The Coptic Museum in Cairo contains Coptic art and artifacts, including an extensive collection of textiles. The building itself, built in the early 1900s, was constructed from parts of former Coptic buildings.
Moqattam Hills lie to the east of city, and can be visited on a day trip. There are good views from the hills. In the area are the Giyushi Mosque and the Bektashi Convent.
The Museum of Islamic Art, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is significant for its extensive collection, which contains works from every Islamic country in the world.
Dating to the mid 14th C, the Sultan Hasan Mosque is one of the best examples of Arab-Egyptian architecture. The building is shaped like a Pentagon, and claims the highest minaret in Cairo at 81.5m.
The chaotic and fun Bazaar Quarter in Cairo is a maze of shops selling almost everything imaginable.
Built in 1474 the Burial Mosque of Qait Bey contains the tombs of the Sultan's four wives. Of special note is the 40 m high minaret.
The Church of St Sergius is thought to be the place where the Virgin and Child sought refuge for a month on their journey into Egypt.
Just beyond the Egyptian Museum the Corniche el-Nil along the bank of the Nile is lined by large modern hotels and prestige buildings.
Facilities: On-site accomodations
The Egyptian Museum, founded in 1857, contains the world's largest collection of Egyptian and Greco-Roman artifacts and is one of Cairo's top tourist attractions.
The El-Azhar Mosque was founded in 972. The name means "most blooming".
The El-Hakim Mosque was rebuilt to its present form after a devastating earthquake in 1303. It was begun by El Aziz in 990 and finished by his son El Hakim in 1012.
The Ezbekiya Gardens were laid out in 1870 and today its verdant greenery provides a pleasant refuge from the noise and chaos of modern Cairo.
The triple domes of the Ibn Tulun Mosque along with the multiple minarets make this holy site an important destination for devotees and tourists.
One of Cairo's premier landmarks is the Mohammed Ali Mosque. This impressive structure is also known colloquially as the Alabaster Mosque.
Old Cairo lies within the walls of historic Old Babylon. This area of twisty laneways is full of history and culture, and one of the city's top tourist destinations.
Shari el-Gumhuriya, on the west side of the Ezbekiya Gardens, runs north and comes in about 1,100 yds/1,000 m to Midan Ramses, with a 33ft/ 10m high statue of Ramesses II from Memphis, set up here in 1955.
The main thoroughfare of the old Arab town of Cairo is formed by Shari el-Muski, a street laid out in the first half of the 19th century, and its continuation Shari Gohar el-Qaid, which leads southeast from the Ezbekiya Gardens. Externally these streets, with their European-style shops, have lost their Oriental character, but they still present all the noise and bustle, the constant lively activity of the East.
Some 1,100yd/1,000m south of the Ezbekiya Gardens on Shari el-Gumhuriya stands the 19th C. Abdin Palace, now the residence of the Egyptian President. The former private apartments of the King are open to the public as a museum (pictures, tapestries).
In Shari Qasr el-Aini, which runs south from the Midan el-Tahrir, is the Ethnological Museum.
Address:
Cairo - Ethnological Museum, 109 Qasr al-Ayni Street, Cairo , Egypt
To the northeast of Old Cairo are the remains of Fustat. Numerous finds from the site are now in the Museum of Islamic Art and the Coptic Museum. Between the Mosque of Amr and Fustat is the Potters' Quarter, in which the popular big bellied water jars known as kulla are made.
In Shari el-Sheikh Rihan is the Geological Museum.
It was established in 1904 and features geological specimens specific to Egypt as well as around the world.
Address:
Cairo - Geological Museum, Kornish El Nil, Cairo , Egypt
Hours:
8:30am-2:30pm; Closed: Thu, Fri
The hub of the modern city of Cairo is the spacious Midan el-Tahrir, with the Liberation Monument (originally begun,as a monument to King Fuad). Here all the city's main traffic arteries meet. To the southwest of the square are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government Buildings, to the southeast the American University and the National Assembly.
Mena House Oberoi started welcoming guests in 1869 and has been visited by Kings, Queens, other dignitaries and celebrities. Rooms in the Old Palace section feature beautiful details such as rich carpets, murals, arched windows and gilding.
Address:
Mena House Oberoi, Pyramids' Road, Giza,, Cairo , Egypt
There is a Military Museum in Cairo.
It is housed in the Citadel and features weapons and costumes from ancient periods highlighting warfare in Egypt.
Address:
Cairo - Military Museum, Citadel, Cairo , Egypt
The Mukhtar Museum in Cairo is located in the Tahrir Gardens.
Address:
Cairo - Mukhtar Museum, Gazirah, Cairo , Egypt
Musaferkhana Palace was an example of late Ottoman architecture. Unfortunately the palace was burned to the ground in 1998.
To the south of the Ezbekiya Gardens is Midan Opera, with the Opera House (burned down in 1971; rebuilt in 1988), in which Verdi's "Aida" was performed for the first time in 1871, and an equestrian statue of Ibrahim Pasha (by Cordier).
Near to the Opera Square is the Head Post Office, with the Postal Museum.
The museum opened to the public in 1940 and is home to over 1,200 exhibits highlighting postal equipment, stamps, air mail and statistics.
On the north side of the Ramesses Square is the Central Station, with the Railway Museum.
Address:
Cairo - Railway Museum, Ramses Square, Cairo , Egypt
Tips: Admission is 3 LE on Fridays.
Transit: Central Station.
To the northeast of the Midan el-Tahrir are the main commercial and shopping districts of the modern city, which are entirely European in character. The goods sold in the shops here are marked with fixed prices, which cannot be reduced by bargaining like prices in the bazaars.
On the way from the Cairo airport is the tomb of the unknown soldier, site of President Sudat's assassination and burial.
Cairo Surroundings
Read More
Coptic Museum
Read More
Read Less
Sultan Hasan Mosque, Cairo
Mohammed Ali Mosque, Cairo
Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, Cairo
El-Azhar Mosque, Cairo
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Old Cairo, Cairo
Citadel, Cairo
