© Lonely Planet Publications

107

Cairo

CAIRO
Let’s address the drawbacks first. The crowds on a Cairo footpath make Manhattan look like a
ghost town. You will be hounded by papyrus sellers at every turn. Your life will flash before your
eyes each time you venture across a street. And your snot will run black from the smog.

But it’s a small price to pay, to visit the city Cairenes call Umm ad-Dunya – ‘the mother of
the world’. This city has an energy, palpable even at three in the morning, like no other. It’s the
product of its 20 million inhabitants waging a battle against the desert and winning (mostly),
of 20 million people simultaneously crushing the city’s infrastructure under their collective
weight and lifting the city’s spirit up with their uncommon graciousness and humour.

One taxi ride can span millennia, from the resplendent mosques and mausoleums built at
the pinnacle of the Islamic empire, to the 19th-century palaces and grand avenues (which
earned the city the nickname ‘Paris on the Nile’), to the brutal concrete blocks of the Nasser
years – then all the way back to the days of the pharaohs, as the Pyramids of Giza hulk on
the western edge of the city. The architectural jumble is smoothed over by an even coating
of beige sand, and the sand is a social equalizer as well: everyone, no matter how rich, gets
dusty when the spring khamsin blows in.

So blow your nose, crack a joke and learn to look through the dirt to see the city’s true
colours. If you love Cairo, she will love you back.

HIGHLIGHTS

„ Tip your head back and gape at the

Pyramids of Giza (p143); cross an item
off your life list
„ Give your regards to Tutankhamun and Egyptian
his cohorts in the mazelike Egyptian Museum
Al-Azhar
Museum (p185) Park
Islamic
Cairo
„ Visit the great medieval mosques of
Islamic Cairo (p125) – or just get lost in
the narrow alleys (p155)
„ Relax to the click of backgammon
and the bubble of the water pipe at an
Egyptian coffeehouse, or ahwa (p169)
Pyramids of Giza
„ Escape the city noise in the greenery of
Al-Azhar Park (p140) with its splendid
sunset view

„ TELEPHONE CODE: 02 „ POPULATION: 20 MILLION (APPROX)

 108 C A I R O • • H i s t o r y lonelyplanet.com

HISTORY the annual flooding of the Nile. When the

CAIRO

Cairo is not a Pharaonic city, though the pres- French-educated Ismail came to power, he
ence of the Pyramids leads many to believe was determined to remake his capital into a
otherwise. At the time the Pyramids were built, city of European standing. This could only
the capital of ancient Egypt was Memphis, be done by starting afresh. For 10 years the
20km southeast of the Giza Plateau. former marsh became one vast building site
The core foundations of the city of Cairo as Ismail invited architects from Belgium,
were laid in AD 969 by the Fatimid dynasty, France and Italy to design and build a
but the city’s history goes further back than new European-style Cairo beside the old
that. There was an important ancient reli- Islamic city.
gious centre at On (modern-day Heliopolis). Since the revolution of 1952 the popu-
The Romans built a fortress at the port of lation of Cairo has grown spectacularly –
On, which they called Babylon, while Amr although at the expense of Ismail’s vision.
ibn al-As, the general who conquered Egypt Building maintenance fell by the wayside
for Islam in AD 642, established the city as apartments were overcrowded. In the
of Fustat nearby. Fustat’s huge wealth was 1960s and 1970s, urban planners concreted
drawn from Egypt’s excessively rich soil and over the sparsely populated west bank of
the taxes imposed on the heavy Nile traffic. the Nile for desperately needed new sub-
Descriptions left by 10th-century travellers urbs. In more recent decades, growth has
tell of public gardens, street lighting and crept beyond Muqattam Hills on the east
buildings up to 14 storeys high. Yet in the and the Pyramids on the west. Luxe gated
10th century, when the Fatimids marched communities, sprawling housing blocks and
in from modern-day Tunisia, they spurned full satellite cities, complete with malls and
Fustat and instead set about building a new megastores, spring up from the desert every
city. year: 6th of October City, New Cairo and
Construction began on the new capital, others are the new Egyptian dream. Whether
probably on purpose, when the planet Mars the desert and the economy can sustain them
(Al-Qahir, ‘the Victorious’) was in the as- remains to be seen.
cendant; thus arose Al-Madina al-Qahira, ‘the
city victorious’, which Europeans corrupted ORIENTATION
to Cairo. Finding your way around Cairo’s sprawl is not
Many imposing buildings from the Fatimid as difficult as it may at first seem. Midan Tahrir
era remain today: the great Al-Azhar Mosque is the centre. The noisy, busy Downtown area,
and university is still Egypt’s main centre of where most cheap eating and sleeping op-
Islamic study, and the three great gates of Bab tions are, lies northeast of Tahrir, centred on
an-Nasr, Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuweila still Midan Talaat Harb. Midan Ramses, location
straddle two of Islamic Cairo’s main thor- of the city’s main train station, marks the
oughfares. The Fatimids were not to remain northernmost extent of Downtown. Beyond
long in power, but their city survived them are teeming middle- and working-class sub-
and, under subsequent dynasties, became a urbs such as Shubra, perhaps the true soul of
capital of great wealth, ruled by cruel and modern-day Cairo.
fickle sultans. This was the city that was called Downtown’s eastern edge is Midan Ataba,
the Mother of the World. where Islamic Cairo takes over. This is the
Cairo finally burst its walls, spreading west medieval heart of the city, still beating strong
to the port of Bulaq and south onto Rhoda today. At its centre is the great bazaar of
Island, while the desert to the east filled with Khan al-Khalili and Al-Azhar Mosque and
grand funerary monuments. But at heart it university. Further east are the Northern and
remained a medieval city for 900 years, until Southern Cemeteries, vast necropolises now
the mid-19th century, when Ismail, grand- inhabited by both the living and the dead.
son of Mohammed Ali, decided it was time South of Midan Tahrir, the tree-lined streets
for change. During his 16-year reign (1863– of Garden City are prime embassy territory.
79), Ismail did more than anyone since the Then you’re out of central Cairo and into
Fatimids to alter the city’s appearance. a succession of ramshackle neighbourhoods
Before the 1860s the future site of modern loosely termed Old Cairo, the site of Roman
central Cairo was a swampy plain subject to Babylon and Arab Fustat. Buried in here is
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • I n f o r m a t i o n 109

CAIRO
CAIRO IN…

Two Days
Start day one with the magnificent exhibits at the Egyptian Museum (p185). When you’ve reached
Pharaonic overload, leave the museum and wander around the Downtown area, stopping to grab
a cheap and delicious lunch at At-Tabei ad-Dumyati (p162). In the afternoon, make your way
to historic Khan al-Khalili (p128) and practise your haggling skills with the cheerful stall own-
ers. While there, don’t forget to have a mint tea and a sheesha (water pipe) at Fishawi’s (p169).
Return Downtown to eat a simple but delicious Levantine meal at the long-running Greek Club
(p163) or dine like a pasha at Zamalek’s glamorous Abou el-Sid (p166).
On day two make an early start and hire a taxi for the day to take you to Dahshur (p206),
Memphis (p196) and Saqqara (p200). Bring a picnic to eat at the foot of the Step Pyramid (p201)
or have a late outdoor lunch at Andrea (p167). In the afternoon visit the only remaining Ancient
Wonder of the World, the Pyramids of Giza (p143). After this, it’s on to the Citadel View (p165)
in Al-Azhar Park for a lavish dinner overlooking the medieval city.

Four Days
For days one and two, follow the Two Days itinerary.
Start day three by taking a taxi to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun (p138) and the Gayer-Anderson
Museum (p138) in Islamic Cairo. Indulge in a bit of shopping at Khan Misr Touloun (p176) before
catching a taxi to Midan Hussein to visit historic Al-Azhar Mosque (p127) and the Al-Ghouri
Complex (p133) before stopping at Abd el-Zaher (p176) and Al-Khatoun (p176) to buy a stylish
souvenir or two. Have a late lunch at Egyptian Pancakes (p165) in the Khan al-Khalili, then rest
up before strolling through Garden City at twilight (p155). At sundown, take an hour’s felucca
ride (p154), then head to dinner at Estoril (p163); if you’re up for more, cap it off with a beer
at the Odeon Palace Hotel bar (p170).
On your last day take the river bus to Coptic Cairo (p123) in the morning, then catch the metro
back to Midan Tahrir. Walk over the Qasr el-Nil Bridge to Gezira and check out the Museum of
Modern Egyptian Art (p141) and the Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum (p142) before strolling along
the bank of the Nile to the neighbourhood of Zamalek for a late lunch at one of its many cafés
and restaurants, and perhaps some shopping. After a rest at your hotel, bid farewell to the city
by having a late dinner and watching the best belly dancers in the world shake their stuff on
the Nile Maxim boat (p174) or at the wonderfully sleazy Palmyra (p174).

the small, walled enclave of Coptic Cairo, a primary districts from north to south are
feature on many tourist agendas. Well beyond Mohandiseen, Agouza, Doqqi and Giza,
that is the green residential suburb of Ma’adi, which stretches 10km out to the foot of the
an expat enclave. Pyramids.
West of all these districts is the Nile, ob-
structed by two sizable islands. The more cen- Maps
tral of these, connected directly to Downtown The American University in Cairo (AUC)
by three bridges, is Gezira, home to the Cairo Press publishes Cairo Maps: The Practical
Tower and the Cairo Opera House. The Guide (E£30), a book-sized but lightweight
northern half of Gezira is an affluent district collection of 40 street maps, with index.
called Zamalek, historically favoured by the
city’s European residents and home to many INFORMATION
embassies. The southern island is Rhoda, al- Bookshops
though its northern part goes by the name American University in Cairo (AUC) Bookshop
of Manial. Downtown (Map pp118-19; %2797 5370; Sharia Moham-
The west bank of the Nile is newer (lots med Mahmoud; h9am-6pm Sat-Thu); Zamalek (Map
more concrete) and more residential than pp144-5; %2739 7045; 16 Sharia Mohammed Thakeb;
areas along the east bank, but it’s also the h10am-6pm Sat-Thu, 1-6pm Fri) The best English-
wealthier, trendier part of the city. The language bookshop in Egypt, with stacks of material on
 110 C A I R O lonelyplanet.com

CAIRO
CAIRO

To Tanta (58km);
Ismailia (120km)
To Nile
Barrages Rod
Imbaba (15km)
Airport al-Farag
Imbaba
See Mohandiseen, Agouza & Zamalek Map (pp144–5) 13

da

Mohammed M
Geziret Badran

Fe
al-
u
Masarra

Ab
hid

8
as
-R

Midan
Al

Kit Kat

azhar
Sahafayeen As-Sa
Zamalek bt See Midan Ramses
To Desert iyy Map (p122)
a
Highway to
Alexandria Ramses Station

Sh
(15km) 26 (Mahattat Ramses)
th

a
Midan

na
of Mubarak
Jul

n
Sphinx y
Midan
Libnan Mohandiseen Agouza
To Birqash Shehab 19
Camel
Market Bulaq
15
(35km) Saray al- Orabi
3 al-Arab Al- Ge
et
r
Gezi

zir
See Central Cairo Map (pp118–19) Downtown
Midan
a
Mustafa
Mahmoud Nasser
Midan
Al Orabi
-K
Gezira Ataba

rb
ur
um

Ha
Downtown

at
6th of October Bridge m

a
loo

Tal
Egyptian az
M
Museum e d
m
11 am
Ha s s

Shooting Midan

h
Mohammed

Mo
Midan
Lotfuna

Club Tahrir Naguib

Saad
o

Midan Sadat
d Zaghloul
y

Nadi as-Sei Suleiman (Midan Tahrir) Abdeen

Gohar Midan
Bab al-Luq Palace
Fini
12
Gezira
Midan (Opera)
al Galaa
1 Abdeen
4
Doqqi
Saad Zaghloul
Behoos Doqqi Garden
City 7
un

Mounira See The Citadel to Ibn T

Haro

r
Rive

2 Mosque
Nile

of Sayyida Zeinab
El-Nil

Urman Manial
Gardens Sayyida Sayyida
Zeinab Zeinab
Midan
al-Gamaa
Cairo University Midan
(Al-Gamaa) Zein al-
Abdeen
il
e el-N

Giza
Cairo
University
Cornich

See Doqqi, Giza & Gezira Map (p149)

Faisal
Rhoda Al-Malek
as-Saleh

21

To Maryutia Canal/ Giza

Saqqara Rd (6km); Ain
Giza Train Station as-Sira
Giza Pyramids (9km); See Old Cairo Map (p124)
Crazy Water (25km);
Alexandria (220km) Old Cairo
Fustat
Mar
Girgis
Coptic Cairo
Giza
Suburban
To Dr Ragab’s Pharaonic
Village (850m); Muhammad To As-Salaam International
Ali Sporting Club (5.5km) Hospital (7.3km); Ma’adi (8km)
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O 111

0 2 km
0 1 mile

18 To Alexandria To Ain Shams

(215km) Train Station Al-Demerdash To Heliopolis
(7.5km) (2km) To Airport
(12km)

Midan
Shubra Abbassiyya
10
Abbassiyya

Ghamra Al-Wahli
)
aid

Midan 17
ur S

& Around Sakakini

Ghamra
B
id (
t Sa

To Citystars
Por

Centre (4.5km);
Suez (125km)
See North
of Khan
Al-Khalili
Map (p131)

Mosque of
al-Hakim
See Al-Azhar to The Al-Gebel
Citadel Map (p133) See Northern Cemetery Map (p139) al-Ahmar
lem
Sa

See Al-Azhar Northern Cemetery

lah

& Khan
)
Sa

Al-Khalili a de
Map (p129) str
uto INFORMATION
(A Canadian Embassy.................1 D4
r
as

Al-Azhar Centre Français de Culture

-N

9 Mosque
an

et de Coopération..............2 D4
14 Islamic
iq

5 Kenyan Embassy....................3 A2
r

Cairo
Ta

Bab Al-Azhar Sudanese Consulate.............(see 1)

Zuweila Park
Turkish Embassy.................... 4 D4

Darb SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

al-Ahmar
Al-Azhar Park.........................5 F3
Church of St Simeon the
Tanner...............................6 F4
Tulun Map (p137) Contemporary Image
Collective.......................... 7 D4
Al-Helmiya Manshiyet Nasr International Language
Institute..............................8 A1
See The Citadel Museum of Islamic Art...........9 E3
Map (p135)
Mosque 6 October War Panorama.......10 H1
of Ibn Tulun
EATING
Abou El Sid........................(see 12)
20 Alain Le Notre Café.............(see 5)
Citadel View........................(see 5)
La Mezzaluna......................11 A3
Le Tabasco...........................12 A3
Sequoia................................13 C1

DRINKING
Bull's Eye...........................(see 11)

ENTERTAINMENT
El-Genaina..........................(see 5)
Makan.................................(see 4)

SHOPPING
Muqattam City Abd ar-Rahman Harraz........14 E3
Southern Cemetery Salem..................................15 A2
Souq al-Gomaa....................16 F6

16 TRANSPORT
Abbassiyya (Sinai) Bus
Terminal.......................... 17 G2
Aboud Bus Terminal.............18 E1
Cairo Gateway.................... 19 D2
Sayyida Aisha Microbus
Terminal...........................20 E5
To Ma’adi Service Taxis to Al-Fayoum..21 B5
(8km)
 112 C A I R O • • I n f o r m a t i o n lonelyplanet.com

the politics, sociology and history of Cairo, Egypt and the

CAIRO

Middle East. Plenty of guidebooks and some fiction. THE NUMBERS GAME
Anglo-Egyptian Bookshop (Map pp118-19; %2391 In mid-2007, Cairo land lines expanded from
4337; 165 Sharia Mohammed Farid, Downtown; h9am- seven to eight digits – we mention it here
1.30pm & 4.30-8pm Mon-Sat) Good selection of books on because business cards and signs might be
Egypt and the Middle East. slow to update. Neighbourhoods on the
Diwan (Map pp144-5; %2736 2578; 159 Sharia 26th east bank and in Zamalek got a 2 stuck
of July, Zamalek; h9am-11.30pm) Fabulous: English, at the front of their numbers, while Giza,
French and German titles, from novels to travel guides to Mohandiseen and Doqqi got a 3. Mobile
coffee-table books. It also has a kids’ section, large music numbers were unchanged.
wing and a small café.
Lehnert & Landrock (Map pp118-19; %2392 7606;
44 Sharia Sherif, Downtown; h10am-7pm Mon-Sat) A Centre Français de Culture et de Coopération (www
good place for maps, books about Cairo and Egypt (some .ambafrance-eg.org/cfcc) Heliopolis (off Map p153; %2419
second-hand), vintage postcards and reprints of old 3857; 5 Sharia Shafik al-Dib, Ard al-Golf; h10am-10pm
photographs. Branches opposite the Egyptian Museum Sun-Thu); Mounira (Map pp110-11; %2794 7679; 1 Sharia
(Map pp118–19) and outside the Sphinx-side entrance to Madrassat al-Huquq al-Fransiyya; h11am-7pm Sun-Tue,
the Pyramids (Map p150). Thu & Fri, 11am-8pm Wed) Regularly puts on films, lectures
Shorouk (Map pp118-19; %2393 0643; 1 Midan Talaat and exhibitions, opens its libraries to the public and screens
Harb, Downtown; h10am-10pm) Arabic and English French-language news from TV5. The Mounira branch also
bestsellers, plus a lot of magazines at this two-storey shop. runs French- and Arabic-language courses.
Zamalek Bookshop (Map pp144-5; %2736 9197; 19 Egyptian Centre for International Cultural
Sharia Shagaret ad-Durr, Zamalek; h9am-8pm Mon-Sat) Cooperation (Map pp144-5; %2736 5410; 11 Sharia
Small but packed with magazines, English-language crime Shagaret ad-Durr, Zamalek; h10am-3pm & 4-9pm Sat-
fiction and airport-style novels. Thu) Organises concerts of Egyptian composers, as well as
good classical and colloquial Arabic classes.
NEWSSTANDS El Sawy Culture Wheel (El Sakia; Map pp144-5;
Cairo’s best newsstands face each other on %2736 8881; www.culturewheel.com; Sharia 26th of
the corner of Sharias 26th of July and Hassan July, Zamalek; h9am-9pm) Excellent lively space that
Sabry in Zamalek (Map pp144–5). You can hosts concerts, art exhibitions, theatre, films and even
get just about anything (except nudity) from yoga classes and children’s puppet shows. Tickets for shows
these stands. Downtown, good newsstands are on sale at Cilantro coffee shops around town.
are situated on Sharia Mohammed Mahmoud Goethe Institut (www.goethe.de/eg) Doqqi (Map p148;
opposite AUC (Map pp118–19) and on Midan %3748 4501; 5 Sharia Hussein Wassef ); Downtown (Map
Tahrir (Map pp118–19). The bookshops at pp118-19; %2575 9877; 5 Sharia al-Bustan; hlibrary
the Nile Hilton (Map pp118–19), the Cairo 1-7pm Sun-Wed) Seminars and lectures in German on
Marriott (Map pp144–5) and the Semiramis Egyptology and other topics, plus visiting music groups, art
InterContinental (Map pp118–19) are exhibitions and film screenings. The library has more than
also decent. 15,000 (mainly German) titles. The Doqqi location focuses
on language classes.
Cultural Centres & Libraries Great Cairo Library (Map pp144-5; %2736 2271; 15
Many centres will ask for ID (preferably your Sharia Mohammed Mazhar, Zamalek; h9am-4pm Sat-
passport) before they will allow you in. For Thu) The city’s best public library, stocked with a collection
event schedules, check Al-Ahram Weekly and of art, science and other reference books, mainly in English.
the monthly Egypt Today, but don’t expect It also has English-language magazines for browsing. Show
much activity during the summer, when many your passport to enter.
institutions keep limited hours. Instituto Cervantes (Map p148; %3337 1962; www
British Council & Library (www.britishcouncil.org .elcairo.cervantes.es; 20 Sharia Boulos Hanna, Doqqi;
.eg) Agouza (Map pp144-5; %3300 1666; 192 Sharia h9am-4pm Sun-Thu) Spanish language and cultural
el-Nil; h8am-8pm Sun-Thu, 9am-4.30pm Sat); Heliopolis institute, screening films and organising lectures.
(Map p153; %19789; 4 Sharia el-Minia, off Sharia Nazih Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Map pp144-5; %2735
Khalifa; h9am-8pm Sun-Wed, 9am-4.30pm Thu) 8791; www.iiccairo.esteri.it; 3 Sharia Sheikh al-Marsafy,
Organises performances, exhibitions and talks and has a Zamalek; hlibrary 10am-4pm Sun, Tue & Thu) A busy
useful library; its Agouza office has a strong collection of programme of films and lectures (sometimes in English)
modern British art. and art exhibitions, plus a library.
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • I n f o r m a t i o n 113

Netherlands-Flemish Institute (Map pp144-5; Internet Resources

CAIRO
%2738 2520; www.nvic.leidenuniv.nl; 1 Sharia Mah- Cairo, Egypt (www.cairotourist.com) Virtual tours
moud Azmy, Zamalek; h9am-2pm Sun-Thu) This centre of Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic and modern Cairo; hotel
hosts art exhibitions and is well regarded for its high- and restaurant listings are not kept up-to-date,
quality weekly lectures, delivered on a wide variety of however.
topics and usually in English. cairolive.com (www.cairolive.com) Online news
aggregator and magazine with views on Cairo’s cultural
Emergency events, political developments and general news. Useful
In the case of an accident or injury, call the kids’ section.
As-Salam International Hospital (right). For Egy.com (www.egy.com) A great website by Egyptian
details on lost credit cards, see p513. For any- social historian and journalist Samir Raafat: articles on
thing more serious, contact your embassy architecture, events and people in 19th- and 20th-century
(see p507). Cairo, with an interesting section on the city’s Jewish
Ambulance (%123) community.
Fire service (%180) Guardians Egypt (www.guardians.net) Great site cover-
Police (%122) ing the Giza, Dahshur and Saqqara pyramid sites. Has pho-
tos, articles about recent discoveries, and bulletins from
The tourist police office (Map pp118-19; %2390 6028, Dr Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of the Supreme
emergency 126) is on the 1st floor of a building in Council of Antiquities.
the alley just left of the main tourist office in Yallabina (www.yallabina.com) Devoted to the Big
Downtown. This should be your first port of Mango’s nightlife: restaurant and bar reviews, plus listings
call for minor emergencies, including theft; for concerts, events and films.
there are other offices by the Pyramids, across
from Mena House (Map p150) and in Khan Media
al-Khalili (Map p129). The monthly magazine Egypt Today (E£15;
also online at www.egypttoday.com) cov-
Internet Access ers major social and economic issues and
There are internet cafés scattered throughout also includes basic listings. The Daily Star
town, but they’re not exactly plentiful. The Egypt comes as an insert in the International
most conveniently located: Herald-Tribune (E£10); a spin-off of the qual-
4U Internet Café (Map pp118-19; %2575 9304; 1st ity Beirut paper, it’s the most informative
fl, 6 Midan Talaat Harb, Downtown; per hr E£5; h24hr) news in English. The flimsy daily Egyptian
Under the Lialy Hostel. Gazette (50pt) and the more substantial Al-
Five St@rs Net (Map pp118-19; %2574 7881; 1st fl, Ahram Weekly (E£1) are the other English-
6 Midan Talaat Harb, Downtown; h24hr) Opposite 4U language rags. For a hipper perspective, pick
Internet; dodgier computers. up a free copy of the Croc, a monthly listings
Hany Internet Café (Map pp118-19; %2395 1985; flyer found at many restaurants and galler-
16 Sharia Abdel Khalek Sarwat, Downtown; per hr E£2; ies; it includes restaurant reviews and other
h10am-2am) Across from Koshary el-Tahrir; bargain informative articles.
rates and open windows, so relatively smoke-free.
InterClub (Map pp118-19; %2579 1860; 12 Sharia Medical Services
Talaat Harb, Downtown; per hr E£5; h8am-2am) Nice HOSPITALS
flat-screens, with printing, faxing and scanning services; in Many of Cairo’s hospitals suffer from anti-
alley next to Estoril restaurant. quated equipment and a cavalier attitude to
Memories Net (Map pp118-19; %018 169 6471; hygiene, but there are several exceptions. Your
12 Sharia Mahmoud Bassiouni, Downtown; per hr E£5; embassy should be able to recommend doc-
h10am-2am) Cool cave ambience; down the alley lead- tors and hospitals. Other options:
ing to Mahran ahwa (coffeehouse). Anglo-American Hospital (Map p148; %2735
Sigma Net (Map pp144-5; %2738 0516; Sharia 6162/5; Sharia Hadayek al-Zuhreyya, Gezira) West of the
Gezirat al-Wusta, Zamalek; per hr E£8; h24hr) Opposite Cairo Tower.
Flamenco Hotel. Fast connections and good air-con. As-Salam International Hospital Ma’adi (Map
Zamalek Center (Map pp144-5; %2736 4004; 25 pp110-11; %2524 0250, emergency 2524 0077;
Sharia Ismail Mohammed, Zamalek; per hr E£5; h24hr) Corniche el-Nil); Mohandiseen (Map pp144-5; %3303
A bit smoky, but the best rates in the area; offers other 0502; 3 Sharia Syria) The Ma’adi branch has a better
business services too. reputation.
 114 C A I R O • • I n f o r m a t i o n lonelyplanet.com

PHARMACIES Post
CAIRO

In Egyptian pharmacies almost any medicine Marked with green-and-yellow signs, post
can be obtained without prescription. The offices are numerous, though not all have
pharmacies operate 24 hours, have English- signs in English explaining which window
speaking staff and will deliver to your hotel. is meant for what business.
Al-Ezaby (Map pp144-5; %19600) Express Mail Service (EMS; Map pp118-19; %2390
Ali & Ali Downtown (%2365 3880); Mohandiseen 5874; fax 2390 4250; h24hr) Opposite the poste
(%3302 1421) restante office. Most post offices also have an EMS counter.
Delmar (%2575 1052; Downtown) At the corner of Main post office (Map pp118-19; Midan Ataba;
Sharia 26th of July and Sharia Mohammed Farid. h8am-10pm Sat-Thu)
New Victoria Pharmacy (%2735 1628; Zamalek) Poste restante (Map pp118-19; h8am-2.30pm Sat-
Seif Pharmacy (%19199) Thu) On the side street to the right of the main post office,
with the entrance on the cross street one block down.
Money Mail is usually held for three weeks. It’s divided into three
For general information about money, for- sections: letters (window 10), packages (window 1) and
eign exchange bureaus and transferring funds, registered mail (upstairs). Take your passport.
see p512. For banking hours, see p503. The Post traffic centre (Map p122; Midan Ramses;
Banque Misr branches located at the Nile h8.30am-3pm Sat-Thu) Come here to send packages
Hilton and Mena House Oberoi hotels are abroad. Bring your passport. Leave your package unsealed,
open 24 hours. Hotel branches of the big to be inspected; someone will then wrap the parcel for
banks are happy to change your cash, but you for a small charge, or you can supply your own tape.
rates are slightly better at independent ex- The process is bureaucratic, but not utterly maddening.
change bureaus of which there are several Zamalek post office (Map pp144-5; Sharia Brazil;
along Sharia Adly in Downtown and on Sharia h8am-3pm Sat-Thu)
26th of July in Zamalek. These tend to be open
from 10am to 8pm Saturday to Thursday.
American Express (Amex; www.americanexpress.com Telephone & Fax
.eg; h9am-5pm Sat-Thu) Downtown (Map pp118-19; Card phones Menatel card phones are all over the city,
although the practice of placing them on street corners (or
%2574 7991; 15 Sharia Qasr el-Nil); Downtown (Map
pp118-19; %2578 5001; Nile Hilton); Heliopolis (off Map streets, for that matter) can make it hard to hear.
p153; %2418 2144; 33 Sharia Nabil al-Wakkad, Ard Faxes These can be sent to/from the telephone centrales
al-Golf ) All offices will hold mail for cardholders and give on Midan Tahrir, Sharia Adly and Sharia Alfy. You can also
cash advances on gold and platinum cards. send and receive them from the EMS main office in Ataba
Citibank (www.citibankegypt.com) Garden City (Map (see above) and from a couple of internet cafés (see p113).
p148; %2795 1873; 4 Sharia Ahmad Pasha); Zamalek Telephone centrales Downtown (Map pp118-19; fax
(Map pp144-5; %2736 5622; 4A Sharia al-Gezira) 2578 0979; 13 Midan Tahrir; h24hr); Downtown (Map
Diners Club (Map pp118-19; %2578 3355; Nile Hilton, pp118-19; fax 2393 3903; 8 Sharia Adly; h24hr);
Midan Tahrir, Downtown) Downtown (Map pp118-19; fax 2589 7635; Sharia Alfy;
Thomas Cook (%emergency hotline 010 140 1367; h24hr); Downtown (Map pp118-19; Sharia Ramses;
www.thomascookegypt.com; h8am-4.30pm Sat-Thu) h24hr); Zamalek (Map pp144-5; Sharia 26th of July) The
Airport (%2265 4447); Downtown (Map pp118-19; branch on Sharia Alfy is next to the Windsor Hotel. The
Sharia Ramses branch is opposite Sharia Tawfiqiyya.
%2574 3776; 17 Sharia Mahmoud Bassiouni); Heliopolis
(Map p153; %2416 4000; 7 Sharia Baghdad, Korba);
Mohandiseen (Map pp144-5; %3344 0008; 10 Sharia Tourist Information
26th of July); Zamalek (Map pp144-5; %2735 9223; 3 Cairo International Airport tourist office Terminal
Sharia Abu al-Feda) I (%2265 3642; h24hr); Terminal II (%2265 2269;
h24hr)
ATMS Main tourist office (Map pp118-19; %2391 3454; 5
ATMs are located on all major streets, in Sharia Adly; h8.30am-7pm)
shopping malls and in the foyers of five-star Pyramids tourist office (Map p150; %3383 8823;
hotels. The only place they’re hard to find is Pyramids Rd; h8.30am-5pm) Opposite Mena House
in Islamic Cairo – the most convenient ma- Oberoi.
chine here is below El Hussein (Map p129) Ramses Station tourist office (Map p180; %2579
in Khan al-Khalili. The ones in hotels are 0767; h9am-7pm) Next to the Abela Sleeping Train
the most reliable. office.
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • D a n g e r s & A n n o y a n c e s 115

