Cairo- Mother of All Cities
The travel experience to Cairo, capital of Egypt is surely overwhelming and memorable. Cairo is Africa’s largest city and also one of the largest in Middle East. The Egyptians proudly call it “Mother of All Cities”. Cairo stretches along Nile River banks for about forty km from north to south. Travelers find Cairo as fascinating as well as repelling. The main intriguing features of Cairo are its medieval buildings, Islamic architecture, sculpted minarets, curved domes, oriental bazaars and twisting streets. However, the visitor will be appalled by the pollution, crowds, dirt, noise and continuous demanding for baksheesh or gratuities. However, it is quite true as the saying in the tales of 1,001 Nights goes – “He, who has not seen Cairo, has not seen the world”.
About Cairo
Cairo has a teeming population of nearly eighteen million people and the city is growing by leaps and bounds. Central Cairo is a Westernized downtown district and the visitors can comfortably find their way over here, around the Liberation Square or Midan Tahrir. This is a hub for public transport and it is separated from River Nile by the huge Nile Hilton Hotel. The Egyptian Museum, the main tourist attraction of the city center is also located here. The Pyramids of Giza are situated on the west bank of River Nile. Old Cairo is located towards south of central Cairo and Islamic Cairo is on the eastern side. The northwest area houses the wealthy population of Cairo and is home to the Presidential Palace.
Cairo – City of 1,000 Minarets
Cairo is famous as the ‘City of 1,000 Minarets’ and casts a magical spell with its amazing skyline that is dominated with towering domes and graceful minarets. You will just forget the squalor and dirt after seeing this magnificent view. Most of the tourists visit Cairo to see the famous Pyramids of Giza, Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and the Tutankhamun tomb treasures coupled with shopping at the renowned Khan al-Khalili market. Cairo has much more to explore by way of smaller museums, winding streets, Coptic churches and several dozen mosques. Cairo can be best visited during the time between October to April.
Famous Tourist Attractions of Cairo
Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx are the only monuments that remain from the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and these both are Egypt’s most renowned tourist attractions. You will get to see a vast collection of Egyptian artifacts at the Egyptian Museum. The Citadel situated in Islamic Cairo is worth watching for its magnificence and grandeur. It was built by Salah al-Din and you can still see the remnants of water pipes that were used to transport water from River Nile to the citadel.
The Nile-meter is located at the southern end of Rota Island and it was in use before the Assuan Dam was constructed. It measured the level of River Nile and helped to fix the tax rates for farmers. The other notable attractions include Al-Azhar Mosque, Ibn Tulun, Hanging Church, Sultan Hassan Mosque, Al Rifai Mosque and Coptic Museum.
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