Cairo’s an ancient historical city in Egypt that is also a modern metropolis—it’s one of the largest cities in the Middle East and has the traffic and noise issues to prove readily. But as long as you’re not looking for solitude, Cairo—the City of the Thousand Minarets—is a magnificent place to explore Egyptian history and culture.  However, visitors may need to keep aware of political issues before planning their journey to avoid any disruptions. (Copyright: paul prescott)

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Egyptian tourists riding horses near Great pyramid of Giza, Egypt.

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Ruined houses of Cairo, Egypt.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 2, 2016: Local man smoking shisha pipe in front of the store.

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DAHAB, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 2, 2011: Egyptian family during riots in Cairo. Millions of protesters demanded the overthrow of the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 5, 2016: Traditional Egyptian food served on plate.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 2, 2016: Donkey standing on street with vegetables cart.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 2, 2016: Aerial view of street corner with horse cart oranges vendor.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 5, 2016: Aerial view of people buying vegetables from street vendor with donkey cart.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 3, 2016: Group of tourists around the Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 3, 2016: Camels for rent in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 3, 2016: Camel for rent in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 3, 2016: Local man renting camel to tourist in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 3, 2016: Local man renting camel to tourist in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 1, 2016: Local boys taking photos of group of kids in front of the Great pyramid of Giza.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 1, 2016: Group of local boys posing in front of the Great pyramid of Giza.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 3, 2016: Tourists around The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 3, 2016: Group of tourists around the Great pyramid of Giza.

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CAIRO, EGYPT – FEBRUARY 2, 2016: Tourists on horses in front of the Great pyramid of Giza.

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Tourist groups heading to the Sphinx and Great pyramid of Giza, Egypt.

Useful Reference

Cairo, EGYPT Attraction
By Jay Khan

Egypt is considered to be the oldest country and has a lot to see in it. The Cairo city which is the Capital of Egypt endeavors a number of historical places including Mosques, Temples, Churches and palaces pertaining to the ancient Egyptians to visit. Some of these worldwide famous attraction points are as follows;

The first sight important to mention here is Al- Azhar Mosque. Being a Muslim country, Egypt has a number of mosques and religious sites among of which the most famed is Al- Azhar Mosque. It is thought that the name of this mosque was alluded to the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (P.B.U.H)’s daughter Fatima who was known by the title of “Az- Zahra” which means “the shinning or the brightened one”. It was founded in 970 AD as the kernel of newly formed Fatimid City. The mosque is referred as the most primeval religious site and its Sheikh is said to be the most authentic authority for Egyptian Muslims. The building is famous for its architectural style that surely depicts the hard work of its architects, engineers and laborers. The mosque has gone through numerous enlargements and renovations time to time over a span of 1000 years. The tomb chamber situated at the left just inside the entrance of mosque has a beautiful mihrab that indicates the direction of Mecca and because of its glory and elegancy it should not be missed. After a period of renovations, the mosque eventually developed into what it is today that is the second oldest running university with continuity in the whole world. The Al- Azhar Mosque is now transformed into Al- Azhar University. The university has been regarded as the foremost educational organization for the study of Islamic Law. The university was designated officially in 1961. It is the ultimate source of education regarding Shariah and Islam. The Muslims all over the world acknowledged its value and admit it to be the treasure of knowledge. As the mosque was built in the long period of time so its architecture material taken from multiple eras of Egyptian history can be seen clearly at the walls of the building. The architecture of Al- Azhar can be said as the mirror of history of Cairo.

The Egyptian Museum or commonly known as Museum of Cairo is home to a vast collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. The history of Egypt is very much substantial as it is among the oldest countries in the world. The Egyptian Museum was established in 1902 and has a collection of over 120,000 items. Many of these items are placed on the display while the remaining is reserved in store rooms. Among these 120,000 items, some of the antiquities have a great importance in the history of ancient Egypt. The museum has an honor to have the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities. The museum has two main floors; one is the ground floor and the other is the first floor. The ground floor has a broad collection of Papyrus and metal coins (silver, gold. Bronze) those were used in the ancient world. Papyrus is referred as the shabbiest plant that is used in the past to make paper. Different small fragments of Papyrus are displayed in the museum due to their decay over the past two millennia. Numerous languages are found written on these pieces including Arabic, Greek, Latin and ancient Egyptian. The ground floor has the material pertaining to the era between 1550 and 1069 BC. These items have different tables, coffins and statues. The museum is a great source of education so if you are in Egypt then make sure to visit this place as it will give a huge increment to your knowledge.