Travel Agencies locked in a suitcase. Pickpockets are rare, but

CAIRO
The streets around Midan Tahrir teem with do sometimes operate in crowded spots such
travel agencies, but don’t expect amaz- as Khan al-Khalili, the Birqash camel market,
ing deals. Instead, watch out for dodgy the metro and buses. If anything does get sto-
operators (see p506). Amex and Thomas len go straight to the tourist police (p113).
Cook (see opposite) offer reliable service.
Other recommendations: Scams & Hassles
Egypt Panorama Tours (%2359 0200; www.eptours Scams in Cairo are so numerous that there’s
.com; 4 Rd 79, Ma’adi; h9am-5pm) Opposite Ma’adi no way to list them all. There are roughly
metro station, this is one of the best and most reputable four types: hotel scams (see p158), overcharg-
agencies in town, though it’s a long way from Downtown. ing on tours to elsewhere in Egypt, shopping
Fortunately it will book tickets, tours and hotel rooms over cons and funny business involving tickets
the phone and courier the documents to you, if necessary, to monuments.
for a reasonable fee. Efficient staff speak excellent English. The worst scams afflicting Cairo are as-
It’s good for cheap air fares, four- and five-star hotel deals sociated with tours. Rather than making ar-
and tours within Egypt and around the Mediterranean. rangements in Cairo, you are almost always
Small surcharge for credit cards. better off booking tours in the place you’ll
Misr Travel (Map pp118-19; %2393 0259; 7 Sharia be taking them. Reputable agencies (see left)
Talaat Harb, Downtown) The official Egyptian government are nearly outnumbered by dodgy operators.
travel agency, which also has offices in most of the luxury Despite the steady pressure you’ll receive, we
hotels. can’t emphasise enough that it’s not a good
Travco (Map pp144-5; %2736 2042; www.travco idea to book flights, felucca cruises and the
eg.com; 13 Sharia Mahmoud Azmy, Zamalek) The highly like through Cairo hotels – you will inevitably
regarded Zamalek branch of an Egypt-wide travel group. pay more to cover their commission on the
transaction. Also be wary of travel agencies
Visa Extensions in the Downtown area. Many rent space to
All visa business is carried out at the Mogamma unscrupulous types who will charge well over
(Map pp118-19; Midan Tahrir, Downtown; h8am-1.30pm the odds for arrangements they make. If you
Sat-Wed), a 14-storey Egypto-Stalinist monolith return to complain, the agency will say that
that is rumoured to be closing by 2009. In the you booked through a freelance agent unas-
meantime, foreigners should go to the 1st sociated with the company. And finally: never,
floor and confirm the following details at the ever book a tour through a tout you meet on
information desk before proceeding. On the the street or in a souvenir shop.
1st floor, go to window 12 for a form, fill it out Shopping scams are nearly as prevalent,
and then buy stamps from window 43 before but less nefarious. For the most part, they
returning to window 12 and submitting your are conversation-starters to lure you into
form with the stamps, one photograph, and stores. Most of these routines would be
photocopies of the photo and visa pages of dully obvious, if not for the special con-
your passport (photos and photocopies can viction with which the more talented con
be organised on the ground floor). The visa men deliver them. Around the Egyptian
will be processed overnight. Museum, for instance, a charming chap
approaches foreigners and asks if they are
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES looking for the museum entrance or the
You can walk almost wherever you like in bus to the Pyramids. If the answer is yes,
Cairo, at any time of day or night, as long as he asserts that it’s prayer time/lunchtime/
you are properly dressed and a little street- any-inventive-reason time and that the mu-
wise. That said, single women should still be seum is temporarily closed and the bus isn’t
careful when walking alone at night. running. Then he suggests that while they’re
waiting, they may be interested in going to
Theft the nearby ‘Government Bazaar’, which hap-
Theft is not a big problem, but it pays to be pens to be having its annual sale on that day.
safe. We regularly receive letters from read- Needless to say, there’s a sale every day, it’s
ers who have had items stolen from locked not much of a sale at all, the bazaar isn’t
hotel rooms and even from safes, so think government-run and he’ll collect a commis-
about keeping money and valuables on you or sion on anything you purchase…
 116 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

When you’re in Downtown or Islamic expense of ‘proper’ sightseeing), as the back

CAIRO

Cairo, locals may start walking next to you, lanes give the truest sense of the city. The
offering help or chatting. These are usually Pyramids and tombs of Giza, Saqqara and
touts who want to direct you into shops where Dahshur require a whole extra day. Coptic
they’ll earn a commission. They can be per- Cairo can be toured in a morning – made
sistent, but telling them you just want to walk especially easy by Metro access – and you’ll
and know where you’re going, with a joke likely soak up Downtown’s atmosphere just by
thrown in to keep everything amicable, will going to and from your hotel, or by hanging
save you a lot of hassle. out there in the evenings.
Other shopping scams include the old ‘two
for five pounds’ hard sell (when you go to Central Cairo
pay, the stallholder will say that he meant Though the Egyptian Museum is found here,
five British pounds), the dried-banana-leaf- the part of town between Midan Ramses and
instead-of-papyrus con and the safflower- Midan Tahrir, which locals call Wust al-Balad,
not-saffron spice trade. is better known for its practical offerings:
When visiting monuments in Islamic Cairo, budget hotels, eateries and a dazzling stream
it pays to know that, with two exceptions, all of window displays (don’t use that shoe
mosques are free to enter, as they are places store/lingerie shop/prosthetic-limbs dealer
of worship. But some caretakers will claim an as a landmark; trust us – there’s another one
admission price – if you’re not sure it’s legit, just a block away). Occasionally try to look
ask if there is a ticket (‘fee taz-kar-a?’) and away from the traffic and fluorescent-lit shops
politely refuse payment if there is none. In and up at the elegant Empire-style office and
officially ticketed monuments, some guards apartment buildings that drip faded glamour
will attempt to resell a previous visitor’s ticket (or is that an air-conditioner leaking?). It’s
(cadged by another guard inside, assuring a wonderful part of town to explore – just
the visitor it’s ‘normal’ to hand it over). If it be prepared for total sensory overload after
is not torn out of the book in front of you, a few hours.
it’s reused. As it doesn’t affect what you pay,
it’s up to you whether you object, but doing so MIDAN TAHRIR & AROUND
might send a larger signal that tourists prefer With half-a-dozen major arteries converging,
business on the up-and-up. Midan Tahrir (Liberation Sq) is the fulcrum of
Most common is a stream of people asking modern-day Cairo, and as a result the site of
for baksheesh (alms, tip); this is legitimate and some serious traffic and pedestrian jams. But
expected, but be firm and don’t pay more than the square is one of the few central spaces that
you want to (E£5 per monument is reason- isn’t hemmed in by buildings and overpasses,
able, plus another E£2 or E£3 if you climb making it an excellent spot to have a look
a minaret). around and orient yourself.
Finally, be aware that fake International One of the most distinctive location aids
Student Identity Cards (ISIC) are sold by scam is the Nile Hilton (p160), the blue-and-white
artists in Downtown. For more information slab that stands between Midan Tahrir and
on ISIC cards see p507. the Nile. When it was built in 1959 it was the
first modern hotel in Cairo, replacing a former
SIGHTS British Army barracks. Due north is the neo-
Cairo’s sights are spread all over the city, so classical bulk of the Egyptian Museum (p185),
it makes sense to do things in one area be- painted a lurid shade of pink, while south is
fore moving on to the next – but don’t try to the Arab League Building (Map pp118–19), the
cram too much into one day, or you’ll soon be occasional gathering place of leaders from
overwhelmed. The awe-inspiring but cluttered around the Middle East.
Egyptian Museum requires at least half a day, Continuing around Midan Tahrir anti-
but could easily merit a second visit. Khan clockwise, the ornate white palace is the
al-Khalili and most of the medieval monu- Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Adjacent Omar Makram
ments are in Islamic Cairo, and you’ll need a Mosque (Map pp118–19) is the place where
full day or several shorter visits to appreciate anybody who’s anybody has a funeral. The
them. Definitely allow a few hours of aimless rest of the south side is occupied by the mon-
wandering in this area (even if it comes at the strous Mogamma (Map pp118–19), home to
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 117

18,000 semisomnolent civil servants – this into the ground floors of glorious (if dust-

CAIRO
is where you come for visa extensions (see caked) buildings that represent every archi-
p115). If the Soviet-funded Mogamma sym- tectural fantasy of the 19th and early 20th
bolises Egypt’s quasi-socialist past, then the centuries. The two main streets, Sharia Talaat
next building around, across four-lane Qasr al- Harb and Sharia Qasr el-Nil, intersect at the
Ainy, represents the current energy of private traffic circle of Midan Talaat Harb, where cars
enterprise: the American University in Cairo (AUC; whiz around a statue of tarboosh-sporting Mr
Map pp118–19), the college of choice for the Harb, founder of the National Bank. On the
sons and daughters of Egypt’s stratospherically square is Groppi’s (p168), in its heyday one
wealthy. As of autumn 2008, most students of the most celebrated patisseries this side of
will be at a new campus in the eastern suburbs, the Mediterranean, the venue for ritzy society
but that won’t stop average Egyptians from functions and concert dances. Gold mosa-
imagining the Western-inspired debauchery ics around the doorway are, alas, the only
that goes on behind the tall fences. This cam- remaining glitter.
pus has an attractive courtyard and a good Just south of the square on Sharia Talaat
bookshop (see p109). You must hand over Harb, Café Riche (p163) was once a hang-out
your passport to enter at the gate on Sharia for Egyptian writers and intellectuals. Nasser
Mohammed Mahmoud, opposite the enter- allegedly met with his cronies here while plan-
prisingly sited McDonald’s. ning the 1952 Revolution.
The buildings then break for Sharia Tahrir, North of the square, shops along Sharia
which leads 300m east to a busy square (Midan Qasr el-Nil sell a drag queen’s dream of foot-
Falaki) with the indoor veg-and-meat Souq Bab wear. The street itself boasts some particularly
al-Luq to one side. Continuing east brings you fine architecture, notably the Italian Insurance
to Midan al-Gomhuriyya, a scraggly grass building (Map pp118–19), on the corner of
square skirted by speeding traffic. The great Qasr el-Nil and Sharia Sherifeen, and the
building to the east, dominating the square, Cosmopolitan Hotel (p160), a short block
is Abdeen Palace, former residence of the rul- off Qasr el-Nil. The area around the hotel and
ers of Egypt. the neighbouring Cairo Stock Exchange has been
pedestrianised, so you can savour both the
Abdeen Palace turn-of-the-century architecture and some
Begun in 1863 and employing Europe’s relative quiet.
most lavish architects and designers, Abdeen Over on Sharia Talaat Harb, Cinema Metro
Palace (Qasr Abdeen; Map pp118-19; %2391 0042; Midan (Map pp118–19) is a 1930s movie palace:
al-Gomhuriyya; adult/student E£10/5; h9am-2.45pm Sat- when it first opened, with Gone with the Wind,
Thu) was a centrepiece of Khedive Ismail’s plan it boasted a Ford showroom and a diner. One
for a modern Cairo, inspired by Paris’ recent block east of the cinema, along Sharia Adly,
makeover; the khedive even called in master- Shar Hashamaim Synagogue (Map pp118–19) is
mind French planner Baron Haussmann as one of the few remaining testaments to Cairo’s
a consultant. He wanted the palace finished once-thriving Jewish community. Resembling
for the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal, to a set from Tomb Raider, its ornate Babylonian
impress visiting dignitaries, but its 500 rooms exterior was being restored in 2007; when it’s
weren’t completed until 1874. It was the royal done, the place may once again be open on
residence until the monarchy was abolished Saturday, the Jewish holy day. Further east
in 1952, then became the presidential pal- on Adly is the faded Groppi Garden (p168) –
ace. President Mubarak prefers his digs in actually the first Cairo outpost of Italian
Heliopolis, but uses Abdeen for official oc- chocolatier Giacomo Groppi, and site of the
casions. One section, though not the ritzy city’s first outdoor cinema. During WWII it
royal chambers, is open to the public (enter was known as a place where Egyptians and
on Sharia Mustafa Abdel Raziq); its halls are Europeans mixed easily – particularly Allied
filled with a vast array of weaponry, ranging troops and the local ladies.
from ceremonial daggers to howitzers. A block north of Adly is Sharia 26th of
July, named for the date Egypt’s last king,
DOWNTOWN Farouk, abdicated. As far as Cairenes are
In the commercial heart of Cairo, glitzy shops concerned, the street’s major attraction is
and thousands of small businesses are wedged El-Abd Bakery (p164), packed out morning
 118 C A I R O • • C e n t r a l C a i r o lonelyplanet.com

CENTRAL CAIRO
CAIRO

To Zamalek 24
(1.8km)

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lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • C e n t r a l C a i r o 119

0 200 m

CAIRO
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To Midan
To Midan

Emad ad-Din
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 120 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

INFORMATION Ramses Hilton Mall...................44 B2 Cafeteria Port Tawfiq.................88 E1

CAIRO

4U Internet Café....................(see 55) Shar Hashamaim Cafeteria Stella......................... 89 D4

American Express....................... 1 C4 Synagogue............................45 F2 Cairo.........................................90 E1
American Express........................2 B4 Souq Bab al-Luq....................... 46 D5 Cap d'Or...................................91 E3
American University in Cairo...... 3 C5 Townhouse Gallery................... 47 D3 Cilantro.................................... 92 C5
American University in Cairo Groppi Garden..........................93 F2
Bookshop............................... 4 C5 SLEEPING Kawkab ash-Sharq.....................94 E2
Anglo-Egyptian Bookshop...........5 F2 Carlton Hotel.............................48 E1 Le Grillon.................................. 95 C4
AUC Library............................... 6 D5 Cosmopolitan Hotel................. 49 D4 Mahran.................................... 96 C4
Delmer Pharmacy........................7 F2 Garden City House....................50 B5 Odeon Palace Hotel................. 97 D3
Diners Club.............................(see 56) Grand Hotel..............................51 E2 Windsor Bar...........................(see 61)
Express Mail Service.................... 8 G3 Hotel Luna................................ 52 D3 Zahret al-Bustan....................... 98 D4
Five St@rs Net........................(see 55) Hotel Osiris...............................53 E6
Goethe Institut........................... 9 C4 Hotel Select...............................54 E2 ENTERTAINMENT
Hany Internet Café....................10 E2 Lialy Hostel............................... 55 D3 After Eight................................ 99 C4
InterClub.................................. 11 C4 New Minerva Hotel................(see 59) Cairo Puppet Theatre............. 100 H2
Lehnert & Landrock..................12 B4 Nile Hilton................................ 56 A4 Cinema Metro.........................101 E2
Lehnert & Landrock...................13 E2 Pension Roma...........................57 F2 Haroun al-Rashid....................(see 84)
Main Post Office...................... 14 G3 Richmond Hotel........................58 E2 Latex...................................... 102 A4
Main Tourist Office...................15 F2 Talisman Hotel..........................59 E2 Palmyra...................................103 E2
Memories Net........................... 16 C3 Tulip Hotel............................... 60 D4 Scheherazade..........................104 E1
Misr Travel............................... 17 C5 Windsor Hotel...........................61 F1
Mogamma................................18 B6 SHOPPING
New Zealand Consulate............ 19 C5 EATING Ezbekiyya Book Market........... 105 H1
Newsstand..............................(see 83) Abu al-Hassan al-Haty..............62 F2 Galerie Hathout.......................106 F3
Newsstand..............................(see 56) Abu Samra.................................63 E1 L'Orientale..............................107 B4
Newsstand................................20 C5 Abu Tarek................................. 64 C3 L'Orientaliste.......................... 108 C4
Poste Restante.......................... 21 G3 Akher Sa'a................................ 65 D2 Mobaco....................................(see 2)
Shorouk................................... 22 D4 Akher Sa'a.................................66 F1 Mobaco.................................. 109 A6
Telephone Centrale...................23 F2 At-Tabei ad-Dumyati............(see 115) Nomad...................................(see 56)
Telephone Centrale...................24 D1 Bird Cage................................(see 84) Osman Ahmed........................110 F2
Telephone Centrale...................25 F1 Café Riche................................ 67 D4 Oum El Dounia....................... 111 C5
Telephone Centrale.................. 26 C4 Centro Recreativo Italiano II Samir El Sakka.........................112 F3
Thomas Cook........................... 27 C4 Cairo.....................................68 C1 Sawt al-Qahira....................... 113 G2
Tourist Police.............................28 F2 El-Abd Bakery............................69 E2 Sednaoui Department Store.... 114 H1
Tourist Police Office...............(see 15) El-Abd Bakery........................... 70 D3 Talaat Harb Complex.............. 115 D3
US Embassy..............................29 B6 Emara Hati al-Gish.................... 71 D5
Western Union......................... 30 D4 Estoril....................................... 72 C4 TRANSPORT
Western Union Money Fatatri at-Tahrir........................ 73 C5 Air France............................... 116 D4
Exchange..............................31 C3 Felfela Restaurant..................... 74 D4 Airport Bus.............................. 117 B3
Felfela Takeaway...................... 75 C4 Avis........................................(see 56)
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Gad...........................................76 E2 EgyptAir................................. 118 C4
Abdeen Palace......................... 32 G6 Gomhouriya............................. 77 D4 EgyptAir..................................119 B4
Abdeen Palace Museum Greek Club.............................(see 78) EgyptAir................................. 120 G2
Entrance............................... 33 G6 Groppi's................................... 78 C4 Flag Down Pyramids Bus.........121 B5
Arab League Building................34 B5 Koshary El Tahrir....................... 79 C5 Hertz...................................... 122 A2
Arabic Language Institute.........(see 3) Koshary El Tahrir.......................80 E3 KLM....................................... 123 C4
Cairo Atelier............................. 35 C3 Koshary Goha............................81 F1 Local Buses & Minibuses.........124 B3
Egyptian Museum.....................36 B3 Le Bistro................................... 82 D4 Local Buses and Minibuses...... 125 H2
Ezbekiyya Gardens.................... 37 G2 Nile Hilton Deli.......................(see 86) Maspero River Bus
Italian Insurance Building...........38 E3 Pottery Café............................. 83 C5 Terminal..............................126 A2
Karim Francis Art Gallery...........39 E4 Sabaya...................................... 84 A5 Pyramids Bus...........................127 B3
Mashrabia Gallery of Sayed Hanafy............................85 E1 Qanater Ferries (Government).. 128 A2
Contemporary Art.................40 C4 Qanater Ferries (Private)......... 129 A2
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.........41 B5 DRINKING Royal Jordanian...................... 130 C4
Omar Makram Mosque............42 B5 Abu Aly Café............................ 86 B4 SyrianAir................................. 131 D3
Postal Museum......................... 43 G3 Cafeteria Horreyya................... 87 D5 Yellow Taxis............................ 132 B5

to midnight with locals jostling for cakes, place in Akher Sa’a (p162). Nearby Tawfiqiyya
sweets and delicious pastries (there’s also a Souq (Map pp118–19) is a blocks-long fruit-
branch on Sharia Talaat Harb). and-vegetable market, open late, with good
Another block north, pedestrianised coffeehouses in the surrounding alleyways.
Sharia Saray al-Ezbekiyya and Sharia Alfy East along Sharia 26th of July leads to
are Downtown’s nightlife centre, with kebab Ezbekiyya Gardens (Map pp118–19), which
joints, seedy bars, dubious belly-dancing joints, look nicer than they ever have – but are open
countless opportunities for sidewalk sheesha only to those who pay (E£2). The famous
(water pipe)–smoking and a 24-hour eating Shepheard’s Hotel was once located opposite –
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 121

it was the preferred accommodation of the arterial roads to swamp the square with an

CAIRO
British colonial classes for a century, until it unchoreographed slew of minibuses, buses,
was destroyed by Black Saturday rioters in taxis and cars. Commuters swarming from
1952 (see p41). Next to the gardens Midan the train station add to the melee.
Opera marks the site of the old opera house, The eponymous Ramses, a multistorey
which burnt down in 1971 – and rebuilt as a Pharaonic colossus of red granite, stood sen-
towering car park. Beyond the car park, to the tinel amid the traffic to greet new visitors to
east, is Midan Ataba. the city until 2006, when he was removed to
protect him from further pollution damage – a
MIDAN ATABA process that required major machinery and
Here, ‘modern European’ Cairo runs up road closures. He will stand at the entrance of
against the old medieval Cairo of Saladin the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, slated
(Salah ad-Din), the Mamluks and the to open (perhaps) in 2010. Ramses Station
Ottomans. A mass of buses and hawkers, the (Mahattat Ramses; Map p122) is an attrac-
area seems like one traffic-clogged bazaar – tive marriage of Islamic style and industrial-
though the goods now are vinyl shoes and age engineering. At its eastern end it houses
acetate ball gowns, not fine silks and gold as the Egyptian National Railways Museum (Map p122;
in centuries past. Off the southwest side, past %2576 3793; Midan Ramses; admission E£10, Fri & public
the flyover, the domed main post office (Map holidays E£20; h9am-2pm Tue-Sun) with a beautiful
pp118–19) has a pretty courtyard. A window but somewhat dilapidated collection of old
immediately on your right is where you buy locomotives, including one built for Empress
tickets to the neighbouring Postal Museum (Map Eugénie on the occasion of the opening of the
pp118-19; %2391 0011; 2nd fl, Midan Ataba; E£2; h8am- Suez Canal.
3pm), a beautifully maintained collection of On the south side of the square is Cairo’s
stamps, uniforms and even tiny scale models pre-eminent orientation aid, Al-Fath Mosque
of great post offices throughout Egypt. (Map p122). Completed in the early 1990s, the
On the north side of the square, behind the mosque’s minaret is visible from just about
modernist white Puppet Theatre, are the stalls anywhere in central and Islamic Cairo.
of the Ezbekiyya Book Market (p175). North
beyond that is Midan Khazindar, dominated GARDEN CITY & RHODA
by Sednaoui (Map pp118–19), one of Cairo’s Garden City was developed in the early 1900s
prime early-20th-century department stores. along the lines of an English garden suburb.
Nationalised in 1961, its display cases are now Its curving, tree-lined streets were designed
stocked with a weird, almost tragic assort- for tranquillity, while its proximity to the
ment of third-rate goods. But the place still British embassy was no doubt intended to
sports its gorgeous three-storey atrium inter- convey security. Many of the enclave’s elegant
ior. Running north from Khazindar is Sharia villas have fallen prey to quick-buck develop-
Clot Bey (aka Sharia Khulud) named after a ers, but enough grand architecture and lush
French physician who introduced Western trees survive to make a wander through the
ideas about public health to Mohammed Ali’s streets worthwhile – at sunset, the air of faded
Egypt. That didn’t stop the street from becom- romance is palpable (see p155).
ing the diseased heart of Cairo’s red-light dis- Or you can walk directly (if a bit less sceni-
trict, known as ‘the Berka’ (‘the blessing’, with cally) south along the noisy Corniche el-Nil.
ladles of irony), an area of brothels, peepshows It takes only 20 minutes to walk from Tahrir
and cabarets. These days it’s a shabby but to the small Manial Bridge. Crossing this, you
charming street with arcades over the pave- arrive at the Manial Palace Museum (Mathaf al-Manial;
ments sheltering sepia-toned coffeehouses Map p148; %2368 7495; Sharia al-Saray, Manial; adult/
and eating places. It eventually emerges onto student E£10/5; h9am-4pm, during Ramadan 9am-3pm).
Midan Ramses. Once one of Cairo’s most eccentric tourist
sites, the palace and its overgrown grounds
MIDAN RAMSES & AROUND were being restored at last pass and will likely
The northern gateway into central Cairo, reopen sometime in 2008 with a less ram-
Midan Ramses (Map p122) is a byword for shackle feel (and a higher ticket price). The
bedlam. The city’s main north–south ac- uncle of King Farouk, Prince Mohammed
cess collides with overpasses and numerous Ali built the palace in the early 20th century.
 122 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

0 200 m
MIDAN RAMSES & AROUND
CAIRO

0 0.1 miles

To Alexandria
To (217km)
Shubra (1km);
Aboud Bus
Station (1.8km)

11
To Giza Station,
in
Upper Egypt Tra 0)
es (p18 To Heliopolis (6km);
ms
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Midan
Ulali Mubarak
INFORMATION Hab
Mubarak
Kamel Egyptian Foreign Exchangeib Shalabi
S idqi (F Corp..................................1 A3
aggala
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al
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Sabil of Umm y
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Al-Fath Mosque.....................3 B3
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Mohammed Ali
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Egyptian National Railways

Kh
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Museum............................4 C1
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African Hostel........................5 A4
Al-Gomhuriyya

Fontana Hotel........................6 C2
Victoria Hotel.........................7 B4
iyya

1
us
arq

To Midan EATING
al-M

Tahrir At-Tabei ad-Dumyati.............8 A4

(1.8km) Orabi St Mark's
7
eesa

Naguib al-Rihany Cathedral ENTERTAINMENT

Al-Q
Emad ad-Din

Al-Kin

Cinema Karim I......................9 A4

Orabi

abli
t
Ali al-Kassar Mosque Cinema Karim II...................10 A4
8 5
9 10 TRANSPORT
Ahmed Helmy Bus Station....11 B1
See Central Cairo Map (pp118–19) Bus to Alexandria.................12 B2
Service Taxis for Alexandria..13 B2
Suleiman Halabi Service Taxis for Suez &
Sinai................................14 A2
To Midan Talaat To Midan To Midan Trams for Heliopolis.............15 C2
Harb (825m) Opera (400m) Ataba (450m)

Apparently he couldn’t decide which archi- Monastirli Palace & Umm Kolthum
tectural style he preferred, so he went for the Museum
lot: Ottoman, Moorish, Persian and European Set in a peaceful Nileside garden, Monastirli
rococo. The palace contains, among other Palace (Map p124) was built in 1851 for an
things, Farouk’s horde of hunting trophies Ottoman pasha whose family hailed from
and the prince’s collection of medieval manu- Monastir, in northern Greece. The salamlik
scripts, clothing and other items. The gardens (greeting area) that he built for public func-
are planted with rare tropical plants collected tions is now an elegant venue for concerts,
by the prince on his travels. If you don’t want while the other part is now the Umm Kolthum
to walk to the museum, a taxi from Midan Museum (Map p124; %2363 1467; Sharia al-Malek as-Salih,
Tahrir should cost E£4. Rhoda; admission E£2; h10am-5pm). Dedicated to
A 15-minute walk south along the east- the most famous Arab diva, the small mu-
ern side of the island, past lush plant nurs- seum is more like a shrine, given the reverence
eries, takes you to its southern tip, home with which the singer’s signature rhinestone-
to Monastirli Palace, the Umm Kolthum trimmed glasses and glittery gowns are hung
Museum and a Nilometer. From there, it’s under spotlights in display cases. There’s a
an easy walk on to Old Cairo. multimedia room where you can listen to her
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 123

music, and a short film shows key moments From there it’s a 10-minute walk east to the

CAIRO
of her life, from the beginning when she per- main cluster of churches. The service runs at
formed disguised as a Bedouin boy, to her 8am, 2pm and 9pm and costs E£1.
magnetic performances that brought Cairo
to a standstill, to her funeral, when millions COPTIC CAIRO
of mourners flooded the streets. Coptic Cairo (Map p124) is the heartland of
Egypt’s indigenous Christian community, a
Nilometer haven of tranquillity and peace that reveals
Built in AD 861, the Nilometer (Map p124; Sharia layers of history. Archaeologists have found
al-Malek as-Salih, Rhoda; E£10; h10am-5pm) was de- traces of a small Nileside settlement on this
signed to measure the rise and fall of the site from as early as the 6th century BC. In
river, and thus predict the fortunes of the the 2nd century AD the Romans established
annual harvest. If the water rose to 16 cubits a fortress here, called Babylon-in-Egypt.
(a cubit is about the length of a forearm) the The name Babylon is most likely a Roman
harvest was likely to be good, inspiring one corruption of ‘Per-hapi-en-on’ (Estate of
of the greatest celebrations of the medieval the Nile God at On), a Pharaonic name for
era; any higher, though, and the flooding ancient Heliopolis.
could be disastrous, and lower levels pres- Babylon has always been a stronghold of
aged hunger. The Turkish-style pencil-point Christianity. At one time there were more
dome is a Farouk-era reconstruction of an than 20 churches clustered within less than 1
earlier one wrecked by Napoleon’s troops. sq km, though just a handful survive today.
The measuring device, a graduated column, They are linked by narrow cobbled alleyways
sits below the level of the Nile at the bot- running between high stone walls: the place
tom of a flight of precipitous steps, which feels similar to parts of Jerusalem’s Old City.
the guard will cheerfully let you descend for That might not be mere coincidence, because
a little baksheesh. when Jews were exiled from their holy city
in AD 70, some found refuge in Egypt; the
Old Cairo country’s oldest synagogue is here in Coptic
Broadly speaking, Old Cairo (Misr al-Qadima, Cairo. There are three entrances to the Coptic
with a glottal-stop ‘Q’; Map p124) incorpo- compound: a sunken staircase beside the foot-
rates the area south of Garden City down to bridge over the metro gives access to most
the quarter known to foreigners as Coptic churches and the synagogue; the main gate
Cairo. Most visitors head straight to the latter. in the centre is for the Coptic Museum; and
From there, you can also visit the Mosque of another doorway further south leads to the
Amr ibn al-As. Hanging Church.
In this traditional part of Cairo appropriate
dress is essential. Visitors of either sex wearing Roman Towers
shorts or showing their shoulders will not be The main entrance to the Coptic compound
allowed into churches or mosques. The liveli- lies between the remains of the two round
est time to visit is on a Sunday, when Cairene towers (Map p124) of Babylon’s western gate.
Copts come for services; but if you want a Built in AD 98 by Emperor Trajan, these were
quiet wander, avoid Sunday and Friday as part of riverfront fortifications: at the time,
well. The churches do not charge admission, the Nile would have lapped right up against
but most have donation boxes. them. Excavations around the southern tower
The easiest way of getting here is by metro: have revealed part of the ancient quay, several
trains run every few minutes, and Mar Girgis metres below street level. The Greek Orthodox
station is right outside the Coptic Cairo com- Monastery and Church of St George sit on top
pound. It’s much better than a crowded bus of the northern tower.
(though the trip back to Tahrir isn’t as bad
because you can board the bus at the terminal, Coptic Museum
beside the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, and be This museum (Map p124; %2363 9742; www.coptic
sure of a seat). A slow but pleasant option is to museum.gov.eg; Sharia Mar Girgis; adult/student E£40/20;
take the orange-and-green river bus (autobees h9am-4pm), founded in 1908, houses Coptic
nahri) from the Maspero dock (Map pp118–19) art from Greco-Roman times to the Islamic
to its last stop at Misr al-Qadima in Old Cairo. era in a collection drawn from all over Egypt.
 124 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

