DISCOVER CAIRO, Egypt

Cairo (al-Qa-hirah) 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 (which regions it conveniently straddles) - it is also the 13th largest city in the world.

Situated on the River Nile, Cairo is famous for its own history - preserved in the fabulous medieval Islamic city and in Old Cairo - and for the ancient, Pharaonic history of the country it represents.

No trip to Cairo would be complete, for example, without a visit to the Giza Pyramids, to nearby Saqqara, or to the Egyptian Museum in the center of town. Though firmly attached to the past, Cairo is also home to a vibrant modern society.

DISTRICTS OF CAIRO

Midan Tahrir - the very centre of the modern city: big hotels, transport nexus and the Egyptian Museum
Downtown - the commercial heart of the modern city
Garden City - an upmarket 'garden suburb' close to the city centre
Midan Ramses - Cairo's main railway station and a burgeoning retail and accommodation zone
Midan Ataba
Islamic Cairo - the centre of historic Cairo; the Citadel, Khan el Khalili (the main Cairo souq / market), historic mosques and medieval architecture
Old Cairo - including Coptic Cairo and Fustat (Cairo's historical kernel), now located in the south of the modern city
Gezira - the southern part of the main island in the Nile; hotels, the Cairo Tower
Zamalek - an upmarket suburb in the northern part of the main Nile island
Giza - a sprawling western district of the city on the road to the pyramids
Heliopolis - an upmarket residential and retail area close to Cairo International Airport
Nasr City - a growing residential and retail area close to Cairo International Airport

POPULAR THINGS TO SEE IN CAIRO

Pyramids of Giza. The only remaining monuments of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it is the country's most famous touristic attraction and the icon that is most associated with Egypt.
Great Sphinx of Giza.
Egyptian Museum. The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum' is home to the most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world. It has 136,000 items on display, with many more hundreds of thousands in its basement storerooms.
Khan el-Khalili. Khan el-Khalili is for many the most entertaining part of Cairo. It is an ancient shopping area, nothing less, but some of the shops have also their own little factories or workshops. The suq (which is the Arabic name for bazaar, or market) dates back to 1382, when Emir Djaharks el-Khalili built a big caravanserai (or khan) right here. A caravanserai was a sort of hotel for traders, and usually the focal point for economic activity for any surrounding area. This caravanserai is still there, you just ask for the narrow street of Sikka Khan el-Khalili and Badestan.
Cairo Tower. The Cairo Tower is free-standing concrete TV tower in Cairo, Egypt. It stands in Zamalek district on Gezira Island in the River Nile, in the city centre. At 187 metres, it is 43 metres higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands some 15 km to the southwest.
Citadel. A grand castle built by Salah Al-Din. Also parts of the water pipes (Majra Al-Oyouon) are still there, these pipes used to carry the water from the Nile River to the citadel.
Nile-meter South end of Rota island, Nile. Was used before Assuan dam was built and the level of the Nile was measured and therefore the tax rates for the farmers fixed.
Al-Azhar Mosque. One of the pillars of Islamic thought and home to the world's oldest university.
Ibn Tulun, close to Sayidna Zeinab. The oldest, and maybe most beautiful mosque in Cairo.
The Coptic Museum.
the "Hanging Church" (Church of the Virgin Mary), in Zabeleen Area (District of Manshiet Nasser) below Mokkatam Hills, not far away from the Citadel
the Al Rifai & Sultan Hassan mosques (19th C & highly decorated: 14th C & beautifully austere).

THINGS TO DO IN CAIRO

Felluca: Ride a boat along the Nile river. Negotiate a fair price of no more than 20 to 30LE for about a half hour for the boat, no matter how many people are on it. A great way to relax and enjoy a night under the stars in Cairo. Public boats with loud arabic music and a giggling crowd are also available for 2 EP for 1/2 hour.
Have a coffee, mint tea or Cola at El Fishawy's coffee shop in Khan el Khalili. Smoke a Shisha pipe (you simply hire them: try apple tobacco) and watch the world go by. Great cheap entertainment.
When you need a break from city life, try a round of golf on the famous Mena House Golf Course overlooking the Pyramids of Giza, watch the horse racing at the Gezira Club or visit the Zoo and the Cairo Botanical Gardens.

STAY SAFE IN CAIRO

You can walk around the main streets anytime you feel like roaming. It's fairly safe and you will always find lots of people around smiling and offering to help. It is preferable for women not to walk alone. You should bear in mind that around the more touristy locations there is an abundance of 'helpful' people, but be careful who you go with and under no circumstance let anyone push or guide you anywhere you don't want to go!

If you get lost look for the security and Police Officers, many speak a little English, and most know their local area very well, as well as the tourist spots.

TRIPS OUT OF CAIRO

The pyramids of Saqqara, Memphis and possibly Dahsur offers an easy day trip out of Cairo.
Ein al-Sukhn is the closest Red Sea resort to Cairo and easily reached on a day trip. This place is growing rapidly to become THE getaway for Cairo's moneyed elite.
Fayyoum is another popular place for Egyptians to picnic. While the city offers little in itself, the qantara lake and wadi al-rayyan both offers scenic spots for relaxing and the area also contains some of the first pyramids in history. It's possible to stay overnight at the scenic Tunis village.
Alexandria is a possible day-trip, although the city deserves more. Enjoy a day visiting the library, a museum, castle or the beach and return to Cairo after a good fish meal and maybe a drink.