sultan from building a mosque with more than one minaret, this mosque has two, one of the first indications that Muhammad Ali wouldn't remain submissive to Istanbul. Note the spacious courtyard's gilded clock tower, which was provided by King Louis Philippe in exchange for the obelisk that stands in Paris. It’s fair to say that the French got the better end of the bargain: the clock has never worked.
Behind Muhammad Ali stands the Mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad, a Mamluk work of art with beautifully crafted masonry, elegant proportions, and a minaret featuring ornate but refined details. Ottomans took much of the original interior decoration to Istanbul, but the space is nevertheless impressive. The courtyard's supporting columns were collected from various sources; several are pharaonic.
Across from al-Nasir's entrance is the National Police Museum, worth a quick visit to see the exhibition on Egypt's political assassinations and to enjoy the spectacular view from the courtyard. The enclosure directly below, gated by Bab al-Azab, is where Muhammad Ali wrested control from the Mamluk chiefs. (He invited them to a banquet and had them ambushed by a battalion, ending their dominion in Egypt and eliminating all internal opposition in a single stroke.) To the northwest of al-Nasir, the gate known as Bab al-Qulla opens to the Qusur al-Harem (Harem Palace), now the site of the National Military Museum, with somewhat interesting displays of uniforms and weaponry.
Farther west, the Carriage Museum, the dining hall of British officers stationed at the Citadel in the early 20th century, now houses eight conveyances used by Egypt's last royal dynasty (1805–1952). In the northwest part of the Citadel is the rarely visited Sulayman Pasha Mosque built in 1528. While its plan is entirely a product of Istanbul, the sparse stone decoration shows traces of Mamluk influence.
Before leaving the Citadel, pass by the Qasr al-Gawhara (Jewel Palace), where Muhammad Ali received guests. It's now a museum displaying the royal family's extravagance and preference for early 19th-century French style.
Salah Salem St., Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE180
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Downtown
This huge neoclassical building, a Downtown landmark on the north end of Tahrir Square, was masterfully designed by French architect Marcel Dourgnon. It opened in 1902, making it one of the oldest archaeological museums in the Middle East—and one of the largest, with a collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts so vast that it would have taken nine months to complete a tour if you spent just one minute studying each item.
Although some of the museum's treasures have been moved to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization—and most of the Tutankhamun finds are now in Egypt's newest archaeological repository, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza—the breadth here is still staggering. Galleries take you through millennia, from the Predynastic Period (6000 to 3100 BC) through the Greco-Roman Era (332 BC to 313 AD). The Tanis Treasure includes gold masks, jewelry, solid-silver coffins, and other artifacts dating from between 1076 and 945 BC. Don't miss the animal mummy rooms, especially if you have kids in tow, or the Fayyum portraits: done on wood, these very lifelike paintings put you face to face with one individual Roman-era Egyptian after another.
Tahrir Square, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE200; LE50 photography fee (personal use, and without flash)
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Giza
One of the most ambitious architectural designs in the new millennium is a fitting home for the mother lode of ancient artifacts excavated in Egypt over the last 150 years. Situated less than 2 km (1 mile) west of the pyramids, the world's largest archaeological museum covers 120 acres (49 hectares) on the Giza Plateau. Although embellished with hieroglyphs, its otherwise modern facade is a clear indication that the interior is state of the art, from the large exhibition halls that welcome visitors to the storage, research, and restoration areas accessible only to scholars and staff.
At the entrance, a colossal statue of Ramses II towers over all, and a stairway punctuated with royal statuary leads to the upper halls, where some of the estimated 18,000 artifacts—transferred here from Downtown Cairo's Egyptian Museum and other repositories across the country—are on display for the very first time in history. Other highlights of the collection include the Pharaoh's Royal Solar Boat and much of the Tutankhamun collection.