0 200 m
OLD CAIRO
CAIRO

0 0.1 miles

To Midan
Tahrir (4km)
10
Rhoda
lih
as-Sa

15
alek

Fustat

g is
A l- M

G ir
il
he el-N

ar
Entrance to Footbridge

M
Nilometer
& Museum 14
Cornic

Ain
as-
Sir
ah
6
13 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Ben Ezra Synagogue..............1 C3
Church of St Barbara.............2 C2
11 Church of St Sergius..............3 C2
Footbridge
er

4 Convent of St George............4 C2
Riv

Coptic Museum.....................5 C3
Coptic
Nile

Greek Orthodox Cemetery....6 C2

Cairo New
Church Greek Orthodox Cemetery....7 C3
3 Hanging Church....................8 C3
9 2
Mar Monastery & Church of St
Mosque of Girgis George...............................9 B2
bi

12 1
Na

Abdin Bey 5 Monastirli Palace...............(see 13)

Market
an-

Mosque of Amr ibn al-As.....10 D1

ar

16 8 Nilometer.............................11 A2
Ath

Roman Towers.....................12 B2
Umm Kolthum Museum......13 A2
7
SHOPPING
Souq al-Fustat......................14 C1

TRANSPORT
To Ma’adi
Bus Station...........................15 C1
To Helwan
(8km) (22km) River Taxi to Maspero..........16 A3

Reopened after thorough renovation in 2006, With its three barrel-vaulted, wooden-
it is a beautiful place, as much for the elabo- roofed aisles, the interior of the church feels
rate woodcarving in all the galleries as for like an upturned ark. Ivory-inlaid screens hid-
the treasures they contain. These include a ing the altar have intricate geometric designs
sculpture that shows obvious continuity from that are distinguishable from Islamic designs
the Ptolemaic period, rich textiles and whole only by the tiny crosses worked into the pat-
walls of monastery frescoes. There’s a pleasant tern. In front of them, a fine pulpit used only
garden out front; a small café was not yet open on Palm Sunday stands on 13 slender pillars
at the time of research. that represent Christ and his disciples; one
of the pillars, darker than the rest, is said to
Hanging Church symbolise Judas. In the baptistry, off to the
Just south of the museum on Sharia Mar Girgis right, a panel has been cut out of the floor to
(the main road parallel with the metro), a stone reveal the Water Gate below.
façade inscribed with Coptic and Arabic marks
the entrance to the Hanging Church (Al-Kineesa al- Monastery & Church of St George
Mu’allaqa; Map p124; Sharia Mar Girgis; hCoptic mass 8-11am Back on the street, the first doorway north of
Fri, 9-11am Sun). Still in use for Mass and by pa- the museum gate leads to the Greek Orthodox
rishioners who come to pray over a collection Monastery and Church of St George (Map p124).
of saints’ relics and an icon of Mary, this 9th- St George (Mar Girgis), is one of the region’s
century (some say 7th-century) structure is most popular Christian saints. A Palestinian
called the Hanging or Suspended Church as conscript in the Roman army, he was executed
it is built on top of the Water Gate of Roman in AD 303 for resisting Emperor Diocletian’s
Babylon. Steep stairs lead to a 19th-century decree forbidding the practice of Christianity.
façade topped by twin bell towers. In a small There has been a church dedicated to him in
inner courtyard, vendors sell taped liturgies Coptic Cairo since the 10th century; this one
and videos of the Coptic pope, Shenouda III. dates from 1909. The interior has been gutted
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 125

by fires, but the stained-glass windows and own should be careful – we’ve heard reports of

CAIRO
blue-green tile ceiling remain bright and col- flashers lurking among the gravestones.
ourful. The neighbouring monastery is closed
to visitors. The Coptic moulid (saints’ festival) Ben Ezra Synagogue
of Mar Girgis is held here on 23 April. To the right of the cemetery entrance, the
9th-century Ben Ezra Synagogue (Map p124; admission
Convent of St George free, donations welcome) occupies the shell of a 4th-
Down a sunken staircase by the footbridge, century Christian church. In the 12th century
along the alleyway, the first doorway on your the synagogue was restored by Abraham Ben
left leads into the courtyard of the Convent of Ezra, rabbi of Jerusalem – hence its name.
St George (Map p124). The convent is closed Tradition marks this as the spot where the
to visitors, but you can step down into the prophet Jeremiah gathered the Jews in the
main hall and the chapel. Inside the latter is 6th century after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed
a beautiful wooden door, almost 8m high, the Jerusalem temple. The adjacent spring is
behind which a small room is still occasionally supposed to mark the place where the phar-
used for the chain-wrapping ritual that sym- aoh’s daughter found Moses in the reeds, and
bolises the persecution of St George during where Mary drew water to wash Jesus. In 1890,
the Roman occupation. Occasionally, visitors a cache of more than 250,000 papers, known
wishing to be blessed are wrapped in chains as the Geniza documents, was uncovered in
by the resident nuns, who intone the requisite the synagogue; from them, researchers have
prayers. Usually, though, the nuns will merely been able to piece together details of the life
offer to show you a chain that they claim was of the North African Jewish community from
used to bind early martyrs. the 11th to 13th centuries.

Churches of St Sergius & St Barbara MOSQUE OF AMR IBN AL-AS

To get to the Church of St Sergius (Abu Serga; Map Sharia Mar Girgis leads north past Souq al-
p124; h8am-4pm), walk down the lane that Fustat (p177), a covered market with quality
the Convent of St George is on, following it crafts shops and a pricey café, to the Mosque
around to the right. Duck under the low arch of Amr ibn al-As (Map p124; Sharia Sidi Hassan al-Anwar,
and walk a few steps more to the entrance, Old Cairo), the first mosque built in Egypt, con-
below street level. This is the oldest church structed in AD 642 by the general who con-
inside the walls, with 3rd- and 4th-century quered Egypt for Islam. On the site where Ibn
pillars. It is said to be built over a cave where al-As pitched his tent, the original structure
Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus sheltered was only palm trunks thatched with leaves. It
after fleeing to Egypt to escape persecution expanded to its current size in AD 827, and
from King Herod of Judea, who had embarked has been continuously reworked since then –
upon a ‘massacre of the first born’. The cave most recently, a wood roof was installed to
in question (now a crypt) is reached by de- mimic the original style more closely. The
scending steps to the left of the altar. Every oldest section is to the right of the sanctuary;
year, on 1 June, a special mass is held here to the rest of the mosque is a forest of some 200
commemorate the event. different columns, the majority taken from
Further along the alley, a passage leads ancient sites. There’s little else to see, but the
to the left, where another church dedicated vast space is a pleasant place to rest.
to St George is being restored; the passage
ends at a shiny new church – a surprise in Islamic Cairo
the middle of all the ancient stones (as are its If you can, walk from Downtown Cairo east
superlative restrooms). Returning to the main to this district, the core of the medieval city.
walkway, the Church of St Barbara (Sitt Barbara; In just 1.5km, centuries fall away – as you
Map p124) is at the corner; she was beaten to near Midan Hussein, traditional galabiyyas
death by her father for trying to convert him (men’s full-length robes) begin to outnum-
to Christianity. Her relics supposedly rest in ber modern suits, buildings and crowds press
a small chapel left of the nave. closer on all sides, and the din comes less from
Beyond the church an iron gate leads to car traffic and more from the cries of street
the large, peaceful (if a bit litter-strewn) Greek vendors and the creak of cart wheels. Here
Orthodox cemetery (Map p124). Women on their the aromas of mint and cumin mix with the
 126 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

ISLAMIC CAIRO HIGHLIGHTS

CAIRO

„ Soak up the atmosphere in Al-Azhar Mosque (opposite), the centre of Sunni Islamic education
for more than a millennium.
„ Take in the view from the south end of Bein al-Qasreen (p132) – with a few camels, you could
be in a 19th-century etching.
„ Compare the Mosque of Ibn Tulun (p138) to its image on your E£5 bill, and pop into the
adjacent Gayer-Anderson Museum (p138), a private home furnished with quirky art and col-
lectibles.
„ Sip tea at the Platonic ideal of the ahwa (coffeehouse), Fishawi’s Coffeehouse (p169) – a great
place to rest before or after trawling Khan al-Khalili for deals.
„ Climb the minarets at Bab Zuweila (p134) to survey the view over the whole medieval district.

stink of livestock, petrol and sewage – the real morning or Sunday, when most shops are shut
smell of the city. The effect can be disorientat- (see p155 for a suggested walk) and you can
ing and the casual visitor can lose not just a pause to admire a delicately carved minaret
sense of direction but also a sense of time. Of without being run down by an overburdened
all Cairo’s districts, this is undoubtedly the donkey cart.
most fascinating.
Although the atmosphere is different from VISITING ISLAMIC CAIRO
Downtown, and certainly there is a profusion With more than 800 listed monuments and
of minarets on the skyline, the term ‘Islamic few signposts or other concessions to the visi-
Cairo’ is a bit of misnomer, as this area is tor, Islamic Cairo can be a daunting place.
not significantly more religious than other We’ve divided it into six segments with maps,
parts of the city. But it is Islamic in the sense each taking about half a day to cover – plus
that for many centuries, it was one of the Al-Azhar Park, which borders the district and
power centres of the Islamic empire, a nexus makes a good place to rest after touring. The
of commerce and political intrigue. And the magnificent Museum of Islamic Art (p134)
monuments that remain are some of the most deserves another half-day, but it is not due
resplendent examples of architecture inspired to reopen for a long time. Al-Azhar Park bor-
by the glory of Islam. ders the district and is a good place to rest
The Ministry of Culture is in the middle after touring.
of an ambitious, costly and slow restoration Al-Azhar & Khan al-Khalili (opposite) The geographi-
programme. Some conservation architects are cal and symbolic centre of medieval Cairo.
concerned that monuments are being super- North of Khan al-Khalili (p130) A monument-studded
ficially rebuilt, with lashings of cement and walk to the old city gates and back.
no vision as to how the spaces will be used Al-Azhar to the Citadel (p133) Through the Darb al-
and maintained. Likewise, the new empha- Ahmar district to Mohammed Ali’s seat of power.
sis on tourist-friendliness and tidiness could The Citadel (p135) Home to Egypt’s rulers for 700 years.
transform the district from an architecturally The Citadel to Ibn Tulun (p137) Two magnificent
significant and intact precinct with a vibrant mosques and a couple smaller gems.
human presence to a sanitised heritage theme Northern Cemetery (p138) Cairo’s famous City of the
park. Certainly the complaints have merit, Dead.
but it’s also true that some parts of Islamic Al-Azhar Park (p140) Great views from this green space.
Cairo are receiving much-needed help in the
process. Vast Al-Azhar Park (p140), once an Appropriate dress in this traditional part of
enormous rubbish heap, is hard to argue with Cairo is not just polite but necessary if you
as an improvement. want to enter mosques, where legs and shoul-
The best way to explore is to spend a cou- ders must be covered. Shoes must be removed
ple of days wandering through the narrow before entering prayer halls, so bring footwear
streets and twisting alleyways – ideally once that can be easily slipped off but that is robust
on a weekday to feel the throng of commerce enough to survive potholes and odd puddles.
at its height, and again on a quieter Friday Caretakers at mosques and museums expect
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 127

tips, so bring plenty of small change – E£5 the highest theological authority for Egyptian

CAIRO
should be sufficient at each place, but throw Muslims. A madrassa was established in AD
in a little extra if someone takes you up a 988, growing into a university that is the
minaret. Some enterprising people have taken world’s second-oldest educational institution
to claiming entry fees at mosques, but except (after the University of al-Kairaouine in Fez,
for Sultan Hassan and Ar-Rifai, this is not Morocco). At one time the university was one
sanctioned – see p115 for how to handle this of the world’s pre-eminent centres of learning,
and other scams. drawing scholars from Europe and across the
Caretakers are usually around from 9am Arab world, and it is still the most prestigious
until early evening, but may follow their own place to study Sunni theology.
whims. Mosques are usually closed to visitors The mosque is a harmonious blend of
during prayer times. architectural styles, the result of numerous
To prepare, check out www.cim.gov.eg or, enlargements over a thousand years. The cen-
more thoroughly, the 5th edition of Islamic tral courtyard is the earliest part, while, from
Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide, by south to north, the three minarets date from
Caroline Williams (E£75), or Historic Cairo: the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries; the latter,
A Walk Through the Islamic City, by British with its double finial, was added by Sultan
architect Jim Antoniou (E£75). Those serious al-Ghouri, whose mosque and mausoleum
about their architecture may like to splurge stand nearby. The tomb chamber, located
E£300 on Nicholas Warner’s The Monuments through a doorway on the left just inside the
of Historic Cairo: A Map and Descriptive entrance, has a beautiful mihrab (a niche in-
Catalogue, which covers 500 buildings, com- dicating the direction of Mecca) and should
plete with historical data and renovation not be missed.
details. All are published by AUC Press.
Midan Hussein
GETTING TO ISLAMIC CAIRO The square between the two highly vener-
Islamic Cairo covers a large area. The centre of ated mosques of Al-Azhar and Sayyidna
the action, and the easiest place to reach, is Al- al-Hussein was one of the focal points of
Azhar and Khan al-Khalili. The best approach Mamluk Cairo and remains an important
is on foot from Downtown, so you can see space at feast times, particularly on Ramadan
the transition from the modern city; head for evenings and during the moulids (see the
Midan Ataba then bear east under the elevated boxed text p509) of Hussein and the Prophet
motorway along Sharia al-Azhar, or throw Mohammed, when people throng the brightly
yourself into the crowds on Sharia al-Muski. lit midan, where music and Sufi chanting
Or hail a taxi and ask for ‘Al-Hussein’ – the blares until the early morning. The square is
name of the midan (square) and the mosque a popular meeting place at other times too,
at the mouth of the bazaar (pay E£6 from and the ahwas with outdoor seating at the
Downtown). Most places in the following entrance to the khan are often packed with
pages can be reached from there, although for equal parts locals and tourists.
the Citadel and Mosque of Ibn Tulun it may One of the most sacred Islamic sites in
be easier to take a taxi (E£10 from Downtown) Egypt, the Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein (Map
to the Citadel entrance. p129) is the reputed burial place of the head of
Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet whose
AL-AZHAR & KHAN AL-KHALILI death in Karbala, Iraq, cemented the rift be-
The best place to become acquainted with tween the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam.
Islamic Cairo is the area around Al-Azhar Never mind that the Umayyad Mosque in
Mosque and the great bazaar, Khan al-Khalili Damascus claims the same Shiite relic, and that
(Map p129), which panders shamelessly to both mosques were established by Sunnis –
Western preconceptions of the Orient. the site is still so holy that non-Muslims are
not allowed inside. Most of the building dates
Al-Azhar Mosque from about 1870, except for the beautiful 14th-
Founded in AD 970 as the centrepiece of the century stucco panels on the minaret. The
newly created Fatimid city, Al-Azhar Mosque modern-looking metal sculptures in front are
(Gami’ al-Azhar; Map p129; Sharia al-Azhar; h24hr) is one elegant Teflon canopies that expand to cover
of Cairo’s earliest mosques and its sheikh is worshipers during Friday prayer times.
CAIRO 128 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

NEIL HEWISON
Associate director for editorial programs, The American University in Cairo Press, one of the most
respected publishers in the field of Egyptian history, archaeology, arts and literature in translation.

How long have you lived in Cairo?

I first came to Cairo in 1979 on my way to Al-Fayoum, where I taught English for three years.
Then I came to live here in 1982.

Has the city changed a lot since then?

Cairo is an everchanging, never-changing city. On the surface, it changes all the time: the bridges,
the metro, the satellite dishes, the plotter-printed ads and shop signs. But its underlying rhythm –
or its multiplicity of rhythms – is the same: the overall chaos that can’t possibly work but does,
the intense disregard of regulations and immense good humour of the inhabitants, the 24-hour
street life…

You know Islamic Cairo very well. What’s your favourite building there?
May I have two? The Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda (p132) is perfectly sited and per-
fectly proportioned on a fork in the street. And the Mausoleum of Qaitbey (p139), which has a
carved stone dome so exquisite I can look at it and forget to breathe.

Where’s your favourite place to walk or relax in the city?

Walk: from Bab Zuweila to the Citadel via Darb al-Ahmar (p135). And relax? In Cairo?

Any restaurant recommendations for that part of the city? Or an ahwa?

Farahat (126A Sharia al-Azhar, Islamic Cairo; hnoon-5am), in an alley off Al-Azhar St, serves great
stuffed or grilled pigeon. The ahwa (coffeehouse) I like best is in Downtown, the one on Bustan
between Nubar and Mohammed Farid with the beautiful calligraphy inside. It’s clean and quiet,
the clientele are old and old-fashioned, and it serves the best subya (cold, sweet, fermented-rice
drink) in town.

What do you like best about Cairo?

It’s the safest city I know. How many Western cities can you walk in alone at any time of day or
night, in any part of the city, and feel completely safe?

Do you have a favourite word in Egyptian colloquial Arabic?

I like words that travel. For example: tuuba (brick) came into Arabic from Coptic and then was
passed on to Spanish as adobe (from at-tuuba, the brick), which has been adopted directly in
English for a style of building in…mud brick. One that’s come full circle is the Arabic word the
travel companies use to describe an off-road adventure trip in their programmes: safaari, from
the English safari (a hunting trip in the African savannah), from the Swahili safari (a journey),
from…the Arabic safar (journeying).

Khan al-Khalili Open from early morning to sundown

Jaundiced travellers often dismiss Khan al- (except Friday morning and Sunday), the
Khalili (Map p129) as a tourist trap, and there’s agglomeration of shops – many arranged
no ignoring the flotillas of tour buses parked around small courtyards, in the original
on the square, and all the touts and tat that medieval ‘minimall’ layout – stock every-
come with them. But it’s worth remembering thing from soap powder to semiprecious
that Cairenes have plied their trades here since stones, not to mention stuffed-toy camels
the khan was built in the 14th century, and and alabaster pyramids. The khan used to
parts of the market, such as the gold district, be divided into fairly rigid districts, but that
are still the first choice for thousands of locals has been lost since the tourist trade became
to do business. paramount; the only distinct areas are now
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 129

0 100 m
AL-AZHAR & KHAN AL-KHALILI

CAIRO
0 0.1 miles

INFORMATION SLEEPING
Post Office.........................1 B4 El Hussein Hotel...............12 C3
Madrassa & Toilet.................................2 C3
Mausoleum
of Qalaun Tourist Police.....................3 C2 EATING
Al-Halwagy..................... 13 C3
Madrassa & SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Egyptian Pancakes...........14 C3
Mausoleum
of as-Salih Ayyub Al-Azhar Mosque.............. 4 C4 Gad.................................15 B4
Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri...5 A4 Khan el-Khalili Restaurant &
Coppersmiths Midaq Alley.......................6 B3 Mahfouz Coffee Shop..16 C2
23 Market Mosque of Sayyidna
al-Hussein..................... 7 D2 DRINKING
Mosque-Madrassa of Fishawi's Coffeehouse.....17 C3
Wikalat
Al-Ghouri...................... 8 A4
Gold & Haramein
Silver Sharia al-Muski..................9 B3 SHOPPING
Market Khan Tailors.............................10 C3 Ahmed El Dabba & Sons.. 18 C2
al-Khalili
Wikala of Al-Ghouri.........11 B4 Atlas................................19 B2
S i kk Carpet Sellers.................. 20 A4

a
et 19

liyy
al- El Kahhal Carpets.............21 C2
Ba

ama
dis 16 Medieval Karama Perfumes............ 22 A3
t an Gates

Al-G
3 King Saleh Bazaar.............23 B1
18
Mahmoud 7 Abd El Ghaffar..24 B3
Mosque of
llah

To Midan Ataba; al-Mutahhar See North of Khan To Northern

in A

Downtown (800m) al-Khalili Map (p131) 21 Gates (300m)

li-D

Mosque of Stairs to
uizz

Gaw Upper Level 10

See Al-Azhar to The Citadel Map (p133)

al-Ashraf har
al-Q
Al-M

Barsbey 24 aid
(Al- 17
M
Midaq 9 uski)
Alley 6
Spice 2 12
Midan
Market 13 Hussein
14

To Midan Ataba;
Downtown (900m)
22

Footbridge
Al-Azhar Underpass

8 1 15 To Northern
Mosque Cemetery (700m);
5 of Abu Al-Azhar Park
Dahab entrance (1km)
20

4 Al Azhar
University
Fruit &
11 Vegetable To Beit
To Bab Market Zeinab
Zuweila (300m); al-Khatoun
Citadel (1km) (150m)

the gold-sellers, the coppersmiths and the Entertainment comes in the form of roaming
spice dealers (see Map p129). Apart from salesmen, -women and -children who hawk
the clumsy ‘Hey mister, look for free’ touts, wallets, carved canes, pistol-shaped cigarette
the merchants of Khan al-Khalili are some lighters and packet after packet after packet
of the greatest smooth-talkers you will ever of tissues.
meet. Almost anything can be bought here The other landmark, in the southwest
and if one merchant doesn’t have what you’re area of the khan, is Midaq Alley (Zuqaq
looking for, he’ll happily find somebody al-Midaq; Map p129). The title of one of
who does. Naguib Mahfouz’ best-known works, the
There are few specific things to see in tiny stepped alley may not be populated
the khan but Fishawi’s Coffeehouse (Map p129; with the same colourful characters as the
h24hr except during Ramadan), in an alley one novel, but the way of life here is little
block west of Midan Hussein, is an absolute changed from his 1940s depiction. Such
must. Hung with huge mirrors and packed is the alley’s fame that the street sign is
day and night, it claims to have been open kept in the coffeehouse at the foot of the
continuously for the last 200 years, except steps and is produced only on payment of
during Ramadan, when everyone is fasting. baksheesh.
 130 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

Sharia al-Muski Northern Walls & Gates

CAIRO

Congested and fabulous, the market street The square-towered Bab an-Nasr (Gate of
known as Sharia al-Muski (Map p129) begins Victory; Map p131) and the rounded Bab
in the khan (where it’s formally called Sharia al-Futuh (Gate of Conquests; Map p131)
Gawhar al-Qaid) and runs parallel to Sharia were built in 1087 as the two main northern
al-Azhar to Midan Ataba. It’s the ‘real life’ entrances to the walled Fatimid city of Al-
counterpoint to Khan al-Khalili’s touristy Qahira. Walk along the outside and you’ll
maze, lined with carts selling cheap shoes, see what an imposing bit of military archi-
plastic toys, bucket-sized bras and some truly tecture the whole thing is. When current
shocking lingerie. renovations are done (any year now), visitors
should be able to get access to the top of the
NORTH OF KHAN AL-KHALILI walls and inside the gates themselves, and
From Midan Hussein walk up the road that see inscriptions left by Napoleon’s troops as
leads along the western side of the Mosque well as carved animals and Pharaonic figures
of Sayyidna al-Hussein. Stick to it as it on the stones scavenged from the ruins of
doglegs left into the district known as the ancient Memphis.
Gamaliyya. This avenue, Sharia al-Gamaliyya
(Map p131), was an essential thoroughfare Mosque of Al-Hakim
in medieval Cairo; today it looks more like Al-Hakim became the sixth Fatimid ruler of
a back alley, with many of the Mamluk-era Egypt at the age of 11. His tutor nicknamed
buildings obscured by restorers’ webs of him ‘Little Lizard’ because of his frighten-
wooden scaffolding. ing looks and behaviour. Hakim later had the
The 1408 Mosque of Gamal ad-Din (Map p131) man murdered, along with scores of others in
is a monument that has received the somewhat his 24-year reign. Those nearest to him lived
overzealous restoration attention. It’s raised in constant fear for their lives: a victorious
above a row of shops, the rent from which was general rushing unannounced into the royal
intended for the mosque’s upkeep. Adjacent apartments was confronted by a bloodied
(go left down the lane) is the fully restored – Hakim standing over a disembowelled page
yet empty – Wikala al-Bazara (Map p131; Sharia boy. The general was beheaded.
al-Tombakshiyya; adult/student E£15/10; h8am-6pm sum- Hakim would often patrol the streets in
mer, 9am-5pm winter), one of about 20 remaining disguise, riding a donkey. Most notoriously,
wikalas (merchants’ inns) in the medieval city, he punished dishonest merchants by having
down from about 360 in the 17th century, them dealt with by a well-endowed black serv-
when this one was built. The Gamaliyya was ant. His death was as bizarre as his life. On
the medieval warehouse district, with many one of his solitary nocturnal jaunts up onto
of these wikalas, all built to the same plan: the Muqattam Hills, Hakim simply disap-
storerooms and stables surrounding a court- peared; his body was never found. To one
yard, with guestrooms for traders on the upper of his followers, a man called Al-Darizy, this
floors; heavy front gates protected the mer- was proof of Hakim’s divine nature. From this
chandise at night. seed Al-Darizy founded the sect of the Druze
Further north on Sharia al-Gamaliyya, on that continues to this day.
the opposite side of the street, the Mamluk Completed in 1013, the vast Mosque of
Khanqah & Mausoleum of Sultan Beybars al- Al-Hakim (Map p131) is one of Cairo’s older
Gashankir (Map p131) is distinguished by its mosques but it was rarely used for worship.
stubby minaret, topped with a small ribbed Instead it functioned as a Crusaders’ prison,
dome. Built in 1310, this is one of the city’s a stable, a warehouse, a boys’ school and,
first khanqahs (Sufi monasteries). Thanks most appropriately, considering its notori-
to a multipart ‘baffled’ entrance, it is serene ous founder, a madhouse. An Ismaili Shiite
inside. Beybars al-Gashankir is entombed in group restored the mosque in the 1980s, but
a room that shimmers with black-and-white with its open-plan square and spare decora-
marble panelling and light from stained- tion, it’s not particularly interesting. The real
glass windows. He ruled for only a year, masterpieces are the two stone minarets, the
then wound up strangled – his name was earliest surviving in the city (thanks in part
excised from the building façade by order to a postearthquake restoration in 1304 by
of his successor. Beybars al-Gashankir).
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 131

Sharia al-Muizz li-Din Allah

NORTH OF KHAN AL-KHALILI

CAIRO
Sharia al-Muizz (its shortened name; Map p131),
0 200 m
0 0.1 miles which takes its name from the Fatimid caliph
who conquered Cairo in AD 969, is the former
grand thoroughfare of medieval Cairo, once
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Al-Gamaliyya...............................1 B4
chockablock with storytellers, entertainers
Al-Muizz li-Din Allah................... 2 A4 and food stalls. These days the street is getting
Bab al-Futuh.................................3 B3
Bab an-Nasr.................................4 B4
totally redone, from new pavement on up to
Bein al-Qasreen...........................5 A6 the tips of the minarets of the monuments
Beit el-Suhaymi............................6 A4
Darb al-Asfar...............................7 A5
along its length. During morning vehicle-
Egyptian Textile Museum.............8 A5 free hours, visitors may comfortably gawk
Garlic-&-Onion Market................9 B3
Khanqah & Mausoleum of Sultan at the sites without fear of being flattened
Beybars al-Gashankir..............10 B5 by traffic. The drawback, though, is that this
Madrassa & Khanqah of Barquq..11 A5
Madrassa & Mausoleum of is now more squarely a tourist destination
An-Nasir Mohammed.............12 A6 and touts have found their way up from the
Madrassa & Mausoleum of
Qalaun...................................13 A6 khan. First-timers will likely be impressed at
Al-
Mosque of Al-Aqmar................. 14
Mosque of Al-Hakim..................15
A5
B3
the streetscape; return visitors may be taken
To Midan
Ramses
Be
nh
aw Mosque of Gamal ad-Din...........16 B5 aback at the extent of the changes.
(1.5km) i Mosque of Suleiman Silahdar..... 17
Qasr Beshtak............................. 18
A4
A5
Heading south from the gates, a garlic-and-
Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman onion market (Map p131) gives way to a vari-
Katkhuda...............................19 A5
Wikala al-Bazara........................ 20 A5
ety of small places selling sheeshas, braziers
and pear-shaped cooking pots for fuul (fava
3 beans). Soon the stock expands to crescent-
moon minaret tops, coffee ewers and other
Al
See Al-Azhar to The Citadel Map (p133)
-G
ala copper products, hence its more popular
l
9 name, Sharia an-Nahaseen (Street of the
15 Coppersmiths). On the right, about 200m
south, is the Mosque of Suleiman Silahdar (Map
4 p131), built comparatively late, in 1839, dur-
llah
in A

ing the reign of Mohammed Ali. It’s distin-

li-D

guished by its thin, Turkish-inspired minaret

izz

and the graceful, curvaceous lines along its

liyya
Mu
A l-

ama

façade, with a rounded sabil-kuttab (water

2
Al-G

fountain and school) on the corner.