Egypt is not notorious in the whole world only for being affluent in its history but also it has many famous parks and spots of enjoyment. The Gabalaya Park and aquarium is one of the must see place in Cairo as the park has beautified landscaped gardens with aquariums set in rocks. These aquariums although did not have many actual fish. The place is beautiful and is best if you want to escape the crowd and want peace and harmony. Your kids will be much more happy over here than any other place as the aquamarine life they will see in the park is the best experienced they have. Being at the park is also not a problem as the entrance fees are modestly priced that can be afforded by anyone. The place is best for afternoon picnics and has many shops to sell snacks. But most of the families’ prefer to have their own picnic baskets. As I said earlier, the aquarium does not host a good deal of fish species but the tanks are built into rock formation that gives an intriguing and exciting walk through paths of the tanks. Visiting the park at week days is suggested as it becomes very crowded during the weekends.

A major public town square in Downtown Cairo; Martyr Square was the center point for the Egyptian revolution of 2011. The square is commonly known by the title “Tahrir Square”. Earlier the Tahrir Square was initially known by “Ismailia Square” but later on after the revolution took place by the Egyptians it would get famed and called as “Tahrir Square”. The square is the dominant public town square in Downtown Cairo, Egypt. Tahrir Square is surrounded by numerous historic and valuable spots. Some of the worth mentioning are Egyptian Museum, the Mogamma government building, Kasr El Dobara Evangelical Church, the Nile Hotel, House of Folklore, the National Democratic Party- NDP headquarters building and the Headquarters of the Arab League building, and the original downtown campus of the American University in Cairo. It surrounds a large traffic globe. A statue of Omar Makram who was a nationalist hero is placed in a plaza and the plaza is situated on the north- east of the Square.

When we talk about the tall buildings in Egypt, we cannot forget to mention the “Cairo Tower” and if we would forget, then it is unfair. It is the tallest building in the North Africa and Egypt. The Cairo Tower is 187 meters tall. This tower looks like a latticework tube. It has given the status over a long period of 50 years. It was constructed between 1954 and 1961. After its completion, it was also inaugurated in 1961. An Egyptian architect designed this tower. Because of its tallness, it has 90 floors. It has an honor to be ranked on the fourth among the tallest towers worldwide.

Now comes, the hills and the mountains which enhance the beauty of the place. A range of hills known as Mokattam is situated in southeastern Cairo, Egypt. The meaning of Mokattam is “cut off” or “broken off”. Its name has an eminent historic aspect. Simon, the saint once moved the mountain and that is why it is named as Mokattam. It is also called as “Cave Church”. This church was opened in 1975. This Cave Church present in Mokattam is ranked as the largest church in the Middle East. In 1980’s, Zabbaleen’ (Coptic Christians) population was about 8,000 and now almost 30,000 people are living here. Being a Muslim country, Egypt has a majority of Muslims. Christian colony is quite hard to find in Egypt. Most of the Coptic Christians aggrandized to move in Mokattam with their scriptural territory. A large population collects sewage and filth here and because of the fact, it is titled as the “garbage city” in the area as they found it more profitable rather than shoving the animals. These hills are situated in the new capital of Egypt called as Fustat. A large precinct of Mokattam hills accommodates upscale environs of Cairo. The remaining area contains skid row. This beautiful and sacred place gives a pleasant sight.