Al Giza Desert, Greater Cairo, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE400
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Giza
Just east and in the shadow of the Great Pyramid is the tomb of Khafre’s wife and the granddaughter of Khufu, Queen Meresankh III. The powerful queen was interred in a large and elegantly decorated mastaba (an oblong or rectangular tomb with a flat roof and sloping sides), one of many such 4th and 5th Dynasty tombs in the area. The interior walls depict colorful scenes of full-size figures engaged in key Old Kingdom activities such as baking bread, sculpting, and metal smelting. One scene shows Meresankh’s body undergoing mummification on an embalming table beneath a tent. The queen is also shown with her mother, the equally eminent Queen Hetepheres II, on the eastern wall of the chapel. A second chamber contains 10 rock-cut statues of the queen, her mother, and her daughters.
The website of Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has a link that allows you to "visit" this matsaba virtually, but, as you don’t stumble upon the tomb of a pyramid owner’s wife every day, an in-real-life visit is best. There's a separate admission fee, though, so be sure to ask for a ticket at the entrance.
Giza Plateau, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: General site admission: LE200. Tomb of Queen Meresankh: LE50
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This small village overlooking Qarun Lake is often referred to as Eastern Switzerland. Evelyne Porret, a Swiss potter, moved to the village in the 1980s and established a pottery school that is still open today. With it, she transformed the villagers’ lives. The school, along with a country house, formed a compound that became the center of the town. Today, Tunis Village is home to the workshops of some of the country’s best potters, as well as some eco-lodges and contemporary restaurants.
Qarun Lake Touristic Rd., Faiyum, Egypt
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There are no grandiose temples or legends of conquests here. Instead, you stand in the desert expanse alongside 40-million-year-old whale skeletons. Wadi al-Hitan, or Valley of the Whales, is home to the earliest prehistoric fossils ever discovered. It provides a glimpse of the land before Egypt ever was. The desert sand is littered with invaluable fossils that tell an evolutionary story.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site located 24 miles (40 km) into the Fayyum desert is best accessed in a private four-wheel-drive vehicle and with a guide who knows the terrain. The on-site Wadi Hitan Fossil & Climate Change Museum explains the geological and paleontological significance of this protected area through a display of fossils and a short documentary. Although named after the whale remains on the site, Wadi al-Hitan is also flush with the remains of other ancient sea creatures including sharks, crocodiles, and turtles. As it's far from the lights of the city, this protected area is sometimes used as a camping site for stargazing trips.
Wadi El Rayyan Rd., Faiyum, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Site: LE40. Camping: LE200
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Giza
In the 1980s, the discovery of the workers' town and cemetery in the southeastern area of the Giza Plateau confirmed that construction of the pyramids was very much an earthly endeavor—requiring the labor of thousands of human beings—and not, as some conspiracy theorists maintain, the result of intervention by otherworldly aliens.
The site consists of the Lower Cemetery of the Workers, containing the remains of laborers, bakers, brewers, draftsmen, and the like; the Upper Cemetery, where high-ranking supervisors and their families were interred; and the so-called Lost City of the Pyramid Builders (Heit el-Ghurab).
Findings in both the cemeteries and the city—an organized grid of streets with dwellings, storage facilities, and administrative structures—have revealed much about the builders. For instance, archaeologists have determined that although skeletal remains show signs of a life of hard labor, injuries like bone breaks had healed properly, indicating that workers received good medical care. Other findings suggest that workers also had access to both cattle and fish, important sources of protein, and that bread was manufactured on an industrial scale in several large bakeries.
Giza Plateau, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: General site admission: LE200. Workers\' Town and Cemetery: LE400.
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Downtown
Designed by French architect Léon Rousseau, this massive palace was commissioned by Khedive Isma’il to serve as the official government headquarters in place of the Citadel. Construction began in 1863, and the palace was officially inaugurated in 1874, with a new wing added in 1891. The gardens, however, were not added in until 1921, by Sultan Fuad I before he became king. Much of the palace is closed to the public, but it's worth stopping by to take in the architecture, the well-maintained garden dotted with old-growth trees, and the small museum. The latter occupies just a handful of the massive palace's 500 ornate rooms and has displays of weaponry, silverware once used by the royal family, and other items.
El-Gomhoreya Square, Rahbet Abdin, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Sight Details
Rate Includes: LE100, Closed Fri.