17 1

Darb al-Asfar & Beit el-Suhaymi

6
Just south of Suleiman’s sabil, the narrow
Darb a
Al-T
7
l-Asf
ar lane Darb al-Asfar (Map p131) runs east. Its
om
b 10
new paving stones and elaborate mashrabiyya
ak

14 (ornate carved wooden) are a sample of the

sh
iyy

renovation goals for the whole area. Walking

a

down here conjures the Middle Ages –

20
19 16 if the Middle Ages were clean. The first few
18 Musafirkhana
Palace buildings you pass are part of Beit el-Suhaymi
11
8
(Map p131; Darb al-Asfar; admission E£25; h9am-5pm), a
See Al-Azhar & Khan al-Khalili Map (p129)
family mansion and caravanserai (merchants’
Al-
5 inn) built in the 17th and 18th centuries.
a l-Qasreen

12 Gamaliyya
13 From the street, it’s nothing; after jogging
Madrassa &
Mausoleum of
through a narrow hall, you arrive at a peaceful
Bein

as-Salih Ayyub courtyard surrounded by a warren of recep-

Wikalat tion halls, storerooms and baths. It has been
Haramein thoroughly restored, though barely furnished
yya

Sik Khan (fire extinguishers, a precaution required by

mali

ke al-Khalili
t Mosque of
al- the extensive new woodwork, are the most
a
Al-G

B adi Sayidna
sta al-Hussein
n
prominent item on display). As a result it
 132 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

feels a bit ghostly – especially considering First comes the Madrassa & Mausoleum of
CAIRO

some 30 families were evicted to make way Barquq (Map p131). Barquq seized power in
for the renovation. 1382, when Egypt was reeling from plague and
The changes on Darb al-Asfar have been famine; his Sufi school was completed four
heavily debated. One definite benefit has years later. Enter through the bold black-and-
been that the street has been reclaimed for white marble portal into a vaulted passageway.
residents. As on Sharia al-Muizz, many of the To the right, the inner court has a colourful
ground-floor spaces used to be small work- ceiling supported by four porphyry Pharaonic
shops and factories – noisy and sometimes columns. Barquq’s daughter is buried in the
unsafe for kids. Now those who still live here, splendid domed tomb chamber; the sultan
at least, can enjoy the privacy of the lane as it himself preferred to rest in the Northern
was originally built. Cemetery (see p140), surrounded by Sufi
Back on Sharia al-Muizz, just 50m south sheikhs. Directly across the street from the
of the junction with Darb al-Asfar, is the pe- madrassa, the Egyptian Textile Museum (Map
tite Mosque of Al-Aqmar (Map p131). Built in p131) is slated to open in 2008.
1125 by one of the last Fatimid caliphs, it is Barquq’s neighbour to the south is the
the oldest stone-façaded mosque in Egypt. Madrassa & Mausoleum of An-Nasir Mohammed
Several features appear here that became part (Map p131), built in 1304 by a Mamluk sultan
of the mosque builders’ essential vocabulary, both despotic and exceedingly accomplished.
including muqarnas (stalactite) vaulting and The Gothic doorway was plundered from a
the ribbing in the hooded arch. church in Acre (now Akko, Israel) when An-
Nasir and his army ended Crusader domi-
Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda nation there in 1290 – note how the word
Further south along the street, where the road ‘Allah’ has been inscribed at the point of the
splits, the Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda arch. The lacy pattern on the carved stucco
(Map p131) is one of the iconic structures of minaret, a North African style, reveals more
Islamic Cairo, depicted in scores of paintings foreign influence. Buried in the mausoleum
and lithographs. Building this fountain-school (on the right as you enter but usually locked)
combo was an atonement for sins, as it pro- is An-Nasir’s mother and favourite son; An-
vided two things commended by the Prophet: Nasir Mohammed is interred next door in the
water for the thirsty and enlightenment for mausoleum of his father, Qalaun.
the ignorant. This one was built in 1744 by Built in just 13 months, the 1279 Madrassa
an emir notorious for his debauchery. There’s & Mausoleum of Qalaun (Map p131) is both the
nice ceramic work inside, so it’s worth trying earliest and the most splendid of the three
to find the caretaker with the key. He often buildings. It was still closed for restoration at
sits in Qasr Beshtak (Palace of Amir Beshtak; the time of writing – an early 2008 opening
Map p131), down the little alley to the east, looked likely, however. The mausoleum, on
then through the archway at the bottom. the right, is a particularly intricate assemblage
The palace is a rare example of 14th-century of inlaid stone and stucco, patterned with
domestic architecture, originally five floors stars and floral motifs and lit by stained-glass
high, now largely ruined but with splendid windows. The complex also includes a maris-
rooftop views. tan (hospital), which Qalaun ordered built
after he visited one in Damascus, where he
Bein al-Qasreen was cured of colic. The Arab traveller and
The part of Sharia al-Muizz immediately historian Ibn Battuta, who visited Cairo in
south of the sabil-kuttab is known as Bein al- 1325, was impressed that Qalaun’s hospital
Qasreen (Between the Two Palaces; Map p131), contained ‘an innumerable quantity of appli-
a reminder of the great palace complexes that ances and medicaments’. He also described
flanked the street during the Fatimid era. The how the mausoleum was flanked by Quran
palaces fell into ruin and were replaced by the reciters day and night chanting requiems for
works of subsequent rulers. Today three great the dead within.
abutting Mamluk complexes line the west of
the street, providing one of Cairo’s most im- Bein al-Qasreen to the City Centre
pressive assemblies of minarets, domes and Soon a last cluster of copper workshops
striped stone façades. gives way to gold jewellers, signifying re-
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 133

AL-AZHAR TO THE CITADEL SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

CAIRO
0 200 m Bab Zuweila............................................................ 1 A4
0 0.1 miles Beit al-Harrawi........................................................2 B3
Beit Zeinab al-Khatoun............................................3 B3

See North of Khan Al-Khalili Map (p131)

ah
Blue Mosque...........................................................4 B5

All
Mosque of Al-Maridani.......................................... 5 A4

in
li-D
Mosque of Al-Mu'ayyad........................................ 6 A3
Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi.................................... 7 A4

izz
u
Sabil of Muhammed Ali Pasha................................ 8 A3

Al-M
Sharia Ahmad Mahir Pasha.................................... 9 A4
Studio Shosha...................................................... 10 A4

a
Tarboosh (Fez) Maker.......................................... 11 A3

maliyy
Darb a
l-Asfa
Al-T r Tentmakers Market.............................................. 12 A4
o

A l - Ga
mb sh
ak iyy SHOPPING
a
Adb El Zaher.........................................................13 B3
Al-Khatoun...........................................................14 B3
Said Delta Papyrus Center.................................... 15 A3

To Midan Ataba;
AL-AZHAR TO THE CITADEL
Downtown Al -M Khan South of Sharia al-Azhar, Sharia al-Muizz
(700m) uski al-Khalili
li-Din Allah continues as a market street
400m down to the twin-minareted gate of
Bab Zuweila (p134). From there two routes lead
r
to the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan:
Al-Azha
Al-Ghouriyya
11
east along Sharia Ahmed Mahir Pasha, or
See Al-Azhar &
Khan Al-Khalili Map (p129)
south through Sharia al-Khayamiyya. Either
llah

way, it’s a long (at least 40 minutes), dusty,

in A

13 3
House of
interesting walk to the main entrance of
li-D

Gamal 14
izz

ad-Din 2
the Citadel.
Mu

To Museum
of Islamic Al - Mosque of
Art (500m) 8 al-Fakahani
6 15

1 Sabil-Kuttab
Ottoman Houses
of Nafisa
Ah al-Beida
Leaving Al-Azhar Mosque, turn left and then
ma
12
dM 9
a
left again into an alley between the southern
Mosque hi
of as-Salih wall of the mosque and a row of shops housed
rP
as

Tala'i
in the vaults of a 15th-century merchants’
ha

7 building. At the top of this road lies Beit Zeinab

al-Khatoun (House of Zeinab Khatoun; Map p133; %2735
10 7001; Sharia Mohammed Abduh; admission E£10; h9am-
5 6pm), a small but interesting Ottoman-era
yy a

Al-Azhar
At-Tabana

house with a rooftop affording superb views

mi

Park
a
ay

of the surrounding minaret-studded skyline.

Kh

Darb
Al-

al-Ahmar Across a peaceful little plaza, Beit al-Harrawi

in

(Map p133; %2510 4174; admission E£10; h9am-6pm)

h ad-D

Madrassa of is another fine 18th-century mansion, but too

la

Umm Sultan
of Sa

Sha'aban sparse inside to warrant the admission charge.

It is sometimes used as a concert venue and
Walls

4
houses the Arabic Oud House; you may hear
rehearsals. Between the two houses is Al-
To Citadel
Entrance (1.7km) Khatoun (p176), one of the city’s better shops
for stylish handicrafts and homewares.
entry into the precincts of Khan al-Khalili.
At the junction with Sharia al-Muski, beside Al-Ghouri Complex
two mosques, a left turn leads back to Midan On the south side of Sharia al-Azhar, opposite
Hussein, while heading right will eventually the khan, the grand Mosque-Madrassa of Al-Ghouri
take you to Midan Ataba (1.2km); straight (Map p129), with its red-chequered minaret,
ahead is Sharia al-Azhar, the easiest place to and the elegant Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri (Map
find a taxi. p129) together form an exquisite monument
 134 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

to the end of the Mamluk era. Qansuh al- dripping with stalactite vaulting. The interior
CAIRO

Ghouri, the penultimate Mamluk sultan, is equally lavish.

ruled for 16 years. At the age of 78, he rode
to Syria at the head of his army to battle the Bab Zuweila
Ottoman Turks. The head of the defeated Al- Built at the same time as the northern gates
Ghouri was sent to Constantinople; his body (10th century), beautiful Bab Zuweila (Map p133;
was never recovered. His mausoleum (dating adult/student E£10/5; h8.30am-5pm) is the only re-
from 1505) contains the body of Tumanbey, maining southern gate of medieval Al-Qahira.
his short-lived successor, hanged by the Turks Visitors may climb the ramparts, where some
at Bab Zuweila. The mausoleum, which has intriguing exhibits about the gate’s history are
been under restoration for a number of years, in place. The two minarets atop the gate, also
may reopen as a cultural centre. Across the open to visitors, offer one of the best available
street at the mosque, don’t be put off by the views of the area. In Mamluk times, the space
scaffolding: the interior, small but with soar- in front of the gate was the site of executions,
ing ceilings, is beautifully decorated; it’s also a popular form of street theatre, with some
possible to climb the minaret (for baksheesh; victims being sawn in half or crucified. The
ignore claims of ‘tickets’). Also part of the spirit of a healing saint was (and still is) said
complex, the Wikala of Al-Ghouri (Map p129; %2511 to reside behind one towering wooden door,
0472; admission E£10; h9am-8pm Sat-Thu), 100m east, which supplicants have studded with nails and
is another of the doomed sultan’s legacies. teeth as offerings over the centuries.
Similar to the Wikala al-Bazara (see p130) From here, you can detour to the Museum
but more sympathetically restored, the upper of Islamic Art or continue to the Citadel by
rooms are artists’ ateliers while the former two possible routes.
stables are craft shops. The courtyard serves
as a theatre for Sufi dance performances Museum of Islamic Art
(see p174). West of Bab Zuweila 500m, the Museum of
Islamic Art (Map pp110-11;%2390 1520; Sharia Bur
Carpet & Clothes Market Said) holds one of the world’s finest collec-
The street between the mosque and the mau- tions of Islamic applied art: a trove of manu-
soleum, as well as the alleys just west and scripts, woodwork, textiles and astronomy
south of the mosque-madrassa, were histori- instruments. Unfortunately it has been shut
cally the city’s silk market, and the small pas- for restoration for several years, with no
sageways are still filled with carpet sellers (Map end in sight. Should it reopen, consider it
p133). Heading south into the district called nearly as essential viewing as the Egyptian
Al-Ghouriyya, Sharia al-Muizz becomes a Museum. Coming from Midan Ataba, the
busy market for household goods and cheap museum is 700m southeast, straight down
clothing. On the right, less than 50m south of Sharia al-Qala’a. Midan Tahrir is 1.5km west
the mosque, Cairo’s last tarboosh maker (Map along Sharia Sami al-Barudi (passing by the
p133) shapes the red felt hats on heavy brass Mohammed Naguib metro station). Pay E£4
presses. Once worn by every effendi (gentle- for taxi to or from Downtown.
man), the tarboosh is now mainly bought
by hotels and tourist restaurants. They sell Sharia al-Khayamiyya
for between E£15 and E£60. Further down The ‘Street of the Tentmakers’, Sharia al-
on the left is the delicate Ottoman-style Sabil Khayamiyya, takes its name from the arti-
of Muhammed Ali Pasha (Map p133). The 1820 sans who produce the bright fabrics used
fountain was the first in Cairo to have gilded for the ceremonial tents at funerals, wakes,
window grilles and calligraphic panels in weddings and feasts. They also make appli-
Ottoman Turkish. Although it has been me- qué wall hangings and bedspreads, and print
ticulously restored, it was closed to the public original patterns for tablecloths. The high-
at last pass; check if it’s open, as there is also est concentration of artisans is directly after
access to a cistern below. Across the street, the Bab Zuweila, in the covered tentmakers market
red-and-white-striped Mosque of Al-Mu’ayyad (Map p133). About 800m south, Sharia al-
(Map p133), built on the site where its patron Khayamiyya intersects Sharia Mohammed
Mamluk sultan had earlier been imprisoned, Ali; a left turn here will take you directly to
displays a particularly grand entrance portal, the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan and
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 135

to the Citadel, but the detour along Darb al- Pharaonic monument; the arches contain

CAIRO
Ahmar passes more monuments. Roman, Christian and Islamic designs; and
the Ottomans added a fountain and wooden
Darb al-Ahmar housing. Trees in the courtyard, attractive
This district grew up during the 14th and mashrabiyya and a lack of visitors make this
15th centuries and is named for its main a peaceful place to stop.
thoroughfare, Darb al-Ahmar (Sharia Ahmad The Blue Mosque (Mosque of Aqsunqur; Map
Mahir Pasha; Map p133), or ‘Red Road’. In p133), built in 1347, gets its popular name
the district’s heyday Cairo had a population from the combination of blue-grey marble on
of about 250,000, most of whom lived outside the exterior and the flowery Ottoman tiling,
the city walls in this tightly packed residential not applied until 1652, inside. The minaret
district of twisting streets and dark cul-de- affords an excellent view of the Citadel, while
sacs. As the area inside the walls of Al-Qahira over to the east, just behind the mosque, you
was built-up, patrons of new mosques, pal- can see the remains of Saladin’s city walls,
aces and religious institutions were forced to being excavated as part of the Al-Azhar
build outside the gates. Most of the structures Park project.
around here date from the late Mamluk era.
One of the best examples from this period is THE CITADEL
the 1481 Mosque of Qijmas al-Ishaqi (Map p133). Sprawling over a limestone spur on the east-
Don’t be deceived by the plain exterior: inside ern edge of the city, the Citadel (Al-Qala’a; Map p135;
are beautiful stained-glass windows, inlaid %2512 1735; Sharia Salah Salem; adult/student E£40/20;
marble floors and stucco walls. h8am-5pm Oct-May, 8am-6pm Jun-Sep, mosques closed dur-
About 150m further on the right, the 1339 ing Fri prayers) was home to Egypt’s rulers for 700
Mosque of Al-Maridani (Map p133) incorporates years. Their legacy is a collection of three very
architectural elements from several periods: different mosques, several palaces (housing
eight granite columns were taken from a some underwhelming museums; admission

0 200 m
THE CITADEL 0 0.1 miles

Mosque To Bab
of Amir Zuweila
Mosque-Madrassa Akhur (1.2km)
of Sultan Hassan
Mosque of
Midan Mahmoud
Salah Pasha
Burg
ad-Din al-Haddad

10 7 12

Bab al- Burg

8 ar-Ramla
Gadid
9 (closed)
Northern
Sayyida Ais

Enclosure
Military 11
Police Prison Statue of
Museum Ibrahim
ha

Terrace
Lower 1 3
Enclosure
2
Burg Seized To Al-Azhar
5 at-Turfa Antiquities Park Entrance
Museum (1.2km)
Bab
al-Gabal lem
6 (Entrance) Sa
la h
Gawhara Sa
Terrace
4 Tourist
Police
Mint
Southern
Enclosure SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES National Military Museum....8 C1
Bab al-Qulla.........................1 B2 Police Museum.....................9 B1
Carriage Museum................2 C2 Site of the Massacre of the
Garden Museum................. 3 D2 Mamluks........................10 B1
Gawhara Palace & Museum..4 B3
Mosque of An-Nasir EATING
Mohammed.....................5 B2 Café..................................11 C2
Mosque of Mohammed Ali..6 B2
Mosque of Suleiman ENTERTAINMENT
Pasha...............................7 D1 Open-Air Amphitheatre.....12 D1
 136 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

fee included) and a couple of terraces with de la Concorde in Paris. It was damaged on
CAIRO

views over the city. Though this is one of the delivery and has yet to be repaired.
most popular tourist attractions in Cairo, Dwarfed by Mohammed Ali’s mosque, the
it is relatively unimpressive and decidedly 1318 Mosque of An-Nasir Mohammed (Map p135)
overpriced, not to mention a slog to get to is the Citadel’s sole surviving Mamluk struc-
(see right). ture. The interior is a little sparse because
Saladin began building the Citadel in 1176 the Ottoman sultan Selim I had it stripped
to fortify the city against the Crusaders, who of its marble, but the old wood ceiling and
were then rampaging through Palestine. muqarnas shows up nicely, and the twisted
Following their overthrow of Saladin’s finials of the minarets are interesting for their
Ayyubid dynasty, the Mamluks enlarged covering of glazed tiles, something rarely seen
the complex, adding sumptuous palaces and in Egypt.
harems. Under the Ottomans (1517–1798) Facing the entrance of the Mosque of An-
the fortress expanded westwards and a new Nasir Mohammed, a mock-Gothic gateway
main gate, the Bab al-Azab, was added, while leads to a grand terrace, with superb views all
the Mamluk palaces deteriorated. Even so, the way to the Pyramids at Giza. Immediately
when Napoleon’s French expedition took below, in the Citadel’s Lower Enclosure
control in 1798, the emperor’s savants re- (closed to the public), the steep-sided road-
garded these buildings as some of the finest way leading to Bab al-Azab was the site of
Islamic monuments in Cairo. This didn’t the infamous massacre of the Mamluks (see
stop Mohammed Ali – who rose to power p37). The flyblown Police Museum (Map p135),
when the French left – from demolishing located at the northern end of the terrace,
them. The only Mamluk structure left stand- includes displays on famous political assas-
ing was a single mosque, used as a stable. sinations, complete in some cases with the
Mohammed Ali completely remodelled the murder weapon.
rest of the Citadel and crowned it with the South of Mohammed Ali’s mosque is an-
Turkish-style mosque that currently domi- other terrace with good views. Beyond, the
nates Cairo’s eastern skyline. dull Gawhara Palace & Museum (Map p135) is a
After Mohammed Ali’s grandson Ismail lame attempt to evoke 19th-century court life,
moved his residence to the Abdeen Palace and it’s often closed anyway.
(p117), the Citadel became a military garrison.
The British army was barracked here during Northern Enclosure
WWII, and Egyptian soldiers still have a small Entrance to the Northern Enclosure is via the
foothold, although most of the Citadel has 16th-century Bab al-Qulla. Past an overpriced
been given over to tourists. café lies Mohammed Ali’s one-time Harem
Palace, now the lavish National Military Museum
Mosque of Mohammed Ali (Map p135) and perhaps the best-tended exhi-
The fortress is dominated by the Mosque of bition in the country. Endless plush-carpeted
Mohammed Ali (Map p135). Modelled along halls are lined with dioramas depicting great
classic Turkish lines, with domes upon domes moments in warfare, from Pharaonic times to
upon domes, it took 18 years to build (1830– the 20th-century conflicts with Israel – kitschy
48), and its interior is all twinkling chande- fun to start, then eventually a bit depressing.
liers and luridly striped stone. Perhaps the East of the café a narrow road leads to an
most evocative description of it is in Olivia area with a few smaller museums, along the
Manning’s The Levant Trilogy: ‘Above them thrilling lines of the Carriage Museum (Map
Mohammed Ali’s alabaster mosque, uniquely p135). Devotees of Islamic architecture might
white in this sand-coloured city, sat with min- appreciate the 1528 Mosque of Suleiman Pasha
arets pricked, like a fat, white, watchful cat’. (Map p135), a far more tasteful example of
Other writers have called it unimaginative and the Ottoman-style domed mosque.
graceless and compared it to a toad. Beyond
criticism, the mosque’s patron lies in the mar- Getting To/From the Citadel
ble tomb on the right as you enter. Note the To walk from Midan Ataba to the Citadel’s
glitzy clock in the central courtyard, a gift entrance gate, it’s almost 4km through the
from King Louis-Philippe of France in thanks furniture and musical-instruments dis-
for the Pharaonic obelisk that adorns the Place tricts. From Midan Ataba go straight down
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 137

Sharia al-Qala’a and its continuation, Sharia four main schools of Sunni Islam. At the rear

CAIRO
Mohammed Ali, to Midan Salah ad-Din, then of the eastern iwan, an especially beautiful
walk to Sharia Salah Salem via Sharia Sayyida mihrab is flanked by stolen Crusader col-
Aisha. A taxi will cost E£12. Minibus 150 umns. To the right, a bronze door leads to
(E£1.10) runs from Midan Ataba. This and the sultan’s mausoleum.
other services drop you only at Midan Salah Opposite the grand mosque, the Mosque
ad-Din, still a 15-minute walk from the en- of Ar-Rifai (Map p137; E£20) is constructed on a
trance; taking a taxi (E£3) from here is easier similarly grand scale. Begun in 1869 and not
on the legs, but only marginally quicker due finished until 1912, it’s an Islamic Revival
to the complicated traffic flow on the highway. confection. Members of modern Egypt’s
A microbus to Sayyida Aisha gets you closest, royal family, including Khedive Ismail and
to the intersection with Salah Salem. King Farouk, are buried inside, as is the last
shah of Iran. Their tombs lie to the left of
THE CITADEL TO IBN TULUN the entrance.
The route takes in two of Islamic Cairo’s larg-
est mosques, plus a few tiny surprises. Museo Mevlevi & Amir Taz Palace
Walking west along busy Sharia as-Salbiyya
Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan eventually leads to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun.
Massive yet elegant, the great structure of the A short detour north on Sharia Suyufiyya
Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan (Map p137; Midan brings you to two little-visited but rewarding
Salah ad-Din; admission E£20; h8am-5pm Oct-May, 8am- buildings. The Amir Taz Palace (Map p137; %2514
6pm Jun-Sep) is regarded as the finest piece of 2581; 17 Sharia Suyufiyya; admission free; h8am-4pm) is
early-Mamluk architecture in Cairo. It was the restored home of one of Sultan al-Nasir
built between 1356 and 1363 by the troubled Muhammad’s closest advisers, who later con-
Sultan Hassan, a grandson of Sultan Qalaun; trolled the throne through Sultan Hassan.
he took the throne at the age of 13, was de- Now used as a cultural centre, the home is not
posed and reinstated no less than three times, as extensive as Beit el-Suhaymi, but admis-
then assassinated shortly before the mosque sion is free, and there are a couple of small
was completed. Tragedy also shadowed the exhibits, a beautiful wood ceiling in the loggia
construction when one of the minarets col- and even clean bathrooms. A little further
lapsed, killing some 300 onlookers. Beyond down the street, behind a green door with an
the striking, recessed entrance, a dark passage Italian Institute sign, the Museo Mevlevi (Map
leads into a square courtyard whose soaring p137; Sharia Suyufiyya; admission free; h8am-4pm) cen-
walls are punctured by four iwans (vaulted tres on a meticulously restored Ottoman-era
halls), one dedicated to teaching each of the theatre for whirling dervishes. Hidden behind

0 400 m
THE CITADEL TO IBN TULUN 0 0.2 miles

To Midan
Ataba (2km)
Moh

To Midan SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

Tahrir
id)

Amir Taz Palace..................................1 C1

amm

(1.4km)
Sa

ya

Al- Gayer-Anderson Museum..................2 C2

ur

ufiy
ai

Helmiya
ed A
(B

Mosque of Ar-Rifai.............................3 D1
al-Sib

Suy
ai

Mosque of Ibn Tulun..........................4 B2

li
tS

Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan...5 D1

or
Yusuf

Sabil-Kuttab P 6
of Sultan Museo Mevlevi...................................
d 6 C1
Mustafa arsu
d al-M Mo 3
To Metro Al-Ho ha 5
Station Midan SHOPPING mm
See The Citadel Map (p135)

(700m) Sayyida Khan Misr Touloun.............................7 C2 1 e dK

Zeinab ari
b m
Mosque of a ha Sabil of Midan
Sayyida Zeinab l-D Salah
ua Umm Mosque
Ab Abbas of Sheikhu ad-Din
Mosque of As-Salbiyya
Sayyida Ab l M Taghribardi Khanqah
Zeinab al-Lde
abbaneguid of Sheikhu

Mausoleum Sabil-Kuttab
of Salar & Mosque Midan of Qaitbey
en

Sangar of Sarghatmish ibn Tulun

bde

4
al-A

7 Fruit-&-
n Vegetable
Tulu
Zein

2 Ib n Market
To Midan Zein
al-Abdeen (700m)
 138 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

stone façades, the beautiful wood structure ing mashrabiyya gallery looks down onto a
CAIRO

feels like a little jewel box. Downstairs, see magnificent qa’a (reception hall) which has a
the remains of the madrassa that forms the marble fountain, decorated ceiling beams and
building’s foundation; the thorough notes are carpet-covered alcoves. The rooftop terrace
a rare model of thoughtful excavation. has been lovingly restored, with more com-
plex mashrabiyya. You may find the interior
Mosque of Ibn Tulun familiar – the museum was used as a location
Another 250m west on Sharia as-Salbiyya, the in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved
Mosque of Ibn Tulun (Map p137; h8am-6pm) is easily Me. Across the street, Khan Misr Touloun (see
identified by its high walls topped with neat p176) is a good handicrafts emporium.
crenellations that resemble a string of paper From here, it’s rewarding to keep walk-
dolls. Built between AD 876 and 879 by Ibn ing another 750m west to the popular
Tulun, who was sent to rule the outpost of quarter of Sayyida Zeinab, where there’s a
Al-Fustat in the 9th century by the Abbasid metro station.
caliph of Baghdad, it is the city’s oldest intact,
functioning Islamic monument. It’s also one NORTHERN CEMETERY
of its most beautiful, despite a rather ham- The Northern Cemetery (Al-Qarafa; Map
fisted restoration using cement on the mud- p139) is the more interesting half of a vast
brick-and-timber structure. Ibn Tulun drew necropolis known popularly as the City of
inspiration from his homeland, particularly the Dead. The titillating name refers to the
the ancient Mosque of Samarra (Iraq), on fact that the cemeteries are not only resting
which the spiral minaret is modelled. He also places for Cairo’s dead, but for the living too.
added some innovations of his own: accord- Visitors expecting morbid squalor may be
ing to architectural historians, this is the first disappointed; the area, complete with power
structure to use the pointed arch, a good 200 lines, a post office and multistorey buildings,
years before the European Gothic arch. The is more ‘town’ than ‘shanty’. Some estimates
mosque covers 2.5 hectares, large enough for put the number of living Cairenes here at
the whole community of Al-Fustat to assem- 50,000; others, at 10 times this number. As
ble for Friday prayers. Max Rodenbeck notes in Cairo: The City
The mosque’s geometric simplicity is Victorious, some of the tomb dwellers, espe-
best appreciated from the top of the mina- cially the paid guardians and their families,
ret, which also has magnificent views of the have lived here for generations. Others have
Citadel. Reach the tower from the outer, moved in more recently, trying to make their
moatlike courtyard, originally created to keep way back to the centre from bleak low-income
the secular city at a distance, but at one time suburbs on. On Fridays and public holidays
filled with shops and stalls. visitors flock here to picnic and pay their re-
spects to the dead – this is undoubtedly the
Gayer-Anderson Museum best time to come. At all times, remember
Through a gateway to the south of the main that you are in a more private, residential
entrance of the mosque, this quirky museum space, which is a very low-income one; dress
(Beit al-Kritliyya, the House of the Cretan Woman; Map p137; modestly and don’t flaunt costly jewellery
%2364 7822; Sharia ibn Tulun; adult/student E£30/15, video or gadgets.
E£20; h9am-5pm) gets its current name from The cemetery first appealed to Mamluk
John Gayer-Anderson, the British major and sultans and emirs because it afforded the sort
army doctor who restored the two adjoin- of building space that was unavailable inside
ing 16th-century houses between 1935 and the densely packed city. The vast mausoleums
1942, filling them with antiquities, artwork they built were more than just tombs; they
and Oriental knick-knacks acquired on his were also meant as places for entertaining –
travels in the region. On his death in 1945, a continuation of the Pharaonic tradition of
Gayer-Anderson bequeathed the lot to Egypt. people picnicking among the graves. Even the
The puzzle of rooms is decorated in a variety humblest family tombs included a room for
of styles: the Persian Room has exquisite til- overnight visitors. The dead hoped they would
ing, the Damascus Room has lacquer and gold, be remembered; the city’s homeless thanked
and the Queen Anne Room displays ornate them for free accommodation. This coexist-
furniture and a silver tea set. The enchant- ence of the living and the dead was happening
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 139

0 200 m
NORTHERN CEMETERY 0 0.1 miles

CAIRO
To Heliopolis; 3
Airport

lem

al
In
Sa
1967 War

ib n
Cemetery

lah

ed
Sa

m
Ah
7
1
4 Footbridge

Tomb of
ar-Rifai
ed
hm
nA
lta
Su

Footbridge

INFORMATION
To Al-Azhar; Footbridge Post Office.............................1 B2
Khan al-Khalili
(700m)
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Complex of Sultan Ashraf
Barsbey..............................2 B2
Khanqah of Sultan Inal...........3 C1
6 Khanqah-Mausoleum of Farag Ibn
8 Footbridge
Barquq...............................4 C2
Gate of Qaitbey Mosque of Amir Qurqumas...5 C1
To Al-Azhar Complex
Park Entrance Mosque of Qaitbey................6 B3
(600m); Khanqah of Tomb of Asfur........................7 B2
Citadel Khawand Tomb of Emir Tashtimur........8 A3
(2.2km) Tughay

as far back as the 14th century; in some tomb- iwans around a central court lit by large,
houses, cenotaphs serve as tables and washing lattice-screened windows. Panelled in cool
is strung between headstones. marble, it’s one of the most pleasant places
The easiest way to the Northern Cemetery in Cairo to sit for a while and relax. The ad-
is heading east from Midan al-Hussein along jacent tomb chamber contains the cenotaphs
Sharia al-Azhar. As you breast the top of the of Qaitbey and his two sisters. The true glory,
hill, bear right, walk below the overpass and however, is above, where the exterior of the
go straight along the road between the tombs. dome is carved with interlaced star and floral
Follow this road to the left, then right. You’ll designs; its intricacy and delicacy were never
pass by the crumbling, domed Tomb of Emir surpassed in Cairo or anywhere else in the
Tashtimur (Map p139) on your left. About Islamic world – climb the minaret for the
150m further on, a narrow lane goes left, pass- best view.
ing under a stone archway. This is the gate
to the former compound of Qaitbey, whose Other Monuments
splendid mosque is immediately ahead. From Qaitbey cross the square and continue
north. After about 350m the street widens and
Mosque of Qaitbey on the right a stone wall encloses a large area
Sultan Qaitbey, a prolific builder, was the last of rubble-strewn ground that was formerly
Mamluk leader with any real power in Egypt. the Complex of Sultan Ashraf Barsbey (Map p139).
He ruled for 28 years and, though he was as Though not as sophisticated as the one top-
ruthless as any Mamluk sultan, he was also ping the Mosque of Qaitbey, the dome here
something of an aesthete. His mosque (Map is carved with a beautiful star pattern. Inside
p139), completed in 1474 and featured on is some fine marble flooring and a beautiful
the E£1 note, is widely agreed to mark the minbar (pulpit) inlaid with ivory. The guard
pinnacle of Islamic building in Cairo. Behind will let you in for baksheesh (ask the ever-
the boldly striped façade, the interior has four present children if he’s not around).
 140 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

Two hundred metres further north is the playground. The atmosphere may change, but
CAIRO