The Manial Palace and Museum is situated in the range of El- Manial district of southern Cairo, Egypt called Sharia Al- Saray. It grounds on Rhoda Island on the Nile. It was built during 1899 to 1929. But later on in 1955, the palace was accustomed to the Egyptian nation. To reflect the perspective and lifestyle of the late 19th and the early 20th century Egyptian aristocratic and imperial prince and inheritor ostensible, the palace has been sustained as an Antiquities Council assisted historic house museum and estate. The palace has five isolated buildings and Persian Gardens surrounds these buildings. A museum is also located among these structures. The worth mentioning items kept in the museum include Faruq’s hunting trophies, prince’s residence, accessories and fixtures and family’s relics. A ravishing garden having alluring and dazzling flowers and plants is also a worth seeing venue. A mobilization of carpets, textiles, palimpsests, texts, brass work and crystal is also found here. Since last 10 years, the palace was revamping sprucing up under the project and now after the culmination of project it is under the ascendancy of the antiquities ministry. A Meridian Hotel has been built on the inceptive loam.

Giza Zoo, an area of greenery and a stunning site is one of the trifling green locations in Giza, Egypt. It is a corporeal garden in the city. It was opened in 1891 and covers a large area of 80 acres. Because of its largeness, it is ranked as the largest park of Giza. It contains variant endangered species of almost 175 kinds. When the zoo was inaugurated, animal collection spotlighted Egyptian species but with the passage of time, migratory animals and birds are also represented here and they are adduced as 20,000 individuals. The zoo was considered to be one of the best zoos in the world in the mid 20th century. The gardens present in the zoo have well- off and paved roads, gravel enriched footpaths and a pond which is now known as the Zoo’s Tea Island. For the convenience of the visitors to see the animals from the height, a cessation bridge was built in the zoo and among all the bridges of the whole world, this bridge probably have been the first ethical sight locus.

The souks (bazaar) effectively grab the attraction of tourists as well as natives. Khan el – Khalili, a major booth is located in the Islamic district of Cairo. Bab al- Ghuri who was the ruler of 15th century had ruined the actual Khan and reconstructed it as a retailing manifold in 1511 featuring immortal gates and plumb streets. The district was affiliated with Turkish consigners in the reign of Ghuri up to till now. However today it is engrossed by the Egyptian merchants. Typically the shops are the center point of jewellery, antiques and gifts but the goldsmiths and other traditional shops offering variant items are also located here because they are still conspicuous for the natives. After shopping, one need to refresh and relax him and the best way of refreshment is to have some food in a peaceful place. So many restaurants and coffeehouses are also stationed. The coffeehouses conventionally offer and serve the traditional Arabic Coffee and frequently offer shisha. One of the oldest and most glorious coffeehouse is known as Fishawi’s. In addition, street food vendors are also wandering in the streets of bazaar.

Talking about tombs firstly clicks the Pyramid of Djoser in our minds. It is an archeological perch in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt. It was built during 27th century (2667 to 2648 BC). The pyramid is the paramount and axial feature of a capacious mortuary convoluted in a tremendous courtyard. The pyramid is 62 meters heighted. It is the first Egyptian pyramid having 6 memorials and these six memorials are assembled one over another making a pile. Under the pyramid, a recessed lime stone wall of “palace fa�ade” are beautifully decorated and contain 13 concocted gates. The pyramid is situated at the center of a complex area that is stretched at 37 acres. Under the pyramid is an array of chambers and tunnels. Recent studies have revealed it to be the burial chamber of a king. Imhotep was a man who had been regarded as a sort of god and he was the one who designed this step pyramid.

Bab Zuweila also known as Bawabbat al- Mitwali is ranked as one of the considerable landmark of the city. The old city of Cairo Egypt contains 3 main gates and it is one of these gates. These gates include Bab al- Futuh which is the northern gate locating corresponding to Bab Zuweila, Bab an- Nasr and Bab Zuweila. It is the determinate resting southern gate in the 11th and 12th century. The building has an eminent podium. Its name is also based upon a historic countenance. The word Bab means “door” and Zuweila was the name of the tribe of Berber’s troopers. Cairo was discovered in 969 and in 1092, a second wall was built around Cairo to shelter the city and southern gate of this wall would be called as Bab Zuweila. This site is a royal path towards knowing the history and history lovers will love to be there. so, whenever you get a chance to be in Cairo, make sure your trip to Bab Zuweila as the place is not only enjoyable but also a pretty much informative.

https://www.travelwideflightsuk.co.uk/flights/africa/cairo.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jay_Khan/2313629
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