William Lithgow, 1614.
Five thousand years of culture are concentrated here, at the center of three continents.
Travel through time in city that is living index to civilization. Enjoy the comforts of a cosmopolitan twentieth-century capital.
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| “This
little world, the great Cairo... the most admirable and the greatest city
seen upon the earth... the Microcosmus of the greater world..." William Lithgow, 1614. |
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| Founded
on the site of Babylon, near the ruins of ancient Memphis, Cairo has been
the largest city in Africa for centuries. Modern Cairo encompasses many
former cities and their monuments: the pyramids of the pharaohs; early
Christian monasteries and churches; Salah al-Din’s Citadel; mosques of
the Mamluke and Ottoman sultans. Five thousand years of culture are concentrated here, at the center of three continents. Travel through time in city that is living index to civilization. Enjoy the comforts of a cosmopolitan twentieth-century capital. |
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| Shopping, nightlife
etc.. Cairo offers an incredible selection of shopping, leisure, culture and nightlife. Shopping ranges from the famous Khan el-Khalili souk, a bazaar largely unchanged since the 14th century, to modern air-conditioned centers displaying the latest fashions. All the bounty of the East is here: particular good buys are spices, perfumes, gold and silver, carpets, brass and copperware, leatherwork, glass, |
 View of New Cairo |
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| ceramics and mashrabiya. Try some of the famous street markets, like Wekalet al-Balah, for fabrics, including Egyptian cotton, the Tentmakers’ Bazaar for appliqué-work, Mohammed Ali Street for musical instruments. Although you probably won’t want to buy, the Camel Market also makes a fascinating trip. | ||
 National Cultural Center |
When you need a break from city life, try a round of golf on the famous Mena House course overlooking the Pyramids, watch the horse-racing at the Gezira Club or visit the Zoo and the Botanical Gardens. Take a trip on the Nile in a felucca or ride on horseback from the Giza Pyramids to Saqqara. For a day trip outside Cairo visit Haraniyya village and see the beautiful tapestries and weaving produced by local people. Visit Kerdasa which is famous for its embroidered cotton and silk dresses (balabeyas) as well as other hand-made products. Or get away from it all at the top of the Cairo Tower, a modern 187 meter-high tower with views of the city from all sides, topped by a revolving restaurant. | |
 The sarcophagus of King Tut |
 Coptic Museum |
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| Cairo comes alive at night, the best time to shop, eat delicious Middle Eastern cuisine, or simply watch the world go by from a pavement café. You can dine in a floating restaurant on the Nile, sample a shisha at a coffee-shop or see oriental dancers and cabarets at a luxury hotel. The splendid Opera House complex houses several galleries (including the Museum of Modern Art), restaurants and concert halls. Listening to Arabic Music under the stars, in the open-air theatre, is a magical experience. At El-Ghuriya, in the heart of Islamic Cairo, you can watch folk musicians and whirling dervish dancers. Don’t forget the most essential after-dark experience, the Sound and Light show at the Pyramids, a dramatic fusion of light and music recounting the story of antiquity in different foreign languages. | ||
| VISIT
OTHER CITIES (ALEXANDRIA - ASWAN - SHARM EL SHEIKH - FAYOUM - MERSA MATRUH - LUXOR - MINYA ) |
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 SYRIA - LEBANON - JORDAN |
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