Khanqah-Mausoleum of Farag Ibn Barquq (Map as long as the only entrance is on Sharia Salah
p139), built by a son of Sultan Barquq, whose Salem, which requires a taxi to reach (pay
great madrassa and mausoleum stand on Bein E£12 from Tahrir), it’s an expensive trek for
al-Qasreen (p132). Completed in 1411 the most people. The entrances on the downhill
khanqah is a fortresslike building with high, side, in the Darb al-Ahmar district, were shut
sheer façades and twin minarets and domes. at last visit, allegedly for renovation work on
In the courtyard, monastic cells lead off the ar- the Ayyubid gates and walls, but also handily
cades. Two tomb chambers – one for women, keeping the rabble out.
one for men – are each topped with domes;
their ceilings are painted in mesmerising red- Zamalek & Gezira
and-black geometric patterns. Uninhabited until the mid-19th century,
Gezira (Arabic for ‘island’) was a narrow strip
Northern Cemetery to Al-Hussein of alluvial land rising up out of the Nile. After
Two large adjacent complexes northwest – the he built modern-day Downtown, Khedive
1507 Mosque of Amir Qurqumas (Map p139) and Ismail dedicated his energy to a great palace
the 1456 Khanqah of Sultan Inal (Map p139) – on the island, with the rest of the land as a
are beautiful, thanks to restoration work, but royal garden. During the development boom
they are not always open. of the early 20th century, the palace grounds
Rather than just retracing your steps from were sold off, while the palace was made into a
Ibn Barquq, walk straight ahead from the en- hotel (now the core of the Cairo Marriott).
trance, passing the post office on your left, The northern third of the island is the styl-
until you come to the small, elongated Tomb of ish residential district of Zamalek; the rest,
Asfur (Map p139); turn left immediately after. still called Gezira, is largely occupied by sports
A straight walk 850m down Sharia Sultan clubs and parks.
Ahmed will bring you back to the road lead-
ing to the underpass – or you can continue ZAMALEK
another kilometre down Sharia Salah Salem A leafy neighbourhood of old embassy man-
to Al-Azhar Park’s main entrance. sions and 1920s apartment blocks, Zamalek
(Map pp144–5) has few tourist sites, but it’s a
AL-AZHAR PARK pleasant place to wander around and an even
Islamic Cairo’s eastern horizon changed better place to eat, drink and shop.
substantially when Al-Azhar Park (Map pp110-11; The main street, Sharia 26th of July, cuts
% 2510 7378; www.alazharpark.com; E£10; h 9am- across the island, and its junction with Sharia
midnight) opened in 2005. With funds from the Hassan Sabry (heading south) and Sharia Brazil
Aga Khan Trust for Culture, what had been (to the north) is the focal point of the area. Just
a mountain of centuries’ worth of collected a couple of doors east of Hassan Sabry on
garbage was transformed into a beautifully Sharia 26th of July, Simonds (see p168) is one
landscaped swath of green, the city’s first of the city’s oldest European-style cafés.
(and only) park of significant size. It’s hard Further east along Sharia 26th of July, to-
to convey just how dramatically different the wards the bridge to Bulaq, are the excellent
park is from any other public space in Cairo: bookshop Diwan (p109) and – in the ground
a profusion of gardens, emerald grass, even floor of a lavish apartment complex built by
a lake (part of a larger public water-supply Swiss hotelier Charles Baehler in 1927 – café
system) cover the grounds, while ambient Cilantro (p168).
Arabic music drifts softly from speakers and Immediately south of Sharia 26th of
fountains bubble in front of sleek modern July, and overlooking the Nile, is the Cairo
Islamic architecture. In addition to a couple Marriott (p161). This converted palace has a
of small cafés and an open-air theatre (p173), good bakery (p168) and a lush, shady garden
there’s an excellent restaurant here (p165) where you can enjoy your coffee or beer.
capitalising on the park’s awesome views Behind the hotel, the Museum of Islamic Ceramics
across the medieval city and beyond – a sun- (Map pp144-5; %2737 3298; 1 Sharia Sheikh al-Marsafy,
set visit is essential. Zamalek; adult/student E£25/15; h10am-1.30pm & 5.30-
Depending on your outlook, the park is 9pm Sat-Thu) is a beautiful small museum. It’s
a gorgeous respite or a weirdly isolated elite housed in a gorgeous 1924 Islamic Revival
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 141

CAIRO
THE MIRACLE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Looking around some parts of Cairo, you’d think garbage is never collected – but it certainly is,
by tens of thousands of people known as zabbaleen. The zabbaleen are Coptic Christians, and
their district at the base of the Muqattam Hills contains not only all the city’s refuse, sorted into
recyclable bits, but also one of the most surprising churches in the country.
In fact, the Church of St Simeon the Tanner (Kineesat Samaan al-Kharraz; Map pp110-11; %2512
3666; Manshiyet Nasr), on a ridge above ‘Garbage City’, is just a part of a whole complex carved
into the cliffs. It seats 5000 (that the buses carrying worshippers fit through the lanes below is
a miracle in itself ) and is ringed with biblical scenes carved into the rock. Look over the ridge
and you can see the whole sprawling city; look down, and you see real, live pigs rooting around
the zabbaleen backyards, recycling the edible trash.
But this church is not old (nor are any of the others here, though some are tucked in spooky
hermits’ caves). Completed in 1994, St Simeon is a belated honour for a 10th-century ascetic
who prayed to make Muqattam move at the behest of Fatimid caliph Al-Muizz li-Din Allah (per
Matthew 17:20: ‘If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove…’). Today the church is a major site of
Coptic pilgrimage.
To make your own trek to this modern marvel, tell your cab driver ‘Manshiyet Nasr’ or ‘Madeenat
az-Zabbaleen’; after turning off the highway toward Muqattam, make the first left, going slightly
uphill. Once you’re in the zabbaleen district (which is surprisingly tidy, considering), anyone you
pass will wave you in the right direction – they all know where you’re headed. Pay E£60 for a
round-trip taxi from Downtown, with an hour’s waiting time. If you’d like to go with a guide,
consider Ibrahim Morgan (%012 347 6343; [email protected]), recommended by Lonely Planet
readers.

villa, where the intricately carved walls (and Across from the Cairo Opera House, the
vintage bathroom!) are as fascinating as the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art (Map p148; %2736
colourful plates, tiles and even 11th-century 6667; www.modernartmuseum.gov.eg; E£10; h10am-2pm
hand grenades on display. The garden and & 5.30-10pm Tue-Sun) houses a vast – perhaps too
back of the building are given over to the vast – collection of 20th- and 21st-century
Gezira Art Center (Map pp144–5), with sev- Egyptian art. Even after a 2005 renovation,
eral galleries hosting rotating contemporary it still can be difficult to appreciate the work
exhibitions. given the cramped rooms, collected dust and
lack of signage. The museum’s prize items are
GEZIRA all on the ground floor: Mahmoud Mukhtar’s
Gezira (Map p148) is best approached across Deco-elegant bronze statue Bride of the Nile
Qasr el-Nil Bridge from Midan Tahrir, a pop- is here, along with Mahmoud Said’s Al
ular strolling spot for couples at sunset. This Madina (The City, 1937). Though Said has
brings you to Midan Saad Zaghloul, presided a slew of kitschy imitators, he was one of
over by the statue of tarbooshed Mr Zaghloul the first artists to depict folk life in vivid
himself, a 1930s nationalist leader. North of colour, and his commitment inspired Naguib
the midan on the banks of the Nile two lush Mahfouz to pursue his own career in writing.
formal gardens (Map p148; admission E£10) have out- Throughout the museum, it is interesting
door cafés where local families and young to observe how Western trends such as Pop
couples partake of tea and sheesha. Below the Art have manifested themselves in Egypt –
gardens, the pedestrian corniche (admission E£2) is almost always with a much sharper social
lively in the evenings. or political message. Upstairs is a small café
Off the west side of the midan, the well- and a gift shop selling a few postcards and
groomed Gezira Exhibition Grounds (Map p148) posters.
are dominated by the Cairo Opera House (Map p148; Elsewhere in the exhibition grounds, the
%2739 8144). Built in 1988 with money from Hanager Arts Centre (Map p148; %2735 6861; h10am-
Japan, the building is a modern take on tradi- 10pm Tue-Sun) and the Palace of Arts (Map p148; %2737
tional Islamic design. See p173 for details. 0603, 736 7627; www.fineart.gov.eg; h10am-1.30pm
CAIRO 142 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

MUSEUMS: THE BEST OF THE REST

The mammoth Egyptian Museum gets all the fanfare, but the city also holds a number of lesser-
known gems – ones that require half an hour or two, rather than a lifetime. And you’ll always
have the places to yourself. The coolest:
Agricultural Museum (below) So frozen in time, this whole museum should be in a museum.
Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum (below) Elegant sculpture, elegant building – and there’s even a tomb in the
basement!
Mr & Mrs Mahmoud Khalil Museum (opposite) Never thought you’d see a Picasso in Cairo, did you?
Museum of Islamic Ceramics (p140) Simply beautiful, with attractive, uncrowded displays and a gorgeous
house as the setting.

& 5.30-10pm Sat-Thu) host rotating exhibits Pyramids. The hospital is still there, set back
and performances. from the corniche in Agouza, but it’s now
Leave the complex from the rear en- hemmed in on all sides by midrise buildings
trance near the Galaa Bridge and you’ll see that shot up during the 1960s and 1970s when
a modest gate across the road, which leads Mohandiseen, Agouza and Doqqi were cre-
to the Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum (Map p148; ated to house Egypt’s emerging professional
%2735 2519; E£5; h10am-1.30pm & 5-10pm Tue-Sun). classes. The three districts remain middle-class
Mukhtar (1891–1934) was the sculptor lau- bastions, home to families who made good
reate of independent Egypt, responsible for during the years of Sadat’s open-door policy –
Saad Zaghloul on the nearby midan and the though some sections of Mohandiseen are
Egypt Reawakening monument outside the Cairo’s ritziest. Unless you happen to find
Giza Zoo. His collected work ranges from tiny concrete and traffic stimulating, the main
caricatures (look for Ibn al-Balad, a spunky attractions here are some good restaurants
city kid) to life-sized portraits that are studies (p166), bars and upscale shopping on Sharia
in flowing line. Mukhtar’s tomb sits in the Suleiman Abaza and Sharia Libnan.
basement. Egyptian architect Ramses Wissa What little history there is floats on the
Wassef (1911–74) designed the elegant build- river in the form of the houseboats moored off
ing – originally open, to capture natural light, Sharia el-Nil just north of Zamalek Bridge in
but this was changed presumably to keep the Agouza (Map pp144–5). Known as dahabiy-
cleaning budget down. yas, these floating two-storey structures once
North of the Cairo Opera House and Ahly lined the Nile all the way from Giza to Imbaba.
Stadium, the Cairo Tower (Burg Misr; Map p148; During the 1930s some boats were casinos,
%2735 7187; Sharia el-Borg; admission E£60, children music halls and bordellos. Many of the sur-
under 6 free, video E£20; h8am-midnight) is the city’s viving residences still have a bohemian air, as
most famous landmark after the Pyramids. chronicled in Naguib Mahfouz’ novel Adrift
Resembling a 185m-high wickerwork tube, on the Nile.
the tower was built in 1961 as a thumb to the
nose at the Americans, who had given Nasser AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM
the money used for its construction to buy It may sound dull, but the Agricultural Museum
US arms. The 360-degree views from the top (Map p148; %3761 6785; Sharia Wizarat al-Ziraa, Doqqi; admis-
are clearest in the late morning, after the haze sion 10pt, camera 20pt; h9am-2pm Tue-Sun) is far from
burns off, or late afternoon. An occasionally it. Spread over several buildings, the displays
revolving restaurant on top serves dodgy- tell you all you’ve ever wanted to know about
looking food (E£100 lunch or dinner, includ- agriculture in Egypt, from Pharaonic times
ing entrance), or you can get a soft drink at onwards, and so much more: dioramas depict
the cafeteria (E£80, including entrance). You traditional weddings, glass cases are packed
might encounter quite a queue at dusk. with wax cucurbits, and in one mothball-
scented wing, every bird in Egypt has been
Mohandiseen, Agouza & Doqqi stuffed and pinned to a board. Dusty and a
A map of Cairo in Baedecker’s 1929 guide bit spooky, it’s a true hall of wonders. The
to Egypt shows nothing on the Nile’s west ridiculously cheap admission is offset by the
bank other than a hospital and the road to the baksheesh you’re expected to dispense to the
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 143

‘guides’ – they hold the keys to the best rooms, tures has become a ‘science’ in its own right –

CAIRO
and they know it. It’s about 1km from the point to the carving and placement of the
Doqqi metro station. stones, precise to the millimetre, and argue the
numerological significance of the structures’
MR & MRS MAHMOUD KHALIL MUSEUM dimensions as evidence that the Pyramids
A noted politician during the 1940s, were variously constructed by angels, the devil
Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil amassed one or visitors from another planet. It’s easy to
of the Middle East’s finest collections of laugh at such seemingly out-there ideas, but
19th- and 20th-century European work. The visit the Giza Plateau and you’ll see why so
wonderful Mr & Mrs Mahmoud Khalil Museum (Map many people believe such awesome structures
p148; % 3338 9720; www.mkm.gov.eg; 1 Sharia Kafour, could only have unearthly origins.
Doqqi; admission with ID card or passport only, adult/student
E£25/12; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun, 10am-3pm holidays) in- THE PYRAMIDS AS FUNERARY COMPLEX
cludes sculptures by Rodin and paintings by It was neither an obsession with death, nor
the likes of Delacroix, Gauguin, Toulouse- a fear of it, that led the ancient Egyptians
Lautrec, Manet, Monet and Pissarro. There to build such incredible mausoleums as the
are also some Rubens, Sisleys and a Picasso. pyramids. Rather it was their belief in eter-
The paintings are housed in Khalil’s former nal life and their desire to be at one with the
villa, later taken over by President Sadat. cosmos. The pharaoh was the son of the gods,
It’s just a few minutes’ walk south of the but it was also his role to conduct the gods’
Cairo Sheraton. powers to his people. Set between the earth
and the sky, connecting the worlds mortal
Pyramids of Giza and divine, he was therefore honoured in
Amid all the hype about the New Wonders of life and worshipped in death. The pyramid
the World, the Pyramids of Giza just sat there – was a fitting tomb for such an individual. A
as they have for 4000 years, both outliving the funerary temple attached to each pyramid
other six ancient wonders and living up to all allowed the pharaoh to be worshipped after
the hype that has been lavished on them over his demise, with daily rounds of offerings to
the millennia. Their extraordinary shape, im- sustain his soul. A long covered causeway
peccable geometry and sheer bulk are a moot connected the funerary temple to a ‘valley
question: ‘How were we built, and why?’ temple’ built on the quayside, where the flood
Centuries of research have given us parts waters would reach each year (a superb model
of the answer to this double-barrelled ques- of the Abu Sir pyramids illustrates all this
tion. We know they were massive tombs con- on the 1st floor of the Egyptian Museum).
structed on the orders of the pharaohs by teams The complex also provided a constant visible
of workers tens-of-thousands strong. This reminder of the eternal power of the gods, as
is supported by the discovery of a pyramid- well as the absolute power of the pharaoh for
builders’ settlement, complete with areas whom it was built.
for large-scale food production and medical
facilities. Ongoing excavations on the Giza PRACTICALITIES
Plateau are providing more evidence that the It can be a bit of a shock to visit the Giza
workers were not the slaves of Hollywood Plateau (Map p150; adult/student E£50/25; h7.30am-
tradition, but a highly organised workforce 4pm) and realise that the sandy mound that’s
of Egyptian farmers. During the annual flood home to the pyramids is actually plonked in
season, when the Nile covered their fields, the the middle of the congested city suburb of
same farmers could have been redeployed by Giza. There are two entrances: one via a con-
the highly structured bureaucracy to work on tinuation of Pyramids Rd (Sharia al-Haram)
the pharaoh’s tomb. The Pyramids can almost at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Khufu,
be seen as an ancient job-creation scheme, and another below the Sphinx, in the village
with the flood waters also making it easier to of Nazlet as-Samaan. Most independent visi-
transport building stone to the site. tors enter from Pyramids Rd, as this is where
But despite the evidence, some still won’t the bus and minibus from Downtown stop.
accept that the ancient Egyptians were ca- Follow the road up from the roundabout to-
pable of such astonishing achievements. wards the Pyramids and firmly ignore anyone
Pyramidologists – for the study of the struc- who tries to distract you (see p146). Continue
 144 C A I R O • • M o h a n d i s e e n Ag o u z a & Z a m a l e k lonelyplanet.com

MOHANDISEEN, AGOUZA & ZAMALEK

CAIRO

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lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • M o h a n d i s e e n Ag o u z a & Z a m a l e k 145

0 400 m

CAIRO
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 146 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

INFORMATION Kalimat.....................................37 B6 Deals.........................................73 B5

CAIRO

Al-Ezaby Pharmacy.................(see 84) Karim Francis Art Gallery.........(see 75) Euro Deli...................................74 E2
American University in Cairo Museum of Islamic Ceramics.....38 F4 L'Aubergine............................(see 60)
Bookshop................................1 E2 National Circus......................... 39 D4 La Bodega.................................75 F4
Arab Group for Exchange Forex..2 E2 Samia Allouba Dance & Fitness Marriott Garden Café................76 F4
As-Salam International Hospital.. 3 A5 Centre.................................. 40 A5 Sangria...................................(see 80)
Australian Embassy..................... 4 G3 Zamalek Art Gallery...................41 F3 Simonds....................................77 F4
Banque Misr (ATM).....................5 E5 The Coffee Bean & Tea
British Council & Library............. 6 D4 SLEEPING Leaf.......................................78 E3
Citibank......................................7 F4 Cairo Marriott...........................42 F4 Tornado................................... 79 C5
Danish Embassy..........................8 E4 Golden Tulip Flamenco Hotel....43 E2
Diwan.........................................9 F4 Hotel Longchamps....................44 E3 ENTERTAINMENT
Egyptian Centre for International Mayfair Hotel............................45 F4 Absolute................................... 80 G2
Cultural Cooperation.............10 E3 Pension Zamalek.......................46 E4 Cairo Jazz Club......................... 81 D3
German Embassy.......................11 E5 President Hotel..........................47 E2 El Sawy Culture Wheel..............82 E3
Great Cairo Library....................12 F2 Nile Maxim............................... 83 G4
HSBC Bank................................13 E3 EATING
International Language Abou El-Sid...............................48 F4 SHOPPING
Institute................................14 A2 Al-Omda.................................. 49 C4 Arkadia Mall............................. 84 G1
Irish Embassy.............................15 E3 Alfa Market...............................50 E3 Attara Ahl al-Beit.......................85 E3
Istituto Italiano di Cultura..........16 F4 At-Tabei ad-Dumyati................51 B5 Dina Maghawry......................(see 88)
Kenyan Embassy....................... 17 A5 Baraka Takeaway......................52 F3 Egypt Craft Center/Fair Trade
Lebanese Embassy.....................18 E3 Cedars...................................... 53 A5 Egypt....................................86 F4
Libyan Embassy.........................19 E4 Chili's....................................... 54 G6 Friction......................................87 F2
Netherlands Embassy................20 F4 Crave........................................55 E2 Home & Beyond...................(see 100)
Netherlands-Flemish Institute....21 F4 Dar El Amar.............................. 56 G6 Loft...........................................88 F4
Newsstand................................22 F4 Didos Al Dente..........................57 E2 Makan......................................89 E2
Newsstand..............................(see 42) Emara Hati al-Gish....................58 C3 Mix & Match.............................90 F3
Newsstand................................23 F4 Kushari......................................59 E3 Mix & Match............................91 F4
Post Office................................24 F4 L'Aubergine..............................60 F4 Mobaco ...................................92 F3
Sigma Net.................................25 E2 La Mezzaluna............................61 F4 Mom & Me...............................93 E3
Spanish Embassy.......................26 F3 Maison Thomas......................(see 69) Mounaya..................................94 F2
Telephone Centrale...................27 E3 Mandarine Koueider..................62 E3 Nomad...................................(see 42)
Thomas Cook.........................(see 13) Metro Supermarket..................(see 2) Nomad..................................... 95 G5
Thomas Cook............................28 B3 Sabai Sabai................................63 F3 Nostalgia...................................96 F4
Travco.......................................29 F4 Samakmak................................64 B2 Noubi Nabil...............................97 F4
Zamalek Bookshop....................30 E3 Sekem.......................................65 F3 Orange Square..........................98 E3
Zamalek Center.........................31 E3 Sequoia.....................................66 F1 Salem....................................... 99 A4
The Bakery................................67 F4 Sami Amin...............................100 E3
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Tao Gallery..............................101 F2
All Saints Anglican Cathedral.....32 F4 DRINKING Toy R Us................................(see 84)
Aristocrat..................................33 E3 Arabica Café.............................68 F2 Wady Craft Shop....................(see 32)
Atlas Zamalek Hotel..................34 B4 Cilantro.....................................69 F4 Wikalat al-Balah..................... 102 H5
Fun Planet..............................(see 84) Cilantro.....................................70 E3
Gabalaya Park & Aquarium.......35 E4 Coffee Roastery........................71 E3 TRANSPORT
Gabalaya Park Entrance............36 E4 Deals.........................................72 F4 Lufthansa................................103 F4

along the tarmacked road, up to the tempo- for the Great Pyramid (pay the ‘attendant’
rary ticket office (an unofficial-looking hut) 50pt max).
to your right.
There are extra entry charges for the Solar THE HASSLE
Barque Museum and the interiors of the With battalions of buses, armies of touts and
Pyramids (two of the three are open to visi- legions of visitors from every part of the globe –
tors, rotating every few years). Before visiting, all to a soundtrack of gargling camels and
you could check www.guardians.net/hawass, cries of ‘Buy postcards?’ – the tourist scene
antiquities director Dr Zahi Hawass’ website, at the Pyramids is intense. But it helps to
which usually posts news about tomb and remember that it’s not a modern phenom-
Pyramid openings. enon. The Pyramids have been attracting
Note that climbing the Pyramids, a tourists since they were built, and a local
must for European visitors in the 19th and was probably there offering them a ride on
20th centuries, is dangerous and is now a donkey.
strictly forbidden. Also, it used to be worse. Now an aggres-
Bathrooms are at the café at the base of the sive campaign – involving a very tall concrete
Sphinx, as well as in a very dodgy trailer on wall, razor wire and sentries on camelback –
the plateau itself, adjacent to the ticket office has cut down the number of touts, camel
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 147

drivers and other hustlers on the plateau and good guides; his place can be tricky to

CAIRO
itself. The bad news is that, because the peo- find: head down the street by the Sphinx poster
ple of Nazlet as-Samaan still rely on renting off the main square where horses are gathered,
horses and camels for a living, the line of or ask for directions to the Sphinx Club, as the
skirmish has just moved further away from stables are just behind it. MG (%3385 3832) and
the Pyramids. While your taxi or minibus AA (%3385 0531), near the coach park, are both
is stopped in traffic on Pyramids Rd, young decent as well. Expect to pay around E£35 per
men might try to jump in with you to explain hour (hand over the money after the ride, and
that the road ahead is closed – and the best tip your guide an additional E£5 or E£10),
way to proceed, conveniently, is on horse- and keep your Pyramids site ticket or you’ll
back. They might also tell you the ‘walk-in be charged again to enter. Moonlight rides
entrance’ is near their stables, or suggest that around the Pyramids are a favourite outing,
they can get you into the Pyramids area with- but under new regulations, you can’t ride very
out a ticket. Note that genuine tickets have close to the site after 6pm.
a hologram seal, and ignore everyone until
you get one in your hands. Once on the pla- GREAT PYRAMID OF KHUFU (CHEOPS)
teau, you just have to negotiate with guys for The oldest pyramid in Giza and the largest in
camel rides and avoid the rogue antiquities Egypt, the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Map p150; adult/
cop who will try to usher you into the ‘ruin’ student E£100/50) stood 146m high when it was
of the old police station. completed around 2570 BC. After 46 windy
centuries, its height has been reduced by 9m.
CAMELS & HORSES About 2.3 million limestone blocks, reckoned
The blocks just behind the Sphinx-side en- to weigh about 2.5 tonnes each, were used in
trance are filled with milling horses and the construction.
camels. There’s also a smaller stable area by Tickets, sold from a kiosk in front and
the Mena House entrance. Considering the slightly to the east (city side) of the pyramid,
extraordinary amount of hassle the horse- are limited to 300 per day: 150 on sale start-
owners give tourists, it’s tempting to ignore ing at 7.30am and 150 at 1pm. During the
them completely; however, the distance be- winter you’ll probably need to queue early,
tween the three pyramids is a lot to cover on especially on Wednesday and Thursday,
foot, so the service is a real one, should you when tour groups from the Red Sea visit
be interested. Cairo for the day. Note that only Egyptian
Tourism authorities have set ‘official’ pounds are accepted, and cameras are not
prices (E£35 per hour for camels, horses and allowed into the pyramid – you must sur-
horse-carts), but, as one officer said with an render them to the guards at the entrance,
apologetic shrug, ‘you’re still expected to bar- who will ask for baksheesh before returning
gain’. Women should be a little wary of over- them (E£1 is fine).
friendly camel-owners trying to clamber up There isn’t much to see inside the pyramid,
behind them, and everyone should choose to but the experience of climbing through the
ride only healthy-looking animals. If you are ancient structure is unforgettable – though
ever held hostage on a camel – asked to pay impossible if you suffer the tiniest degree of
more than agreed before you’re let down – claustrophobia. The elderly and unfit should
call over the nearest tourist police, or go to the not attempt the climb, as it is very steep.
office by the Mena House and complain (E£20 Past the entrance, on the north face, a pas-
or E£25 is a fair fee for a quick trot around sage descends to an unfinished tomb (usually
and photo op). closed) about 100m along and 30m deep in
If you’re particularly interested in riding, the bedrock. Before you reach this, about
hiring a horse from one of the village stables 20m after the entrance, another passage, 1.3m
is a far better option than taking one at the high and 1m wide, ascends for about 40m to
Pyramids. Once you’re mounted, you will reach the Great Gallery, an impressive area
be off on your own in the desert with the 47m long and 8.5m high. At the start of the
Pyramids as a background. General expat gallery, a small horizontal passage leads into
opinion holds that the best stables near the the so-called Queen’s Chamber.
Sphinx are NB (%3382 0435), owned by Naser As you continue through the Great Gallery,
Breesh, who’s praised for his healthy steeds notice how precisely the blocks in the ceiling
 148 C A I R O • • D o q q i G i z a & G e z i r a lonelyplanet.com

0 400 m
DOQQI, GIZA & GEZIRA
CAIRO

0 0.2 miles
To Zamalek
(700m)
To Mohandiseen
Al-Sheikh al-Maraghy

Corn
Saray al-Gezira
Gezira

iche
Mohamm

el-N
il
ed Shahin

Agouza
6th of October Bridge

See Central Cairo Map (pp118–19)

S aray a
r
Octobe
6th of
See Mohandiseen, Agouza & Zamalek Map (pp144–5)

l - Ge z i r
21

Hadayek al-Zuhreyya

a
za
al-Raz 1 17
ammed

niche
n Moh Umm
Hassa 46
Lotf

Pedestrian Cor
El-Nil

Kolth
Ahly Stadium
y

16
um (G
Hass

Mahm 20
Nadi as-Seid
ouna

ud M
abale

ukhta e
r 26 (Tahrir) Bridg
iraa

27 Qasr el-Nil
yya)

22
t al-Z

Gezira
Exhibition
38 Grounds
ar a

Midan
Simon
Wiz

Gezira Bolivar
Sa (Opera)
Sabry

Abd

ad
36 al-
7 Al
y
al-Fu

Al-Za

rica
Hanna
Abdel Rahim

hra
Boulus Galaa 23
13 Midaan Bridge

Ame
tuh

al-Galaa
hrir 33

Latin
At-Ta 14
41

il
11 40

l- N
a 45
ah
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Cairo

ee
Doqqi iss Sheraton

ich
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iny

rn
in 39 15
Garden
Co
Be

bra
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ar-

Al-Saraya al-Ku
Ra
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Midan 25 37
al-Missaha Fountain
28
34 43 44

Refa Ai
4 8 sh ya
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35 Taim uriy
6
iza

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29
Haro

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10
Nil
a
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Arif
lam Urman
al-Sa Manial
Abd Gardens
30 12

9
ay
University (Al-Gamaa) Brid
ge Al-Sar 24

19
3
Manial Palace
oda
t al-Rh

31
Sayali

18
ud
El-Nil

Four Seasons
iz el-Sa

at the
First Residence
Nil
Gamiat al-

ial

32
he el-
Abdel Az

Al-Man

42
Al-Giza

Cornic

Giza
r ra d
ni
Ba- Saa
Qahira

5 Al -
al

Cairo To Dr Ragab's Pharaonic

University Village (3km); El Moneib Bus
To Midan Giza (1km); Station (3km); Muhammad
Pyramids (10km) Ali Sporting Club (7.7km) To Coptic Cairo (2km)
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 149

INFORMATION Formal Garden..........................21 C2 Hard Rock Café........................ 35 C4

CAIRO
Anglo-American Hospital............ 1 C2 Hanager Arts Centre.................22 C2 Nomad..................................... 36 A3
Citibank...................................... 2 D3 Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum... 23 C3 Revolving Restaurant Lounge..(see 29)
Egyptian Student Travel Services..3 C5 Manial Palace Museum............ 24 D5 Topkapi.................................... 37 D4
Ethiopian Embassy...................... 4 A4 Mr & Mrs Mahmoud Khalil
French Embassy..........................5 B6 Museum...............................25 B4 ENTERTAINMENT
Goethe Institut........................... 6 A4 Museum of Modern Egyptian Cairo Opera House................... 38 C2
Instituto Cervantes......................7 B3 Art........................................ 26 C2 Cairo Sheraton Cinema.............39 B3
Iranian Embassy.......................... 8 A4 Palace of Arts............................27 C2 Casablanca................................40 B3
Israeli Embassy............................9 B5 Cinema Tahrir........................... 41 A3
Italian Embassy......................... 10 D4 SLEEPING Club 35.....................................42 B6
Jordanian Embassy....................11 B3 Four Seasons at Nile Plaza........ 28 D4 Good News Grand Hyatt........(see 29)
Saudi Arabian Embassy............. 12 B5 Grand Hyatt............................. 29 C4
Syrian Embassy......................... 13 A3 SHOPPING
UK Embassy.............................. 14 D3 EATING Beymen..................................(see 28)
Western Union......................... 15 D3 El Sakya..................................(see 29) Nagada..................................... 43 A4
El-Mashrabiah...........................30 B5 Nomad...................................(see 29)
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Fish Market...............................31 B6
Agricultural Museum................ 16 A2 La Gourmandise........................32 B6 TRANSPORT
Cairo Tower.............................. 17 C2 Taboula.................................... 33 D3 Dok Dok Felucca Point............. 44 D4
Cairo Zoo................................. 18 A6 EgyptAir..................................(see 39)
Cairo Zoo Entrance................... 19 B5 DRINKING EgyptAir....................................45 B3
Formal Garden.......................... 20 D2 Cilantro.................................... 34 A4 Felucca Mooring Point.............. 46 D2

fit together. In the 10m-long King’s Chamber 1200 pieces of wood and encased in a glass
at the end, the walls are built of red granite museum to protect it from damage from the
blocks. The ceiling itself consists of nine huge elements. Visitors to the museum must help
slabs of granite, which weigh more than 400 this process by donning protective footwear
tonnes. Above these slabs, four more slabs to keep sand out.
are separated by gaps which are designed to There are plans to move the boat to the
distribute the enormous weight away from nearby Grand Egyptian Museum whenever
the chamber. Good airflow from the modern it opens – perhaps in 2010.
ventilation system (built into two ancient air
shafts) will help you breathe easier as you PYRAMID OF KHAFRE (CHEPHREN)
contemplate the tremendous weight sus- Southwest of the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid
pended above you. of Khafre (Map p150; adult/student E£25/15) seems
Outside, on the eastern side of the pyramid, larger than that of his father, Khufu. At just
three small structures some 20m high resem- 136m high, it’s not, but it stands on higher
ble pyramid-shaped piles of rubble. These are ground and its peak is still capped with a
the Queens’ Pyramids, the tombs of Khufu’s limestone casing. Originally all three pyr-
wives and sisters. You can enter some of them, amids were totally encased with polished
but they’re quite steamy inside. white stone, which would have made them
gleam in the sun. Over the centuries, this
SOLAR BARQUE MUSEUM casing has been stripped for use in palaces
South of the Great Pyramid is the fascinating and mosques, exposing the softer inner-core
Solar Barque Museum (Map p150; adult/student E£40/20; stones to the elements.
h9am-4pm Oct-May, 9am-5pm Jun-Sep). Five pits near The chambers and passageways of this
the Great Pyramid of Khufu contained the particular pyramid are less elaborate than
pharaoh’s solar barques (boats), which may those in the Great Pyramid, but are almost as
have been used to convey the mummy of the claustrophobic. The entrance descends into a
dead pharaoh across the Nile to the valley passage and then across to the burial cham-
temple, from where it was brought up the ber, which still contains Khafre’s large granite
causeway and into the tomb chamber. The sarcophagus. Tickets are sold at the kiosk in
barques were then buried around the pyramid front of the pyramid.
to provide transport for the pharaoh in the Back outside, to the east of the pyramid,
next world. are the substantial remains of Khafre’s funerary
One of these ancient cedar-wood vessels, temple (Map p150) and the flagged paving of the
possibly the oldest boat in existence, was un- causeway that provided access from the Nile
earthed in 1954. It was carefully restored from to the tomb.
 150 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

0 500 m
THE GIZA PLATEAU
CAIRO

0 0.3 miles

To Andrea (2.4km); Kardassa

INFORMATION Tickets for Great Pyramid..26 C2 2 (7.7km); Central Cairo (13km)
Banque du Caire................1 C1 Tickets for Pyramids of 31 33
1 10
CIB (ATM).........................2 C1 Khafre..........................27 B2 To Peace II (300m);
Lehnert & Landrock...........3 D3 Tomb of Khentkawes...... 28 C3 Felfela (550m);
4 5 Crazy Water (18km);
Pyramids Tourist Office......4 C1 Tomb of Seshemnufer IV..29 C2 23 Alexandria (215km) SLEEPING
Tourist Police.....................5 C1 Western Cemetery...........30 B2

Pyr a m
Mena House Oberoi........31 C1
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

ids
24 EATING
Eastern Cemetery..............6 D2

Rd
Great Pyramid of Khufu Khan El Khalili................(see 31)
(Cheops)........................7 C2 Moghul Room...............(see 31)
26
Khafre's Funerary Temple..8 C2 Entry
Khafre's Valley Temple......9 D3 DRINKING
7 Café................................32 D3
Mena House Golf Course..10 D1 Great Pyramid 19
Menkaure's Funerary 30 of Khufu
Temple........................11 B3 (Cheops) 15 TRANSPORT
Menkaure's Valley 355/357 Bus Stop............33 C1
Temple........................ 12 C3 18 Nazlet
Pyramid of Khafre 27 16 6 as-Samaan
(Chephren)..................13 B2
Pyramid of Menkaure 29 To Saqqara Rd (1.1km);
(Mycerinus)..................14 B3 Harraniyya (5.5km);
Salma Motel (5.5km)
Pyramid of Queen 13 8 Abu Sir (11km)
Hetepheres..................15 C2
Queen's Pyramids........... 16 C2 22 25
Queen's Pyramids............17 B3 32 3
Solar Barque Museum..... 18 C2 9 21
Solar Barque Pits..............19 C2 20
Sound-&-Light
Auditorium.................. 20 D3 28
Sound-&-Light Ticket
Office.......................... 21 D3 11 Causeway 12 Muslim
14
Sphinx............................. 22 D3 Cemetery
Stables.............................23 C1 17
Ticket Office....................24 C1
Ticket Office................... 25 D3 To Horse
Stables (75m)

PYRAMID OF MENKAURE (MYCERINUS) by the ancient Greeks because it resembled

At 62m (originally 66.5m), this Pyramid (Map the mythical winged monster with a woman’s
p150) is the smallest of the trio. A gash in head and lion’s body who set riddles and killed
the north face is the result of an attempt by anyone unable to answer them. (It even has a
Saladin’s son Malek Abdel Aziz to dismantle little tail.)
the pyramid in AD 1186. He gave up after The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock
eight months, having achieved little. Outside at the bottom of the causeway to the Pyramid
the pyramid you’ll see the excavated remains of Khafre; geological survey has shown that it
of Menkaure’s funerary temple and, further east, was most likely carved during this pharaoh’s
the ruins of his valley temple, less excavated. reign, so it probably portrays his features,
Visitors are no longer allowed inside the pyra- framed by the nemes (the striped headcloth
mid, and it’s a long slog out here – you’re worn only by royalty).
excused if you skip it. As is clear from the accounts of early Arab
travellers, the nose was hammered off some-
THE SPHINX time between the 11th and 15th centuries,
Legends and superstitions abound about the although some still like to blame Napoleon for
Sphinx (Map p150), and the mystery surround- the deed. Part of the fallen beard was carted
ing its long-forgotten purpose is almost as off by 19th-century adventurers and is now
intriguing as its appearance. On seeing it for on display in the British Museum in London.
the first time, many visitors agree with English These days the Sphinx has potentially greater
playwright Alan Bennett, who noted in his problems: the monument is suffering the
diary that seeing the Sphinx is like meeting a stone equivalent of cancer and is being eaten
TV personality in the flesh: he’s smaller than away from the inside; pollution and rising
one had imagined. groundwater are the likeliest causes. A suc-
Known in Arabic as Abu al-Hol (Father of cession of restoration attempts unfortunately
Terror), the feline man was dubbed the Sphinx sped up the decay rather than halting it. The
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S i g h t s 151

Sphinx’ shiny white paws are the result of the GETTING THERE & AWAY

CAIRO
most recent effort. Bus 355/357 runs from Heliopolis to the
Just below the Sphinx an expensive café (tea Pyramids via central Cairo every 20 minutes.
& soda E£15, fresh juice E£20) boasts an outdoor ter- It picks up from the road (not the island)
race and truly amazing view. It’s technically under the overpass at Midan Abdel Moniem
outside the site, but as long as you have your Riad. There’s no sign so you’ll have to ask a
ticket, the guards will let you leave and come local where to stand. Be alert, as you’ll prob-
back in again. ably have to flag the bus down. It also passes
through Tahrir, and can usually be flagged
TOMB OF KHENTKAWES down from the bus shelter near the north-
This rarely visited but imposing structure western metro stairs; see Map pp118–19 for
(Map p150), opposite the Great Pyramid and the exact position. The bus is a white one, with
south of Khafre’s causeway, is the tomb of ‘CTA’ on its side. A ticket costs E£2 and the
Menkaure’s powerful daughter. The tomb is trip takes about 45 minutes.
a rectangular building cut into a small hill. A Microbuses also go from Midan Abdel
corridor at the back of the chapel room leads Moniem Riad, near the Ramses Hilton; again,
down to the burial chambers, but the descent just ask for ‘Haram’ and somebody will point
can be hazardous. you to the right line of vehicles. The fare is
E£1.50 and you’ll be dropped off about 250m
CEMETERIES short of the Mena House Oberoi hotel (also
Private cemeteries consisting of several rows where buses 355 and 357 terminate).
of tombs are organised around the Pyramids By far the most straightforward way to go
in a grid pattern. Most tombs are closed to is in a yellow metered taxi from the rank on
the public, but those of Qar, Idu and Queen Midan Tahrir. It’s usually about E£20, the same
Meresankh III, in the eastern cemetery (Map price you’d be lucky to bargain a black-and-
p150), are accessible, although it can some- white-cab driver down to – plus you get air-
times be difficult to find the guard who has conditioning. Avoiding the city-centre traffic
the keys. by taking the metro to the Giza stop (E£1)
The Tomb of Iasen, in the western cemetery doesn’t work so well; from there, a taxi to
(Map p150), contains interesting inscriptions the Pyramids should cost only E£8, but many
and wall paintings that offer a glimpse of daily drivers have caught on to this cost-saving tac-
life during the Old Kingdom. The tomb of tic and quickly quote outrageous prices.
Seshemnufer IV (Map p150), just south of the Returning to Cairo, taxis leaving from ei-
Great Pyramid, also has a burial chamber you ther entrance will try for at least E£40, so
can climb down into. you’ll need to bargain hard – or else walk
down Pyramids Rd until you encounter a less
SOUND-&-LIGHT SHOW voracious driver, or just take the bus.
The Sphinx narrates the somewhat cheesy
sound-and-light show (%3386 3469; www.egyptsandl Around the Pyramids
.com; adult/child 7-12 years E£60/30; h6.30pm, 7.30pm & Tours to the Pyramids often include the two
8.30pm winter, 8.30pm, 9.30pm & 10.30pm summer & Ramadan), communities on the Maryutia Canal, which
but it’s neat to see the Pyramids so dramati- runs north–south about 1.5km east of the pla-
cally lit. Though there’s officially no student teau. One is worth your time, perhaps even an
discount, you may be able to negotiate one. independent trip. The other, not so much.
Schedules were as follows at the time of writing,
but check the website for the latest: HARRANIYYA
Along the Maryutia Canal south of Pyramids
Day Show 1 Show 2 Show 3 Rd, Harraniyya is one of several villages that
Monday English French Spanish have now blurred into one long stretch of
Tuesday English Italian French half-developed green farmland. The main
Wednesday English French German (er, only) attraction is Wissa Wassef Art Centre
Thursday Japanese English Arabic (%3381 5746; www.wissa-wassef-arts.com; Saqqara Rd;
Friday English French - h10am-5pm). The mud-brick complex is the
Saturday English Spanish Italian work of architect Ramses Wissa Wassef; it won
Sunday German French Russian an Aga Khan prize for its refined traditional
 152 C A I R O • • S i g h t s lonelyplanet.com

style. The artisans who work here in open once a grand hotel graced by the likes of
CAIRO

studios (closed Friday) are known for their King Albert I of Belgium and now Mubarak’s
distinctive tapestries depicting rural scenes. offices – a short commute, as he lives just up
Crude imitations are standard in souvenir the street. From the palace, at the first in-
shops; the ones for sale and on display in the tersection with the splendid Sharia Ibrahim
museum here are in a completely different Laqqany (detour left for some fantastic archi-
class, like paintings in wool. There’s pottery tecture), is the open-air cafeteria Amphitrion
and batik fabric, done to equally good effect. (Map p153), as old as Heliopolis itself and a
The place has the feeling of a sanctuary – quiet popular watering hole for Allied soldiers dur-
and refreshingly green. ing the world wars. At the end of the street,
To get here, take a microbus (E£1) or taxi the Basilica (Map p153) is a miniature ver-
(E£10) from Pyramids Rd in the direction of sion of Istanbul’s famous Aya Sofya, dubbed
Saqqara and get off when you see the blue the ‘jelly mould’ by local expats. Baron
‘Harraniyya’ sign, after about 3.5km, or 10 Empain, the man who founded Heliopolis,
minutes. The centre is by the canal on the is buried here.
west side of the road. South on Sharia al-Uruba (Airport Rd),
you can’t miss the extraordinary Baron’s Palace
KERDASSA (Qasr al-Baron; Map p153), a Hindu-style
As the source of many of the scarves, gala- temple modelled on the temples of Angkor
biyyas and weavings sold in the bazaars of Wat in Cambodia, with Buddhas, geishas,
Cairo, Kerdassa is often touted as an insider elephants and serpents adorning the exterior.
shopping destination, to buy ‘direct from the The fantastical look of the place contributed
source’. But the dismal setting of semirural to a citywide panic in 1997 about ‘Satanists’
poverty adjacent to a new strip mall, plus the allegedly holding rituals here – turned out
price of a cab ride (E£15 from the Pyramids), they were a bunch of upper-class teenage
cancels out the minor savings. You could also heavy-metal fans. A decade later, the ruin is
flag down a microbus (E£1) heading north on still very much off-limits.
the canal from Pyramids Rd – the village is
about 5.5km, or 15 minutes, along. OCTOBER WAR PANORAMA
Built with help from North Korean artists, the
Heliopolis October War Panorama (Map pp110-11; %2402 2317;
It’s only a suburb of Cairo, but were it Sharia al-Uruba; admission E£10; hshows 9.30am, 11am,
to stand alone as a town in its own right, 12.20pm, 6pm & 7.30pm Wed-Mon), a memorial to the
Heliopolis (Misr al-Gedida, or ‘New Cairo’; 1973 ‘victory’ over Israel, is an extraordinary
Map p153) would be considered one of the propaganda effort. A large 3D mural and dio-
gems of North Africa. A Belgian industrialist rama depicts the Egyptian forces breaching
conceived the district in the early 20th cen- of the Bar Lev Line on the Suez Canal, while
tury as a ‘garden city’, home to the colonial a stirring commentary (in Arabic only) re-
officials who ruled Egypt. With whitewashed counts the heroic victories, but skips over the
Moorish-style buildings with dark wood successful Israeli counterattacks. Both sides
balconies, grand arcades and terraces, it’s accepted a UN-brokered cease-fire, and Sinai
the European vision of the Orient in stone. was returned by negotiation six years later.
Since the 1950s, overcrowding has filled in The exhibition is about 2.5km southwest of
the spaces between the graceful villas with the Baron’s Palace, on the same road; walk,
apartment buildings festooned with satel- take one of the buses along Sharia al-Uruba
lite-TV dishes, but the area still has a re- or get a taxi.
laxed, almost Mediterranean air. With all
its trees and outdoor cafés, it’s a pleasant GETTING THERE & AWAY
place for an evening’s wander – and many Cairo’s trams (25pt, 30 to 40 minutes) run to
Egyptians think so too, as Heliopolis has Heliopolis from just north of Midan Ramses
become ‘downtown’ for people living in dull (see Map p122). They’re a little rattletrap,
satellite cities further east. Weekend nights but often faster than the bus. Get off where
can be very lively here. the line branches, just before Midan Roxy.
The main street is Sharia al-Ahram, on Or take airport bus 356 (E£2) from Midan
which stands the Uruba Palace (Map p153), Abdel Moniem Riad (see Map pp118–19).
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • A c t i v i t i e s 153

0 400 m
HELIOPOLIS

CAIRO
0 0.2 miles

e z
INFORMATION - Su
as DRINKING
British Council & Library...............1 C2 sr
Thomas Cook..............................2 C3 Gi Cilantro......................................14 C2
12 Deals..........................................15 C2
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Merryland
6 TRANSPORT
Amphitrion..................................3 C2
356 Bus Stop/Al-Ahram Tram
Baron's Palace..............................4 D3
i Stop.......................................16 B3
Basilica.........................................5 C2 ak
tir Roxy Tram Stop.........................17 A2

Nahalif
e

K
ga
Entrance to Merryland..................6 C1 Lin l-Ish

zih a
He
Uruba Palace................................7 C3 r am a
)T d
ue ha 1
Bl aa
M
EATING y ( Al-
hm Granada
El Shabrawy.................................8 C2 Fa

Be
z Line

iru
El Shabrawy Ta'amiyya................9 C2
zi
am

t
s ) Tr
A

Maison Thomas..........................10 B2 scu Red

ma
el

Da ha (
d

Mandarine Koueider..................11 C3 z

Ibr
Nou
Ab

ah
Merryland..................................12 C1 Midan li
ha

im
Petit Palmyra..............................13 C2 Roxy Ibra sG hid

y
him
ut
ro Wa 13
La el
q Bo A bd 8
y e d
qa
9
Say
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3 Korba 14
17 a l As-S
10 m awra
ram Su 15 To Airport
Ah Al- (8km)
Al-
d
16 da 2
gh
7 Ba 11 )
Heliopolis Al- a Rd
Club M
irg atr ort
To Central ha op irp
Cairo (8km) ni (Y Al
ell -M Cle a (A
ow ir rub
) T gha -U
ram ni Al
Lin 4
e
To Centre Français
de Culture et de
Coopération (500m);
To October War American Express (700m)
Panorama (1.8km);
Central Cairo (9km)

The ride takes between 30 and 45 minutes. exhibits documenting Egyptian life and occasionally shows
Get off outside the Heliopolis Club (the videos on its rooftop.
first stop after reaching the street with tram Karim Francis Art Gallery Downtown (Map pp118-19;
tracks). Trams and buses usually run every %2391 6357; 1 Sharia Sherifeen; h2-9pm Sat-Thu);
20 minutes. Zamalek (Map pp144-5; %2736 2183; www.karimfran
cis.com; 3rd fl, Baehler’s Mansions, 157 Sharia 26th of
ACTIVITIES Jul; h4-11pm Tue-Sun) Francis is one of Cairo’s more
For more details of activities around town, influential curators.
check Al-Ahram Weekly or the monthlies Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art (Map
Egypt Today and the Croc. pp118-19; %2578 4494; www.mashrabiagallery.com; 8
Sharia Champollion, Downtown; h11am-8pm Sat-Thu)
Art Galleries One of the first independent galleries, Mashrabia is bit
With a fresh generation of artists and new cramped but represents the bigger names in painting
media, Cairo’s art scene is more active and and sculpture.
diverse than it ever has been. In addition to Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art (Map
galleries, the city’s cultural centres (p112) pp118-19; %2576 8086; www.thetownhousegallery
often mount interesting exhibitions too. .com; 10 Sharia Nabrawy, Downtown; h10am-2pm &
Some options: 6-9pm Sat-Wed, 6-9pm Fri) Set amid car-repair shops,
Cairo Atelier (Map pp118-19; %2574 6730; 2 Sharia Townhouse is Cairo’s most cutting-edge space, with
Karim al-Dawla, Downtown; h10am-1pm & 5-10pm emphasis on video and multimedia installations. It also
Sat-Thu) Off Sharia Mahmoud Bassiouni, as much a has a large workshop situated across the street, for
clubhouse as an exhibition space, frequented by Cairo’s classes and confabs.
art-world old guard. Zamalek Art Gallery (Map pp144-5; %2735 1240;
Contemporary Image Collective (Map pp110-11; www.zamalekartgallery.com; 11 Sharia Brazil, Zamalek;
%2794 1686; www.ciccairo.com; 20 Sharia Safeya h10.30am-9pm Sat-Thu) A light-filled space showing
Zaghloul, Mounira; h11am-6pm Sun-Thu) Excellent contemporary Egyptian artists, usually figurative.
CAIRO 154 C A I R O • • A c t i v i t i e s lonelyplanet.com

WILLIAM WELLS
Director of Visual Arts, Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art (p153), established in 1998.

What do you love most about the city?

The humour, which is a survival technique – every street is a theatre and every action a drama.
And the city consists of so many historical districts, and people live and manoeuvre through
their past with such ease. Walking into a 15th-century mosque, you step over foundation stones
engraved with hieroglyphs. People squat in Ottoman houses, study in old colonial mansions and
go about a modern 21st-century life. This historical backdrop tends to define your approach to
life.

Where’s the best place to experience this kind of historical backdrop?

Well, as long as people don’t want to relax… The most interesting walk is often the most taxing.
I’d suggest a walk from Midan Hussein through the market street of Al-Muski (p130) until they
reach Midan Ataba and the Windsor Hotel (p170), where they can sit and enjoy a cold beer. It
assaults all your senses and introduces you to the intensity of the city all at once.

What’s your favourite piece of public art in Cairo?

That would have to be Mahmoud Mukhtar’s Egypt Reawakening sculpture (see p142 for more
on Mukhtar) in front of the zoo in Giza. It’s a vision of a people’s dreams, rather than just the
numerous individuals that once inhabited the city.

What’s your favourite word in Egyptian colloquial Arabic?

Ya’ani (literally, ‘It means…’), which has no translation in English but covers most circumstances.
It’s used by everyone to answer most questions – and to avoid answering most questions!

No dodging this one: what’s your favourite restaurant?

That has to be Estoril (p164), off Sharia Talaat Harb. It’s more for the ambience than the food –
it’s the place most of the artists and journalists use as a second office.

And an ahwa?
My favourite coffeehouse is just in front of the gallery. It’s called Ahmed Lipton. He offers the
best sheesha (water pipe) in Downtown, and he welcomes everyone.

You’ve lived here more than 20 years – how has the city changed?
It has gradually become far more conservative, and that has affected people’s lifestyles and op-
portunities for self-expression. But Cairo is still perhaps the most seductive city in the world for
a creative person, and the richest for those with imagination.

Belly-Dancing Lessons Felucca Rides

The most famous belly-dancing teacher in One of the most pleasant things to do on a
Cairo (and, indeed, in the whole of Egypt) warm day is to go out on a felucca, Egypt’s an-
is Mme Raqia Hassan (%3748 2338; raqiahassan@ cient broad-sail boat, with a supply of beer and
hotmail.com). Many of the country’s best dancers a small picnic just as sunset approaches. The
have learned their craft from Mme Hassan. best spot for hiring is the Dok Dok landing
She runs a small studio in her Doqqi apart- stage (Map p148) on the corniche in Garden
ment, where either she or one of her protégés City, across from the Four Seasons. Subject to
will give you (or a group, if you can get one haggling, a boat and captain should cost about
together) belly-dancing lessons. Some of the E£30 per hour irrespective of the number of
city’s gyms and health clubs will organise people on board; your captain will appreci-
group courses – try Samia Allouba Dance & ate additional baksheesh (possibly in liquid
Fitness Centre (Map pp144-5; %3302 0572; 6 Sharia form). The mooring point in Gezira just north
Amr) in Mohandiseen. of the Qasr el-Nil Bridge (Map p148) is less
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • D I Y C a i r o 155

desirable because the river is crowded here; Hilton’s pool is large, relatively deep and surrounded by

CAIRO
captains at the dock opposite the Shepheard shady trees.
Hotel (Map pp118–19) tend to be tougher to
bargain with. DIY CAIRO
Contrary to first impressions of careening
Golf buses and crammed sidewalks, Cairo is an
Run by the hotel, the Mena House Golf Course excellent city for walking. Really.
(Map p150; %3383 3222; www.oberoihotels.com; Pyramids It’s especially good for aimless, mapless
Rd, Giza; green fee E£150 plus club rental E£55; h7am- wandering: districts are relatively compact,
sunset), beneath the Pyramids, is always busy the terrain is level and the scenery changes
on Friday and Saturday, so better to tee off quickly enough to keep things interesting.
midweek. The course was being renovated in Streets are safe, and you will never acciden-
2007, and prices will likely rise. tally wander into a ‘bad’ neighbourhood. We
heartily encourage stowing the guide and let
Horse Riding yourself get at least a little lost in Cairo’s wind-
A horse ride out by the Pyramids can be a ing back lanes.
great way to escape the clamour of Cairo. For Feel free to walk in the street (most people
details, see p147. do), be considerate when taking photos, and
keep your ears open for local cues such as
Pool & Snooker hissing (see boxed text, p162). And at least
Pool and snooker are popular in Cairo. once, accept a stranger’s invitation to tea or
Many venues are in the wealthier suburbs soda. These are some of the best places to
away from the city centre. The most central stroll, over the course of a day.
snooker and pool halls are on the top floor
of the Ramses Hilton Mall (Map pp118-19; %2577 Islamic Cairo in the Morning
7444; east of the Ramses Hilton, Downtown; h2pm-4am). Start early – before 7.30am – with tea at
In Zamalek Aristocrat (Map pp144-5; %2736 6344; Fishawi’s (p169) and watch the khan slowly
2nd fl, 15 Sharia Ismail Mohammed; per hr E£22; h24hr) wake up. If you do want to work in a little
is a little mellower, and doubles as a bar sightseeing, take a quick stroll up Bein al-
and restaurant. Qasreen (p132) to admire the buildings with-
out the crush of traffic and commerce. But the
Swimming better, more aimless amble is to the south: take
Finding a place to cool off in the city can be the small alley behind Sharia al-Azhar, head-
difficult. Cairenes who can afford it swim in ing in the direction of Al-Azhar Park, then
sporting clubs, which do not admit nonmem- head south, roughly following the old walls
bers. Some hotels allow day use for nonguests, built by Salah ad-Din that are being excavated
at a price. Best options: as part of the park development. The tiny
Atlas Zamalek Hotel (Map pp144-5; %3346 7230; workshops produce shoes, parquet flooring,
[email protected]; 20 Gamiat ad-Dowal mother-of-pearl inlay boxes and more. But it’s
al-Arabiyya, Mohandiseen; minimum charge E£25) You’ll also a residential district, where families on
often have the rooftop pool here to yourself, and the price upper floors run baskets down to the ba’al for
can’t be beat. groceries, and knife-sharpeners and junk trad-
Cairo Marriott (Map pp144-5; %2728 3000; 16 Sharia ers (the men who shout ‘Beeeeeee-kya!’) roll
Saray al-Gezira, Zamalek; day use E£110) The Marriott has through the lanes. Keeping your general bear-
a good pool in a garden setting. The fee includes use of ings with the park to your left, you can wander
the gym and sauna. all the way down to the Citadel. Near the end,
Muhammad Ali Sporting Club (%010 568 6000; you’ll wind up on the southern stretch of Darb
Corniche el-Nil, Sharia Saied Giza, Moneib; day use Fri & al-Ahmar (p135). To loop back to Sharia al-
Sat adult/child £40/25, Sun-Thu E£25/15) Major social Azhar, go via Sharia al-Khayamiyya (p134),
scene – a mix of expats and Egyptians – at this cool where you can get a souvenir photo taken at
Nileside pool with beanbag chairs, beers and bikinis. Way Studio Shosha (Map p133).
south on the West Bank, about even with Ma’adi – a taxi
will cost E£20 from the centre. Garden City at Twilight
Nile Hilton (Map pp118-19; %2578 0444; 1113 The interlocking circles that form the streets
Corniche el-Nil, Downtown; pool day use E£110) The of Garden City are maddening if you want to
CAIRO 156 C A I R O • • C a i r o f o r C h i l d re n lonelyplanet.com

HOW TO BLEND IN
Even if your skin colouring allows it, it’s next to impossible to ‘pass’ as a native Cairene. But you
can look more like a resident expat, thus deflecting attention onto the more obvious tourists
walking behind you – and giving you more opportunity to enjoy the good things about Cairo.
Here’s how:
„ Carry your stuff in a plastic shopping bag or a generic tote. Nothing screams ‘tourist’ like a
multipocketed, extra-zippered, heavy-duty-nylon backpack with visible water bottle.
„ Wear impractical shoes. This is a city. Fashion counts.
„ Cover up your legs – this goes for men and women. Islamic rules aside, Egyptians simply have
a higher level of modesty, and it’s clear you haven’t been here long if you don’t feel embar-
rassed to show your knees in public.
„ Carry a copy of Al-Ahram Weekly – or the Arabic Al-Ahram, if you want to go deep undercover.
„ Learn and use the local nonverbal cues (see boxed text, p162).

get anywhere, but they’re perfect for strolling CAIRO FOR CHILDREN
just for the sake of admiring the crumbling Cairo can be exhausting for kids, but there is
mansions in this colonial-era district. The much they will enjoy. If you have a few days
best time to visit is the hour before sundown, in the city it may be worth buying Cairo, the
when the dust coating the architectural curl- Family Guide, by Lesley Lababidi and Lisa
icues turns a warm, glamorous gold and the Sabbahy (AUC Press, E£70), revised in 2006.
starlings shrill in the fruit trees. Most children will enjoy pretending to be a
You can start at the north end (get the pirate on a Nile felucca (p154), gawking at
brutalist concrete Canadian embassy behind the treasures of Tutankhamun in the Egyptian
you right away!) and wind south. Keep an Museum (p185), investigating the Pyramids
eye out for wrought-iron dragons on cob- at Giza (p143) and Dahshur (p206), as well as
webbed gates, a rare Turkish-style wood-front the maze of Khan al-Khalili (p128). A number
home and the last real garden in Garden City, of child-oriented activities and theme parks
behind the Four Seasons hotel. are also worth considering.
You’ll wind up, conveniently, near the Dok The long-running Cairo Puppet Theatre (Masrah
Dok felucca pier (p154) and Nileside Topkapi al-Ara’is; Map pp118-19; %2591 0954; admission E£5;
(p170). h6.30-8.15pm Thu, 10.30am-1pm Fri & Sun) is oppo-
site Ezbekiyya Gardens in Downtown. The
Downtown after Midnight shows are in Arabic, but are colourful and
This is less walking than café-hopping, when animated enough to entertain non-Arabic
the air is cool and the streets are thronged. speakers of all ages.
Start at Tawfiqiyya Souq (p117), which will Fun Planet (Map pp144-5; Arkadia Mall, Corniche el-Nil,
just be shutting down, while the ahwas in Bulaq; first 3 games E£10, each subsequent game E£3-5; h3-
the side alleys are just warming up. Then 11pm Sat-Thu & 1-11pm Fri) is an indoor amusement
wander back to Midan Orabi, where you can centre offering loads of rides and games and
perch on any random planter and someone will appeal to teenagers. Citystars Centre (see
will come and sell you tea. From here Sharia p177) also has a big indoor fun park.
Alfy and the smaller streets on either side The National Circus (Map pp144-5; %3347 0612;
are your playground for snacking, sheesha- Sharia el-Nil, Agouza, near the Zamalek Bridge; admission E£30-
smoking and maybe even some lavish tip- 50; hbox office 11am-10pm, performances 10pm-midnight)
ping of belly-dancers (see p173). Don’t miss is a traditional circus with clowns, acrobats,
the Kawkab ash-Sharq café (p169), which is lions and tigers and lots of glitter. You’ll usu-
devoted to Umm Kolthum – you might even ally find it here during the cooler months – it
get caught up in a spirited sing-along. No tours the country at other times of the year.
matter how late you’re out, you can wind up Not far away, children can feed the hippos, see
the night at the 24-hour Odeon Palace Hotel countless kinds of camels – and meet lots of
bar (p170). local kids – at the Cairo Zoo (Guineenat al-Haywanet;
Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels C A I R O • • T o u r s 157

Map p148; %3570 8895; Midan al-Gamaa, Giza; admission Cairo. We recommend Salah Muhammad’s

CAIRO
25pt; h9am-4pm). Noga Tours (%012 313 8446; www.first24hours.com),
The aqua park Crazy Water (%3781 4564; as he employs excellent English-speaking
admission children 3-10 E£25, children 10 & older E£35-45; guides, Egyptologists and drivers. Mohamed
h10am-10pm) has half-a-dozen water slides, a Anwar’s specialised museum tours (%012 340
wave pool, a kiddies’ pool, and a playground 7724) also have a good reputation. To hire a
area with sand, slides and tunnels. To get taxi for the day and dispense with a guide,
there from the Pyramids, drive 15km on the the friendly Fathy el-Menesy (%2259 3218, 012
Cairo–Alexandria road from its intersection 278 1572) owns a well-maintained Peugeot and
with Pyramids Rd, then turn left towards 6th speaks English, as does Abu Mu’azz (%010 563
of October City. 2078). Alternatively, ask at your hotel. Fathy el-
The theme park Dr Ragab’s Pharaonic Village Menesy charges between E£200 and E£250 for
(%3571 8675; www.pharaonicvillage.com; 3 Sharia al-Bahr a full day, and Noga Tours charges US$23.50
al-Azam, Corniche, Moneib; adult E£79-159, child under 5 free, (plus entry fees) per person for a day-long trip
child 5-10 years 20% discount, family with 2 children E£99; to the Giza Pyramids, Memphis and Saqqara.
h9am-6pm Sep-Jun, 9am-9pm Jul & Aug) is cheesy but Its half-day tour of Dahshur costs US$19.50
offers a child-friendly glimpse of what life in (plus entry fees) per person.
ancient Egypt would have been like, with a
boat trip past actors in Pharaonic costumes, FESTIVALS & EVENTS
a playground and an art centre where kids can For general information on festivals and pub-
make mini reed boats. Take a taxi (E£20 from lic holidays see p508.
Downtown), or walk the 800m from the Sakiat Arabic Music Festival At the Cairo Opera House in
Mekki metro stop. November.
Fagnoon Art School (%3815 1014; Saqqara Rd, Sabil Belly-dance festival (www.nilegroup.net) At the Mena
Umm Hashim; per day E£25; h10am-7pm) is a wonder- House Oberoi hotel in June. Check the website for details.
ful art centre in the fields between Giza and Cairo International Film Festival (www.cairofilmfest
Saqqara. Children can slosh paint around, .com) At the Cairo Opera House in November/December.
model clay, work with wrought iron or print Moulid an-Nabi Birthday of Prophet Mohammed,
and paint on textiles, all in the shadow of the 12 Rabi al-Awwal (9 March 2009, 26 February 2010). A
Saqqara step pyramid. You can bring your citywide party with sweets and kids in new clothes, but in
own food and drink, although fiteer (pancake/ the week beforehand, Midan Hussein is the venue for the
pizza), coffee and water are usually on sale. To most intense Sufi zikrs (long sessions of dancing, chanting
get here, take a microbus from the Pyramids Rd and swaying carried out to achieve oneness with God).
12.5km in the direction of Saqqara and asked to Other moulids The other big saints’ festivals in Cairo
be dropped off at Sabil Umm Hashim. celebrate Sayyidna al-Hussein (June 2009, mid-March
The pleasant Gabalaya Park & Aquarium (Fish 2010), Sayyida Zeinab (in July 2008, and June in 2009 and
Garden; Map pp144-5; Sharia Umm Kolthum, Zamalek; admis- 2010) and Imam ash-Shafi (August 2008, July 2009). They
sion E£1; h10am-5pm) has landscaped gardens are great parties if you are not afraid of rowdy crowds (see
with aquariums set in rocks (though not many boxed text, p509).
actual fish). It’s a great central spot to escape Ramadan Ninth month of the Islamic calendar (begins 1
the crowds. September 2008 and 22 August 2009). By day everything
Overlooking Islamic Cairo, Al-Azhar Park slows down: shops and offices open late and close early,
(Map pp110-11; %2510 7378; www.alazharpark.com; E£10; and just before sunset the streets empty as everyone goes
h9am-midnight) is home to one of the few chil- home to break the fast. But the nights, particularly in
dren’s playgrounds in the central city. Islamic Cairo, buzz until dawn.
When only bribery will help, try Mandarine Sham an-Nassim First Monday after Coptic Easter. Liter-
Koueider (see p168) for delectable, distract- ally meaning ‘sniffing the breeze’ (ie to welcome spring),
ing ice cream. Or cut straight to toys at Mom it’s a ritual that came from Pharaonic tradition via the
& Me (Map pp144-5; %2736 5751; 20A Sharia Mansour Copts, and is celebrated by all Cairenes, who picnic at the
Mohammed, Zamalek) or Toys R Us (Map pp144-5; %2578 zoo, in parks, by the Pyramids and on riverbanks and even
0820; Ground fl, Arkadia Mall, Bulaq). traffic islands.

TOURS SLEEPING
Innumerable companies and individu- Cairo has a few gem hotels, and something for
als offer tours of sights within and around every budget, but in the midrange, the choices
CAIRO 158 C A I R O • • S l e e p i n g Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels

CAIRO HOTEL SCAMS

In short, all scams are attempts to distract you from your lodging of choice. Hotels do not open
and close with any great frequency in Cairo, and if it’s listed in this book it is very unlikely to
have gone out of business by the time you arrive.
At the airport, you may be approached by a man or woman with an official-looking badge.
These people are not government tourism reps, they are hotel touts, and they can be shameless.
For instance, they’ll ask if you’ve booked a hotel. If you have, they’ll offer to call the hotel to
confirm that a room is waiting for you. Of course, they don’t call the hotel – they call a friend
who says that there is no booking and that his establishment is full. Concerned, the tout will
offer to find you an alternative…
Some taxi drivers will stall by telling you that they don’t know where your hotel is. In that
case tell them to let you out at Midan Talaat Harb – from here it’s a short walk to most budget
hotels. Other lines include telling you the hotel you’re heading for is closed/very expensive/
horrible/a brothel and suggesting a ‘better’ place, for which they earn a commission, which will
then be added to your bill.
The most complex scam is when a stranger (often on the airport bus) asks you your name and
where you’re staying. After a chat, the person says goodbye and isn’t seen again. What they next
do is call a friend, who goes and stands outside the hotel you’ve booked. When you arrive, he or
she will ask ‘Are you…?’, using the name you volunteered back at the airport. When you answer
in the affirmative, you’ll be told that the hotel has been flooded/closed by the police/totally
booked out and that the owners have organised a room for you elsewhere.
Finally, when checking in, never pay for more than a night in advance. No decent hotel will
ever ask for more substantial cash. We’ve had letters from readers asked to stump up for two
nights on arrival and then when they’ve decided to check out after one night (because of grotty
toilets, no hot water, whatever), they’ve been unable to get a refund.

are not numerous. Paying more may get you you’re best off in Downtown. Most of the
satellite TV, but it doesn’t guarantee quality – city’s hostels and cheap hotels are located on
a few budget (under-E£100) options outclass or around Sharia Talaat Harb in old, usu-
some midrange places that coast on package- ally decrepit, apartment blocks. (Grimy stairs
tour bookings. Breakfast is usually included in and shaky elevators aren’t necessarily a reflec-
the rate in both price categories, and prices are tion of the hotels above.) Many have balco-
somewhat negotiable, especially in the sum- nies and windows overlooking noisy main
mer, when tourists are fewer – consider the streets; request a rear room if you’re a light
rates quoted here a guideline. sleeper. Plumbing sometimes dates from the
On the upper end, there are far more luxury Pharaonic era; better hotels will have indi-
hotels in Cairo than we review – they line the vidual hot-water heaters in each bathroom.
banks of the Nile (handy for sightseeing) and
cluster by the Pyramids (scenic, but inconven- BUDGET
ient). Feel free to treat these establishments as African Hostel (Map p122; %2591 1744; africanhouse
locals do: as places of respite from the city din, [email protected]; 3rd fl, 15 Sharia Emad ad-Din; s/d/tr with-
with clean bathrooms and other comforts. You out bathroom E£35/60/75, d/tr E£65/80; i) The African
can soak up lobby air-con for hours, and many offers an affordable way to stay in one of the
of the pools (available only at this price level, city’s most gorgeous mid-19th-century build-
with one exception) are open to nonguests for ings (First Lady Suzanne Mubarak has her
a fee (see p155). Rates vary according to season offices here). You want a room on the upper
and other factors, and the prices quoted here floor, where the balconies are. Paint is peel-
don’t include taxes and service charges (which ing in spots, and the toilets occasionally run,
can add up to 25% more), or breakfast. but the staff are very nice and the kitchen is
enormous. The same crew runs the Richmond
Downtown (Map pp118–19; %2393 9358; 5th fl, 41
If you’re on a budget, or just want to be in Sharia Sherif) and the New Minerva (Map
the thick of things, near great cheap eateries, pp118–19; %2392 3273), located in an alley
Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels C A I R O • • S l e e p i n g 159

opposite the Richmond, both with the same MIDRANGE

CAIRO
bargain rates, though not such glam rooms. Carlton Hotel (Map pp118-19; %2575 5022; www.carlton
oPension Roma (Map pp118-19; %2391 1088; hotelcairo.com; 21 Sharia 26th of July; s/d half board E£135/195;
fax 2579 6243; 4th fl, 169 Sharia Mohammed Farid; s/d with- ai) The rooms at this old-fashioned place
out bathroom E£50/82, s/d with shower E£53/91) Run by near Cinema Rivoli are reasonably priced (and
a French-Egyptian woman with impeccable the staff often seem ready to make a deal),
standards, the Roma brings dignity, even el- but vary in size and degree of dilapidation.
egance, to the budget-travel scene. Towering The ones that have been renovated have shiny
ceilings, dark wood floors and filmy white cur- white paint, clean wood floors, satellite TV
tains create a feeling of timeless calm. Evening and private bathrooms. There’s a restaurant,
meals are an option. Book ahead, as the place is a coffeehouse and a welcoming rooftop cafete-
very popular with repeat guests, many of whom ria where you can enjoy a cold beer.
could afford to stay at more expensive hotels Windsor Hotel (Map pp118-19; %2591 5277; www
but prefer the old-Cairo atmosphere here. .windsorcairo.com; 19 Sharia Alfy; s/d with shower & hand
Lialy Hostel (Map pp118-19; %2575 2802; 3rd fl, 8 basin US$30/38, s/d US$42/52, deluxe US$48/58; ai)
Midan Talaat Harb; s/d E£50/60, s/d/t with air-con E£60/70/90; Practically speaking, the rooms at the Windsor
a) Lialy’s position on Midan Talaat Harb are dim, with low ceilings and noisy air-
puts it right in the thick of the action. Ten conditioners. But with the beautifully main-
simple rooms share three bathrooms; every- tained elevator, worn marble stairs and hotel
thing is clean but the hot water sometimes restaurant where the dinner bell chimes every
runs out. Some rooms have double beds and evening at 7.30pm, the place is hard for nos-
air-con. There’s a small collection of books to talgia buffs to resist. The entrance (to both the
read, a large breakfast room with satellite TV hotel and the bar) is on the back side, in the
and free use of the kitchen. narrow street just south of Sharia Alfy.
Tulip Hotel (Map pp118-19; %2392 2704; tuliphotel@ Fontana Hotel (Map p122; %2592 2321; fax 2592
yahoo.com; 3 Midan Talaat Harb; s with fan E£65-75, d with 2145; Midan Ramses; s/d US$32/37; a) Sensible peo-
fan E£95-105, s with air-con E£110, d with air-con E£130-140; ple will avoid this place; kitsch connoisseurs,
ai) Divided among three floors, the rooms however, will be uncontrollably drawn to the
at this older hotel have high ceilings and clean mind-boggling décor: lurid murals, animal
tile floors. Rates depend on air-con availability patterns, flowers, layers of rugs and more fur-
and the size of the bathroom. The back rooms niture than you can possibly use in a night’s
are surprisingly quiet for the location, and the stay. Bathrooms are newish, and there’s a big
staff are polite and friendly. rooftop pool with a view over the square.
Hotel Select (Map pp118-19; %2393 3707; hostel oHotel Osiris (Map pp118-19; %2794 5728;
[email protected]; 8th fl, 19 Sharia Adly; dm/d/tr E£75/100/130; http://hotelosiris.free.fr; 12th fl, 49 Sharia Nubar; s/d from
ai) On a breezy upper floor with a wrap- US$34/41; ai) On the top floor of a commer-
around balcony, the Select has great views cial building, the Osiris’ rooms enjoy views
across Downtown – particularly from one of across the city. The French-Egyptian couple
the corner doubles or triples. Brightly painted who run the place keep the tile floors and
walls and lots of chintz-covered furniture give white walls spotless, and the pretty hand-sewn
the place a cheerful, homy feel, and guests appliqué bedspreads tidily arranged on the
can use a small kitchen. Note there are no supercomfy mattresses. Breakfast, served on
private singles, however – just one four-bed a side terrace or the roof, involves fresh juice
dorm-style room. and crepes and omelettes. Its location in Bab
Hotel Luna (Map pp118-19; %2396 1020; www.hotel al-Luq is quiet at night.
lunacairo.com; 5th fl, 27 Sharia Talaat Harb; r without bath- Grand Hotel (Map pp118-19; %2575 7700; grandhotel@
room E£100, r E£110-150; ai) The owner of this link.net; 17 Sharia 26th of July; s/d US$36/46; ai) This
modern, backpacker-friendly place is one of busy seven-storey palace managed to survive
the most fastidious in the city, and his spar- conversion to a midrange place without los-
kling rooms offer many small comforts, such ing its old-fashioned luxury character – the
as bedside lamps and bathmats. In the newer hundred or so rooms still have good parquet
‘Oasis’ wing, even the paint and furniture are floors, but new, shiny white-tile bathrooms.
colour-coordinated in soothing pastels – a Entry is around the back in a tiny plaza.
rare sight indeed in Egypt. Excellent shared Victoria Hotel (Map p122; %2589 2290; info@victoria
kitchen too. .com.eg; 66 Sharia al-Gomhuriyya; s/d US$37/48; ai)
 160 C A I R O • • S l e e p i n g Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels

Not far from Ramses Station, the Victoria bathroom E£55, d without bathroom E£81-95, s/d E£73/106;
CAIRO

is grand old palace with the happy addition a) This pension is untouched by time – not
of utterly silent air-conditioning, as well as great in some ways (rooms could use a fresh
comfy beds and satellite TV. Off long halls coat of paint), but a boon in others, such as
lined with clouded mirrors, the rooms have the gentlemanly staff (nice for solo women).
antique furniture and nice high ceilings – Shared bathrooms can be small and stifling;
but no balconies, unfortunately. The place private bathrooms are much more spacious.
is not in central Downtown, but that keeps The handy location is steps from Tahrir, but
prices lower – and you’re very close to the you can walk out and not be immediately
Ataba and Orabi metro stops. accosted by touts.
Cosmopolitan Hotel (Map pp118-19; %2392 384; fax
393 3531; 1 Sharia ibn Taalab; s/d US$44/55; a) Gloomy TOP END
Spanish Inquisition–look furniture, mysteri- Grand Hyatt (Map p148; %2365 1234; http://cairo.grand
ously spotted carpeting and reports of surly .hyatt.com; Corniche el-Nil, Rhoda; s/d from US$200/225;
service would normally get this place dropped a) The new favourite of tourists from the
from the list. But its prime location, on a tran- Gulf, the Hyatt is suitably glitzy. It has by far
quil pedestrian street in Downtown, is tough the best Nileside terrace in town and a gar-
to beat, as is its gorgeous Art Nouveau façade gantuan rooftop pool. Rooms are minimalist
and entry staircase. If you could choose any- chic, with brushed-gold trim and large marble
where in Cairo, this might not be it – but if bathrooms even in the standard layout.
it’s already booked as part of a package, you Four Seasons at Nile Plaza (Map p148; %2791
could do worse. 7000; www.fourseasons.com; 1089 Corniche el-Nil; s/d from
US$270/300; ais) Of the two Four Seasons
TOP END properties in Cairo (the other is the First
Talisman Hotel (Map pp118-19; %2393 9431; www Residence in Giza), this one may be marginally
.talisman-hotel.com; 5th fl, 39 Sharia Talaat Harb; s/d/ste less posh, but it has a much handier location –
US$80/107/160; ai) Thanks to double-pane you can walk to the Egyptian Museum in about
windows, Downtown traffic is a distant mem- 15 minutes. Rooms have lavish bathrooms and
ory once you’re inside this luxurious cocoon, windows that actually open. The Omar Nagdi
the only boutique hotel in the city. The 24 canvas behind reception is just one piece of a
rooms are an impeccable mix of Egyptian big collection of modern Egyptian art.
handicrafts, rococo furniture and jewel-tone
colours. Turn into the alley opposite the A Islamic Cairo
L’Americaine Coffee Shop; enter the first Given crazy crowds, touts like locusts and
building entrance on the right and use the more than the usual number of mosques
lift on the left side of the foyer. with amplified calls to prayer, we can’t ra-
Nile Hilton (Map pp118-19; %2578 0444; www.hilton tionally recommend bunking here. But if you
.com; 1113 Corniche el-Nil; r from US$170; ais) A want to plunge in at Cairo’s deep end, this is
1959 midcentury-modern monolith, the Nile the place.
Hilton has been around long enough that its El-Hussein Hotel (Map p129; %2591 8089; Midan
sleek concrete look is coming back into style. Hussein; s/d E£105/130; a) About the only remotely
The unbeatable location, off Midan Tahrir appealing option in the area. Off either side
and adjacent to the Egyptian Museum, as well of an open-ended hallway (where street noise
as an exceptionally pretty pool, makes up for reverberates), the rooms are basic, though re-
the smallish, not-very-stylish rooms. cently painted a soothing shade of mint green.
But if you park yourself in a front-facing one
Garden City with a balcony, the people-watching below is
Just south of Midan Tahrir, this area is in so mesmerizing you may not want to sleep
some ways just as convenient as Downtown anyway. There’s a top-floor restaurant (no
(still an easy walk away), and a lot quieter. alcohol). Entrance is in the back alley, one
Options are limited, however. block off the square.

BUDGET Zamalek
Garden City House (Map pp118-19; %2542 0600; www For a good night’s sleep, the relatively quiet
.gardencity.plus.com; 23 Sharia Kamal ad-Din Salah; s without enclave of Zamalek is the best in the city.
Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels C A I R O • • S l e e p i n g 161

This is also where many of Cairo’s best res- plies the breakfasts – for the right guest, this

CAIRO
taurants, shops, bars and coffee shops are makes up for a lot.
located, and most of the city’s sights are a
short taxi ride away (or take a E£2 cab to the TOP END
Gezira metro station). Unfortunately, it’s not Golden Tulip Flamenco Hotel (Map pp144-5; %2735
very budget-friendly. 0815; www.flamencohotels.com; 2 Sharia Gezirat al-Wusta;
standard s/d US$105/121, superior s/d US$121/144; ai)
BUDGET This popular business-class place is comfort-
Mayfair Hotel (Map pp144-5; %2735 7315; mayfair able and well equipped – as long as you skip
[email protected]; 2nd fl, 9 Sharia Aziz Osman; s/d with- the small standard rooms and go for the more
out bathroom E£80/100, s/d E£130/150; ai) In an spacious ‘superior’ class, which have balco-
Art Deco building on a quiet street, the nies overlooking the houseboats on the Nile.
Mayfair got a redo in 2006, making it one Book ahead; a 25% discount applies in May
of the better-value places in the neighbour- and June.
hood – especially when you’re relaxing on Cairo Marriott (Map pp144-5; %2728 3000; www
the large terrace. Solo travellers will find .marriott.com/caieg; 16 Sharia Saray al-Gezira; s/d from US$180;
the single rooms cramped, however, and ais) A 19th-century palace provides the
the young staff perfectly nice but perhaps a lobby and other public areas, but the rooms
tad too attentive. Generous balconies, TVs, are all in two modern towers. Renovated in
fridges and nice wood floors are a plus in the 2007, with touches such as plasma-screen TVs
larger rooms. and extra-plush beds, the rooms are some of
the more comfortable in this price bracket,
MIDRANGE even if the standard bathrooms are as small
Pension Zamalek (Map pp144-5; %2735 9318; pension as prison cells. It also has a popular garden
[email protected]; 6 Sharia Salah ad-Din; s/d without café and a great pool.
bathroom E£100/150, with air-con extra E£25; a) With
a warm welcome from mum and the kids Giza & Harraniyya
watching TV in the living room, you’ll feel as Because the Nile’s west bank is inconvenient
if you’ve moved in with a family if you stay at for sightseeing, the only reason to stay here is
this clean and quiet pension a few blocks off for absolute luxury – or if you’re determined
the main drag. It has 14 kitschily furnished, to pitch a tent.
slightly dim rooms (four with air-con) and
shared bathrooms. Discounts are available BUDGET
for long stays. Salma Motel (off Map pp110-11; %3381 5062, 010 270
Hotel Longchamps (Map pp144-5; %2735 2311; www 4442; Saqqara Rd, Harraniyya; camping per person E£25, cabin
.hotellongchamps.com; 5th fl, 21 Sharia Ismail Mohammed; E£80) The only camping option in Cairo is
s US$48-54, d US$68-75; a) The old-European- miles from the centre, adjacent to the Wissa
style Longchamps has a residential feel. Wassef Art Centre (p151). As it’s close to a
Rooms are spacious and well maintained, canal, mosquitoes can be a problem, whether
and guests gather to chat on the peaceful, you’re in a camping spot or one of the dou-
greenery-covered rear balcony around sunset ble cabins. Breakfast is not included in the
or lounge in the restaurant (where alcohol – rate, nor offered. To get here, take a microbus
and a full breakfast buffet – is served). If you or taxi from Pyramids Rd in the direction of
want your own balcony and a small bath- Saqqara and get off when you see the blue
tub, pay extra for an ‘executive’ room. Book ‘Harraniyya’ sign.
well ahead.
President Hotel (Map pp144-5; %2735 0718; pres TOP END
[email protected]; 22 Sharia Taha Hussein; s/d US$55/65; Mena House Oberoi (Map p150; %3377 3222; www
ai) According to the lobby, this is a thor- .menahouseoberoi.com; Pyramids Rd; r garden wing from
oughly modern three-star place with glitter- US$165, s/d palace wing from US$235/280; ais)
ing mirrors and plush carpeting. But rooms Built in 1869 as Khedive Ismail’s hunting
don’t live up to the promise – the newish lodge, the stately Mena House offers two time
bathrooms make the rest look a little shabby. warps in one: the public areas sport dazzling
There is, however, a good top-floor bar and a Islamic decoration and perpetually smell of
very tasty patisserie in the lobby, which sup- jasmine, but the grandest palace-wing rooms
 162 C A I R O • • E a t i n g lonelyplanet.com

are Barbarella-meets–Ali Baba, with groovy to the counter man, who wouldn’t mind a tiny
CAIRO

tapestry bedspreads and smoky mirrors. You tip when all is done.)
really have to splash out with a Pyramids view, Many restaurants tend to double as bars
because ‘garden’ views take in unsavoury and nightclubs, with guests proceeding from
chain-link fencing, while rooms in the new multicourse meals into boozing and grooving
garden wing are dully modern. The swimming before the night is over – if a place like this
pool is suitably capacious. has notably scrumptious food, we list it here,
but if the scene’s more the thing, it’s under
EATING Drinking (p170).
With some of the best restaurants in the Too tired to leave the hotel? You can get
country, Cairo is the place to sample not only just about anything delivered, and even
refined versions of Egyptian classics, but also order online through www.otlob.com, with
all the pizza, pasta and even Thai food you’ve service from more than 60 of the city’s most
been craving. You can spend E£5 or E£250 popular restaurants.
on dinner – and if you go for the latter, your
fellow guests will appreciate it if you dress Downtown
the part. Most swank dining options are at Forget fine dining. This is predominantly
the luxury hotels, and the chefs are usually cheap-and-cheerful territory, plus a few nos-
imported straight from the relevant country, talgic favourites.
along with all the ingredients. At these and
some midrange places, expect to pay an ad- BUDGET
ditional 22% or so, for tax and service (a few oAt-Tabei ad-Dumyati (Map p122; %2575 4211;
extra pounds’ cash tip is always appreciated). 31 Sharia Orabi; dishes E£1-8; h7am-1am) About 200m
At the other end of the spectrum are the north of Midan Orabi, this place offers some
scores of street carts, kushari (spicy rice and of the best meals in Cairo – and they just hap-
lentils) counters, and fruit-and-veg mar- pen to be some of the cheapest as well. Start
kets where the majority of Cairenes feed by picking four salads from a large array (the
themselves. You’ll see Pizza Hut, KFC and garlic-marinated tomatoes are killer, though
McDonald’s, but these glossy places are out of they’re not always available), then order
the reach of many locals; for visitors, they’re shwarma (E£5.50) or ta’amiyya, along with
a source of clean bathrooms, at least. But some lentil soup or fuul. The eggplant sand-
don’t write off everything that looks like fast wiches are also delicious, and a steal at 75pt.
food: Egyptian minichains such as Koshary El There are branches in the food court of the
Tahrir (opposite) are often some of the most Talaat Harb Complex (Map pp118–19) and
delicious and cheap meals you’ll have. Look in Mohandiseen (Map pp144–5).
for them along the main avenues Downtown Akher Sa’a (Map pp118-19; %2575 1668; 8 Sharia
and along Sharia 26th of July in Zamalek. Alfy; dishes E£1-9; h24hr) A frantically busy fuul
(Note that at takeout places, you place your and ta’amiyya takeaway joint with a no-frills
order with the cashier, then take your receipt cafeteria next door, Akher Sa’a has a limited

SILENT COMMUNICATION IN CAIRO

Cairenes have a whole array of nonverbal ways of getting a point across – and if you know some
of them, you’ll be much less likely to get offended, run over or neglected in a restaurant.
First, ‘no’ is often communicated with a simple upward nod or a brusque tsk sound – which
can seem a bit rude if you’re not expecting it. But if you use it casually to touts on the street,
they’re more likely to leave you alone.
Another signal that’s often misinterpreted by foreigners is a loud hissing sound. No, that guy
isn’t commenting on your hot bod (well, OK, sometimes he might be) – he’s trying to get your
attention so you don’t get trampled by his donkey cart coming down the narrow lane. Translate
a hiss as ‘Heads up – comin’ through’.
But the most essential gesture to learn is the one for asking for the bill at a restaurant. Make
eye contact with your waiter, hold out your hand palm up, then make a quick chopping motion
across it with the side of your other hand, as if to say ‘Cut me off’. Works like a charm.
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • E a t i n g 163

menu but its food is fresh and good. The sign’s students set up camp here, chowing down on

CAIRO
in Arabic only; there’s a Christian bookstore big salads, stuffed baked potatoes and sand-
next door. A branch at 14 Sharia Abdel Khalek wiches. For coffee, though, you’re better off at
Sarwat has a fast-food-style setup downstairs one of the other cafés on this strip.
(note the genius giant-ta’amiyya ‘burger’) but Greek Club (Map pp118-19; %2575 0822; 3 Sharia
glacial table service upstairs. Mahmoud Bassiouni; mains E£10-18; h7pm-2am) About
Gad (Map pp118-19; %2576 3583; 13 Sharia 26th of July; the only thing that’s still Greek about this
dishes E£2-12; h9am-2am) This fast-food eatery is private club is the bazouki music playing on
usually packed to the rafters with a constant its outdoor terrace, where cats clamber on a
stream of young Cairenes sampling its fresh shady pergola. But it’s a nice place to have a
and well-priced food. The fiteer with Greek beer and a light meal; the menu is standard
cheese is scrumptious and the quarter chicken Egyptian, with a few Greek items, such as
with rice and salad is both tasty and good tzatziki, thrown in. If you can convince the
value. You can sit upstairs or take away from door staff of your Hellenic heritage, you can
the front counters. It has branches throughout skip the E£5 cover charge.
the city, including opposite Khan al-Khalili Abu al-Hassan al-Haty (Map pp118-19; 3 Sharia Halim;
(Map p129). mains E£15-25) With its foggy mirrors, dusty
Koshary El Tahrir (Map pp118-19; Sharia Tahrir; chandeliers and waiters who look older than
small/medium/large kushari E£3/4/5) Our independ- the building itself, this is a beautiful relic of
ent taste tests confirmed that this place is Downtown – it’s often used as a set for period
actually better than Abu Tarek (heresy!). TV shows. The food (all grilled items) is a bit
There’s a second branch on Sharia Abdel secondary, but perfectly palatable.
Khalek Sarwat. Centro Recreativo Italiano Il Cairo (Map pp118-19;
Abu Tarek (Map pp118-19; 40 Sharia Champollion; %2575 9590; 40 Sharia 26th of July; pizza E£15-30; h7-
small/large kushari E£3/5; h8am-midnight) ‘We have 11pm) In winter, Cairo’s Italian social club is
no other branches!’ proclaims this veritable in a cosy, wood-panelled room; in summer,
kushari temple – no, the place has just ex- it moves out into a vast yard in the centre of
panded, decade by decade, into the upper the embassy compound. It’s the place to sa-
stories of its building, even as it has held vour rarities such as great crisp-crust pizzas,
onto the unofficial Best Kushari title. The affordable red wine and even pork products.
line moves fast; it’s worth eating in to get Non-Italians pay an E£10 cover.
the proper dose of garlicky vinegar, which Felfela Restaurant (Map pp118-19; %2392 2833; 15
isn’t packed with takeout orders. Sharia Hoda Shaarawi; entrées E£3-7, mains E£15-40; h8am-
Fatatri at-Tahrir (Map pp118-19; 166 Sharia Tahrir; midnight) Packed with tourists, coach parties
dishes E£9-16; h7am-1am) This tiny place just and locals since 1963, Felfela is an institu-
off Midan Tahrir has been serving sweet and tion that can deliver a reliable, if not wildly
savoury fiteer to Downtown residents, AUC delicious, meal and good service. A bizarre
students and legions of backpackers for dec- jungle theme rules the décor, but the food is
ades. It’s reliable and delicious, though it can straight-down-the-line Egyptian and consist-
get very crowded in the afternoon. ently decent, especially the mezze and grilled
Other supercheap options: chicken. A Stella costs E£12.
Abu Samra (Map pp118-19; Tawfiqiyya Souq) Excellent Café Riche (Map pp118-19; %2392 9793; 17 Sharia
ta’amiyya. Talaat Harb; dishes E£15-40; h9am-1am) This narrow
Felfela Takeaway (Map pp118-19; Sharia Talaat Harb) restaurant was the favoured drinking spot
Also excellent. of Cairo’s intelligentsia. It’s a bit less lively
Koshary Goha (Map pp118-19; 4 Sharia Emad ad-Din; now, but nonetheless a reliable and nostalgic
kushari E£2-3; h10am-midnight) Average kushari but spot to enjoy a meal (even a European-style
gorgeous vintage-Cairo setting. breakfast) and a glass of wine, surrounded by
Sayed Hanafy (Map pp118-19; Midan Orabi; small/ framed portraits of Cairo luminaries on the
medium/large kushari E£3/4/5; h24hr) Good kushari, wood-panelled walls.
and pavement tables. oEmara Hati al-Gish (Map pp118-19; %2796
2964; 32 Sharia Falaki; sandwiches E£10-12, mains E£17-24;
MIDRANGE h11am-11pm) Carnivores will salivate instantly
Pottery Café (Map pp118-19; %2796 0260; 35 Sharia upon entering this grill palace, where the air
Mohammed Mahmoud; dishes E£8-22; h7am-11pm) AUC is heavy with the smell of charcoal-cooked
 164 C A I R O • • E a t i n g lonelyplanet.com

meat, from a quarter-kilo (E£17.50) – up to (Map pp118-19; off Midan Falaki). Tawfiqiyya Souq is
CAIRO

a full stuffed, roasted sheep on request. The open late, and there’s an exceptionally good
kastileeta (lamb chops) are particularly splen- dairy store for ricotta-style cheese and rice
did, and the mouza (shins) good for gnawing. pudding (around the corner on Sharia Talaat
There’s another branch in Mohandiseen, at Harb) plus numerous ba’als, the all-purpose
164 Sharia 26th of July, off Midan Sphinx grocers where you can stock up on yogurt,
(Map pp144–5). No alcohol. crackers and drinks. For Western-style bread
Gomhouriya (Map pp118-19; 42 Sharia Falaki; meals try the Nile Hilton Deli (Map pp118-19; h8am-11pm).
E£20; h1pm-3am) Stuffed pigeon is the only For pastries and sweets head for El-Abd Bakery
thing on the menu, but it’s splendid, served (Map pp118-19; 35 Sharia Talaat Harb; pastries E£1-6; h8am-
with salad and all-you-can-drink mugs of pep- midnight), Cairo’s most famous pastry shop, eas-
pery, lemony broth. No alcohol, and easy to ily identified by the crowds of people outside
miss because it’s small and there’s no English tearing into their Oriental sweets and savoury
sign; look for the big open oven. Out back pies. There’s another branch on the corner of
are a few tables, along with sinks for washing Sharia 26th of July and Sharia Sherif.
off the grease when you’re done nibbling the
tasty fowl. Garden City
Sangria (Map pp144-5; %2579 6511; Casino ash- The luxury hotels here have some excellent
Shaggara, Corniche el-Nil, Bulaq; meals E£22-60; h1pm-3am) restaurants. Look on Sharia Qasr al-Ainy for
Adjacent to the club Absolute and opposite local haunts.
the Conrad hotel, Sangria has great Nile views El Sakya (Map p148; %2365 1234; Grand Hyatt Hotel,
from its 1st-floor terrace (where the stylish Corniche el-Nil; dishes E£22-90; hnoon-1am) Dotted
scene is) and a large garden area, which often with big white umbrellas and jutting over the
has a more casual crowd, including children. water, the terrace restaurant at the Grand
Hip music adds to the ambience – the place Hyatt is a great place to take in a view of the
is as much a bar as a restaurant. There’s a Nile – and perhaps some local movie stars,
minimum charge of E£50, but that’s not hard as this is a popular place to schmooze. The
to meet when a Sakkara costs E£23, and the menu draws from all the hotel’s restaurants,
menu ranges from spring rolls to garlic mush- so you can take your pick of Indian, Italian,
rooms to penne alla vodka. You’ll find it in American and more.
Bulaq, just north of Downtown on the Nile. Taboula (Map p148; %2792 5261; 1 Sharia Latin
Le Bistro (Map pp118-19; %2392 7694; 8 Sharia Hoda America; mezze E£10-30, mains E£30-45; hnoon-1am) The
Shaarawi; mains E£32-36) Tucked away below street Lebanese food at this basement joint isn’t as
level, Le Bistro nonetheless tries to conjure good as Sabaya’s (below), but the atmosphere
summery France with a blue-and-white colour is more fun – here it’s all big groups of Cairenes
scheme and Gallic crooners on the stereo. The celebrating birthdays around giant commu-
food may not quite match its European ideal, nal tables, with lots of cocktails to go around.
but Francophone Cairenes love it, and steak Mezze such as the tomiyya (garlic sauce) are
frites can make a nice change from kebab. your best bet, but skip the meatballs.
Estoril (Map pp118-19; %2574 3102; 12 Sharia Talaat Bird Cage (Map pp118-19; %2795 7171; Semiramis
Harb; mezze E£7-35, mains E£32-59) Walking into InterContinental, Corniche el-Nil; appetisers E£26-85, mains
Estoril (from an alley next to the Amex office) E£42-95; hnoon-1am) Spicy means spicy at Cairo’s
can be a little awkward: stroll through clouds best Thai restaurant, a soothing, wood-
of cigarette smoke, past booths crammed with panelled space that’s a favourite with wealthy
Cairo’s arts-and-letters set, then get the atten- Cairenes. Standards such as fish cakes and
tion of a waiter, which is no mean feat. Once grilled beef salad are delicious and beautifully
seated, though, you’ll feel like one of the club, presented, as are more nouvelle offerings like
scooping up simple mezze and ordering beer pla pow (sea bass wrapped in banana leaves).
after beer. It’s not uncommon to see women Recipes might be a little light on the fish sauce
alone here, and the bar in the back is a good for some tastes, but otherwise show a gener-
place to perch for a shorter stay. ous use of traditional Thai flavours. Don’t
miss the coconut biscotti served with tea – not
SELF-CATERING particularly Thai, but very tasty.
For fresh fruit and vegetables try Tawfiqiyya Souq Sabaya (Map pp118-19; %2795 7171; Semiramis
(Map pp118-19; Sharia Talaat Harb) or Souq Bab al-Luq InterContinental, Corniche el-Nil; mezze E£15-29, mains
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • E a t i n g 165

E£48-108; h7.30pm-1am) Lebanese cuisine is ticularly on the weekend. If you’re not up for

CAIRO
Egypt’s most common ‘ethnic’ food, but a full meal, you can have a coffee (E£12) at the
it’s rarely done as well as it is here, where Alain Le Notre Café upstairs.
the diverse and delicate mezze come with
fresh-baked pillows of pita, and mains such Zamalek
as fatteh are served in individual cast-iron Zamalek has some of Cairo’s best and most
pots. The setting is very sleek, but consider- stylish restaurants. Cheap dining is not one
ing portion sizes are generous and sharing is of the island’s fortes, but there are a few pos-
the norm, the prices are not as high as you sibilities, including the Baraka shwarma stand
would expect. (Map pp144–5) on Sharia Brazil and a kush-
ari stand (Map pp144–5) on the west side of
Islamic Cairo Sharia Shagaret ad-Durr.
There are plenty of fast-food joints around
Midan Hussein but the restaurants in this MIDRANGE
part of town are limited – you really have to Didos Al Dente (Map pp144-5; %2735 9117; 26 Sharia
like grilled meat, and not be too squeamish Bahgat Ali; pasta E£6.50-22.50) A noisy, crowded
about hygiene. pasta joint with a small outdoor space, Didos
rings with the clatter of dishes and often has
BUDGET crowds waiting out front for a table. It’s popu-
Al-Halwagy (Map p129; Midan Hussein; dishes E£5-30; lar with students from the nearby AUC dorm
h24hr) Not directly on the square, but just be- and it comes pretty close to living up to its
hind a row of buildings, this good ta’amiyya, claim of making the best noodles in town.
fuul and salad place has been around for No alcohol.
nearly a century. You can eat at pavement Maison Thomas (Map pp144-5; %2735 7057; 157
tables or hide away upstairs. Sharia 26th of July; sandwiches E£12-40, pizzas E£23-40;
Egyptian Pancakes (Map p129; Midan Hussein; dishes h24hr) A little slice of Europe, with loads of
E£10-15; h24hr) Adjacent to Al-Halwagy, this brass and mirrors, and waiters in long white
popular place serves up made-to-order fit- aprons serving crusty baguette sandwiches.
eer topped with your choice of cheese, egg, But this institution is best known for its pizza,
tomato, olives and ground meat. For dessert, with generous toppings. There’s a branch in
choose your toppings from raisins, coconut Heliopolis (Map p153).
and icing sugar. La Mezzaluna (Map pp144-5; %2735 2655; Sharia
Aziz Osman; mains E£17-36; h7am-11pm) Head down
MIDRANGE & TOP END a tiny alley to find this funky bilevel space
Khan el-Khalili Restaurant & Mahfouz Coffee Shop that’s frequented by Cairo bohemians. The
(Map p129; %2590 3788; 5 Sikket al-Badistan; snacks E£9- menu is roughly Italian, from conventional
20, mains E£14-50; h10am-2am) The luxurious combos such as tomato and basil to the ‘Illy
Moorish-style interiors of this restaurant and pasta’ (beef bacon, cream, radicchio and cof-
adjoining café are a popular haven from the fee). Salads are enormous. No alcohol, but the
khan’s bustle/hassle. The place may be geared little patio out front is a quiet place to take
entirely to tourists, but the food is reasonably coffee. There’s an outpost in Mohandiseen
good, the air-con is strong and the toilets are too (Map pp110–11).
clean. Tea is E£10 and sheesha is E£9. Look for Crave (Map pp144-5; %2736 3870; 22A Sharia Taha
the metal detector in the lane, immediately Hussein; mains E£18-50; hnoon-1am) This little black-
west of the medieval gate. and-white eatery looks extremely chic, but it
oCitadel View (Map pp110-11; %2510 9151; has a welcoming (rather than snooty) staff and
Al-Azhar Park; entrées E£9.50-14, mains E£20-65, minimum a reasonably priced menu of pizzas, pasta and
E£100; hnoon-1am) Eating at this gorgeous res- the like. Score one of the comfy corner couch
taurant – on a vast multilevel terrace, with setups, and you could find yourself loung-
Cairo’s elite seated around you and the whole ing here for quite some time. Many expats
city sprawled below – feels almost like visit- think its ‘Zombie Burger’ (E£25) is the best in
ing a luxury resort. Fortunately, though, the town, and the megasize, superrich chocolate
prices are not so stratospheric, and the food, fondant dessert will satisfy serious cravings
all traditional Egyptian grill items, is quite (order it with your main meal, to allow for
good. Reservations are recommended, par- baking time).
 166 C A I R O • • E a t i n g lonelyplanet.com

Abou El Sid (Map pp144-5; %2735 9640; 157 Sharia away from the Nile view long enough to make
CAIRO

26th of July; mezze E£11-24, mains E£25-57; hnoon-2am) a choice from the 53 mezze on offer. Unlike
Cairo’s first hipster Egyptian restaurant, many other eateries on the river, prices are
Abou El Sid is as popular with tourists as reasonable and you don’t have to be wearing
it is with upper-class natives looking for a designer glad rags to score a table. A Stella
taste of their roots – Omar Sharif has been costs E£24.
known to savour the chicken with molokhi- Chili’s (Map pp144-5; %2735 3122; Nile City Boat, Sharia
yya, but you can also enjoy a sugar-cane- Saray al-Gezira; entrées E£20-30, mains E£29-60; h11am-
and-tequila cocktail at the big bar, or a 1am) The American pseudo-Mexican chain
postprandial sheesha. It’s all served amid now occupies a spot on the Nile where Naguib
hanging lamps, kitschy gilt ‘Louis Farouk’ Mahfouz used to hold court – as Cairo goes,
furniture and fat pillows. There’s another so goes the world. All-you-can-eat salsa and
branch in Mohandiseen, on Midan Amman chips and a ‘build your own fajita’ platter sat-
(Map pp110–11; %3749 7326). Reservations isfy both homesick expats and middle-class
are a must. The entrance is on the west side Egyptians eager for exotic flavours.
of the Baehler’s Mansions complex; look for
the tall wooden doors. Mohandiseen & Doqqi
L’Aubergine (Map pp144-5; %2738 0080; 5 Sharia These grey concrete suburbs look bland and
Sayyed al-Bakry; entrées E£14-20, mains E£26-36; hnoon- flavourless, but it’s possible to find some
2am) This white-walled, candlelit bistro de- excellent restaurants among the plethora of
votes half its menu to vegetarian dishes such fast-food outlets.
as blue-cheese ravioli and aubergine mous-
saka – you can’t go wrong with most of the BUDGET
cheesier, creamier items, and the mellow jazz Al-Omda (Map pp144-5; %3346 2701; 6 Sharia al-Ghazza,
soundtrack is soothing. Mohandiseen; dishes E£8-30; hnoon-2am) A mini-
Sabai Sabai (Map pp144-5; %2735 1846; 21 Sharia al- empire taking up the better part of a block,
Shaer Aziz Abaza; entrées E£8-35, mains E£30-85) Even if Al-Omda offers numerous ways to put grilled
you’re not craving Thai food, you might want meats into your system. At the takeout joint
to visit this mellow little restaurant for its quiet on the corner, get a shish tawouq sandwich
outdoor terrace. Salads and appetizers have all with spicy pickles. Or else you can sit down
the requisite lemongrass and herbs, but the cur- in the old-style ‘Oriental’ restaurant around
ries are a little weak. Taxi drivers may know the the corner to your left, or head upstairs to
street by its old name, Sharia Maahad al-Swissry; the neon-lit café and get a sheesha with the
the entrance is to the right of the hotel. trendy crowd. Down the block to the right,
Sequoia (Map pp110-11; %2576 8086; 3 Sharia Abu two other places add kushari and pizza. No
al-Feda; mezze E£8, mains E£32-60, minimum Sat-Wed E£50, alcohol served.
Thu-Fri E£75; h1pm-1am) At the very northern tip
of Zamalek, this sprawling Nileside lounge is a MIDRANGE
major scene, with art exhibits by Townhouse Samakmak (Map pp144-5; %3302 7308; 24 Sharia
Gallery, low cushions for nursing a sheesha Ahmed Orabi, Mohandiseen; dishes E£30-75; h10am-4am)
and everything from Egyptian-style mezze to Shielded from a noisy street by a phalanx of
sushi on the menu. Bring an extra layer – eve- shrubbery, a few tables with blue-checked
nings directly on the water can be surprisingly cloths set a cheery note in a garden at the
cool. A Stella goes for E£22. Cairo branch of the respected Alexandrian
fish restaurant. There’s no menu – just pick
Gezira from mullet, crabs, squid and more (priced
The east side of the island is lined with large boats per kilo) in the iced-up display, then spec-
converted into entertainment extravaganzas, ify how you want it prepared. It arrives at
each packed with themed restaurants and the table accompanied by salads and rice.
clubs. They’re generally more style than sub- No alcohol.
stance, but a couple stand out. Cedars (Map pp144-5; %3345 0088; 42 Sharia Geziret
Dar El Amar (Map pp144-5; %2735 3114, 012 390 0256; al-Arab, Mohandiseen; mezze E£10-22, mains E£45-75;
Blue Nile Boat, 9A Sharia Saray al-Gezira; mezze E£10-36, grills hnoon-1am) This chic Lebanese restaurant
E£27-47; hnoon-3am) The challenge at this popu- is a favourite with Mohandiseen’s lunching
lar Lebanese restaurant is drawing your eyes ladies, then with a younger crowd later in
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the evening. Rattan chairs dot the spacious Cheap but good-quality eateries within

CAIRO
terrace, where there’s sheesha along with the walking distance of the Pyramids are few. Try
better-than-average food: peppery muham- Felfela (off Map p150; %3383 0234; 27 Cairo–Alexandria
mara (red-pepper salad), fresh and salty ayran Rd; h8am-2am) or the popular Peace II Seafood
(yogurt drink) and big sandwiches stuffed Restaurant. Both are beloved by tour groups
with French fries. You can also get full meals but also patronised by locals, they’re on the
from the grill. main road off the roundabout in front of the
Mena House Oberoi hotel.
Giza & Pyramids Road
There are a number of good eateries in this TOP END
part of Cairo, though only Andrea, Fish La Gourmandise (Map p148; %3569 2557; Ground fl,
Market and Moghul Room are worth a spe- First Place mall, 35 Sharia al-Giza; pastries E£16-33, mains
cial trip. The others will serve you well if you E£42-115, h10am-11pm) This café-patisserie in
happen to be in the neighbourhood. the glitzy Four Seasons mall comes complete
with tuxedoed waiters, potted palms and a
BUDGET & MIDRANGE grand piano. Its good-quality Mediterranean
El-Mashrabiah (Map p148; %3748 2801; 4 Sharia dishes are perfect for lunch after you’ve been
Ahmed Nessim; mains E£12-40; hnoon-1am) Excellent to the zoo.
Egyptian food is served with formality at Khan El Khalili (Map p150; %3383 3222; Mena House
this intimate eatery. Located a few steps Oberoi, Pyramids Rd; mains E£55-150; h24hr) With
below street level, the dining room is fur- highly functional air-conditioning and a fan-
ther darkened by ornate carved panelling, tastic view of the Pyramids, this is a good spot
deep leather banquettes and waiters dressed for a post-sightseeing lunch, even if the food is
in sombre suits. Meat lovers will find them- a bit bland. The menu is broad enough, from
selves in seventh heaven: the kofta and tagens spaghetti to Indian dishes (a bright spot), that
are good, as is the rabbit with molokhiyya and everyone will find a little something to like. A
the duck with starchy taro root. But vegetar- Stella costs E£20.
ians don’t get much to work with. No alcohol Moghul Room (Map p150; %3377 3222; Mena House
is served. Oberoi, Pyramids Rd; mains E£75-165; h7-11.45pm, plus
Andrea (Map p150; %3383 1133; 59 Tir’at al-Maryutia, 12.30-2.45pm Fri) Cairo’s best Indian restaurant
Saqqara; entrées E£5-15, mains E£20-25; h10am-1am) specialises in mild North Indian–style cur-
Take a trip to the country at this restaurant ries and kebabs, with an emphasis on tan-
1.5km north of Pyramids Rd on the west side doori dishes. Though it’s a long taxi ride
of Maryutia Canal. At the entrance women from Downtown, the opulent décor, good
pat out bread dough and tend the spit-roasted food and live sitar music make the trip worth-
chicken the place is justly famous for. There’s while. There’s a wide range of vegetarian op-
little else on the menu aside from this and tions (from E£35 to E£40) and an extensive
salads, and cold Stella (E£20). Weather per- (and pricey) wine list. At lunch, a limited
mitting, seating is in a large garden with play- selection of dishes is available on Khan El
ground equipment and a swimming pool. But Khalili’s menu.
with greenery comes mosquitoes, so lay on
the repellent beforehand. A taxi from central Heliopolis
Cairo should cost about E£20, or E£6 from In addition to the Amphitrion (p152) and
the Pyramids/Mena House area. Make sure branches of major chains, these places
your driver doesn’t take you to the unrelated are a good break if you happen to be in
Andrea Gardenia, south of Pyramids Rd. the neighbourhood.
Fish Market (Map p148; %3570 9693; Americana Boat,
26 Sharia el-Nil; dishes E£25-50; hnoon-2am) After se- BUDGET
lecting some of the finest and freshest seafood El Shabrawy (Map p153; %2258 6954; Sharia Ibrahimy; dishes
in town from the large display counter, most E£4-15; h8am-2am) Locals love this place for its
guests tuck into delicious mezze while their makaroneh – big bowls of noodles with a rich
fish is simply but expertly cooked. With its meat sauce – but the place also serves dishes
wonderful Nile views (particularly at night), such as egg-fried cauliflower and aggah (a cross
laid-back feel and efficient service, this place between an omelette and a giant ta’amiyya),
is a gem. most of which are vegetarian. It’s signed in
 168 C A I R O • • D r i n k i n g lonelyplanet.com

Arabic only – look for the red awning. The shops (on Sharia 26th of July in Zamalek
CAIRO

Shabrawy ta’amiyya stand (Map p153) on the and on Sharia Talaat Harb in Downtown),
opposite side of the street is also popular. which stock beer, wine and the only reliable
brands of local booze. Note that drinking
MIDRANGE on the street is absolutely taboo, and wan-
Petit Palmyra (Map p153; %2417 1720; 27 Sharia al-Ahram; dering around drunk is in poor taste as well.
mezze E£9-17, mains E£16-40; h11am-2am) Old-school During Ramadan alcohol is served only
Heliopolis, with stiffly starched serviettes, to foreigners.
puffy chairs, sepia-tone photos on the wall
and someone tickling the ivories while you Cafés & Patisseries
eat. Egyptian-Levantine staples such as stuffed Sometime after the year 2000, espresso crash-
pigeon are great; a few European dishes such landed in Cairo, and the city hasn’t been the
as penne puttanesca are decent. same since. Every reasonably well-to-do
Merryland (Map p153), north of central neighbourhood supports several coffee bars
Heliopolis, is a large park and entertainment offering every kind of caffeinated drink, as
centre with kids’ rides and lots of places to eat, well as snacks, sweets and free wi-fi. If it
from TGI Friday’s to Egyptian snack joints. weren’t for the gaggles of headscarf-wearing
It was changing management on last visit, so teenage girls who crowd the banquettes after
the restaurants and other entertainment may school, you’d be hard pressed to locate your-
vary, but in general it’s a good place to eat self in Egypt. Yes, there are even a couple of
and people-watch. Starbucks outlets – and there will likely be
more by the time you read this. For Egyptian
SELF-CATERING coffeehouses see opposite.
Zamalek’s best grocery is Alfa Market (Map
pp144-5; % 2737 0801; 4 Sharia al-Malek al-Afdal), DOWNTOWN
with both local foods and imported items, Cilantro (Map pp118-19; 31 Sharia Mohammed Mahmoud;
while Sekem (Map pp144-5; %2738 2724; Sharia cappuccino E£6, sandwiches E£6-17.50; h9am-2am) This
Ahmed Sabry) sells organic products and tofu. popular, clean café – part of a locally owned
There’s a 24-hour Metro Supermarket (Map chain – does excellent Italian-style coffee and
pp144–5) on Sharia Ismail Mohammed, and Twinings tea. Downstairs, order to go and
several shops on Sharia 26th of July sell good- grab a packaged sandwich, fresh juice, cake
quality produce. Pork products such as pro- or salad from the open fridge; for table serv-
sciutto are available from the deli counter at ice head upstairs (smoky, but with a couple
Maison Thomas (p165) and the Bakery (Map of outside balcony seats). There are other
pp144-5; %2728 3000; Cairo Marriott, 16 Sharia Saray al- branches just about everywhere you turn:
Gezira; caffe latte E£14; h6.30am-10pm) does good Zamalek (Map pp144–5), Heliopolis (Map
European-style bread. p153) and Doqqi (Map p148), to name a few.
For a sweet treat, Mandarine Koueider (Map All offer free wi-fi, strong air-con and a stash
pp144-5; %2735 5010; 17 Sharia Shagaret ad-Durr; per scoop of magazines and newspapers.
E£3.25; h9am-11pm) is the place to get your fix Groppi’s (Map pp118-19; Midan Talaat Harb; minimum
of delectable ice cream. Definitely shell out charge E£20; h7am-midnight) Distinctly not part
extra for the zabadi bi-tut (yogurt with black- of the new coffee wave, Groppi’s high point
berry). There’s another branch in Heliopolis was more than 50 years ago. Now it just
(Map p153). seems haunted. The offerings are poor and
overpriced, and the tearoom reeks of cheap
DRINKING tobacco. For nostalgia buffs only.
Cairo isn’t a ‘dry’ city, but locals tend to run Groppi Garden (Map pp118-19; Sharia Adly; h7am-
on caffeine by day, available at both tradi- midnight) Same uninteresting pastries as the
tional ahwas (coffeehouses) and European- other Groppi, but the garden terrace here
style cafés. Drinking beer or spirits typically (with just a E£10 minimum) is a relatively
doesn’t start till the evening hours, and then peaceful place for a cup of tea or sheesha.
it’s limited to hotel bars and some cheaper
dives. Liquor is expensive, and wine is barely ZAMALEK
drinkable, but beer is widely available and Simonds (Map pp144-5; 112 Sharia 26th of July; café
cheap. For self-catering, head for Drinkies au lait E£7; h7am-10pm) At this wonderfully
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • D r i n k i n g 169

old-fashioned French-style café, the barista morning if at all. Or you can order lemonade,

CAIRO
looks as if he’s been serving for the better part hot herbal infusions or, in the winter, rich,
of a century. The Byzantine pay-first system milky sahlab (see p96).
can be difficult to navigate pre-caffeine, as are There’s an ahwa for every possible subcul-
the crowds – but it’s a Cairene tradition to sit ture. We list the most famous ones here, but
at a rickety counter stool and read the morn- half the joy of the ahwa is discovering ‘yours’.
ing paper over a flaky, buttery pastry. Look in back alleys all over Downtown (sports
Coffee Roastery (Map pp144-5; 140 Sharia 26th of July; fans gather south of Sharia Adly; intellectuals,
cappuccino E£7; h24hr) Its fast-food menu, blaring at Midan Falaki); there’s a nice traditional
music videos and young staff make this an joint down the lane behind Al-Azhar Mosque;
extremely popular meeting place for groups and some mall food courts can be surpris-
of young locals. The coffee, served in 30 dif- ingly fun. Most ahwas are open from 8am
ferent ways, is surprisingly good. Don’t bother to 2am; a few serve beer, but generally it’s a
with the food. nonalcoholic scene.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Map pp144-5; 5 Sharia Abu Fishawi’s Coffeehouse (El Fishawy; Map p129; off
al-Feda; cappuccino E£9; h9am-2am) At this branch Midan Hussein, Islamic Cairo; h24hr except in Ramadan)
of the American coffee chain most associ- Probably the oldest ahwa in the city, and
ated with Hollywood celebrity sightings, the certainly the most celebrated, Fishawi’s is a
clientele wears similarly large sunglasses and great place to watch the world go by. Despite
jewels. There’s a strict no-tipping policy – being swamped by foreign tourists and equally
which may or may not be connected with the wide-eyed out-of-town Egyptians, it is a regu-
occasional complaints of incorrect change- lar ahwa, serving up shai (E£3) and sheesha
making. Still, the coffee is very good. (E£4.50) to stallholders and shoppers alike.
Euro Deli (Map pp144-5; 22 Sharia Taha Hussein; cap- It’s especially alluring in the early hours of
puccino E£9, sandwiches E£12-22; h24hr) Bright, busy the morning. During Ramadan it closes from
and slick café with free wi-fi and good wraps, 3am till about 5pm.
pastas and fries. For breakfast, there’s chewy Cafeteria Horreyya (Map pp118-19; Midan Falaki, Bab
Montreal-style bagels – try the local variation, al-Luq) The Horreyya (there’s no real sign out-
topped with labneh (thick yogurt with olive side – look for a pale-pink façade and plywood
oil) and cucumber. over some of the windows) is simultaneously
Arabica Café (Map pp144-5; %2735 7982; 20 Sharia one of the city’s most classic ahwas and one
al-Marashly, Zamalek; cappuccino E£7, breakfast E£5.50-9.50, of its most up-to-the-minute. Not only can
fiteer E£11.50-23; h9am-11pm) Funky and lived- you stare dreamily through the sheesha smoke
in, this upstairs café is frequented by teens up at the high ceilings, down at the sawdust-
and older students, who gather to study and strewn floor and out across a great cross-
doodle on the paper-topped tables. And un- section of customers, but you can also check
like slicker competitors, you can actually get your email on the free wi-fi. Really. Another
some Egyptian food here, along with your bonus: beer is also available (E£8). There’s
latte – breakfast options include fuul and a good chess scene here, too, though beer is
shakshouka (spicy scrambled eggs), and you strictly prohibited near those tables.
can order sweet or savoury fiteer anytime. Some others to try include the following:
Abu Aly Café (Map pp118-19; Nile Hilton, 1113 Corniche
Ahwas el-Nil, Downtown; minimum charge E£20; h10am-
Cairo’s ahwas are essential places to unwind, 1.30am) Popular with locals: an upscale sheesha experi-
chat and breathe deeply over a sheesha. Dusty ence, with live music, traditional food (entrées E£12 to
floors, rickety tables and the clatter of domi- E£15, mains E£46 to E£82) and waiters in galabiyyas.
noes and towla (backgammon) define the Kawkab ash-Sharq (Soma Caffe; Map pp118-19; 11
most traditional places, but newer, shinier Sharia Saray al-Ezbekiyya, Downtown; h24hr) Dedicated
places – where women smoke as well – have to the ‘Star of the Orient’, Umm Kolthum. Look for the
expanded the concept, not to mention the huge busts of the singer out front.
array of sheesha flavours, which can now ex- Mahran (Map pp118-19; Downtown) Under a tree in an
tend to guava and mint. Even though coffee alley off Sharia Mahmoud Bassiouni in Downtown. Women
(ahwa) gave its name to the café, shai (tea) are welcome.
is far more common than the inky-black Tornado (Map pp144-5; 3 Midan Aswan, Mohandiseen;
Turkish-style brew, usually drunk in the sheesha E£9; h10am-2am) Dim lights, TVs and canoodling
 170 C A I R O • • D r i n k i n g lonelyplanet.com

couples – but the hardest drink is a smoothie, and the fresh- sconces. Solo women will feel comfortable
CAIRO

fruit sheesha tastes practically healthy. here. A Stella costs E£13.

Zahret al-Bustan (Map pp118-19; off Sharia Talaat La Bodega (Map pp144-5; %2735 6761; 1st fl, Baehler’s
Harb, Downtown) A sometime haunt of intellectuals and Mansions, 157 Sharia 26th of July, Zamalek; hnoon-2am)
writers – and students and backpackers. This vast, amber-lit lounge doubles as a res-
taurant, but the food (mains E£29 to E£50) is
Bars inconsistent, so better to stick with cocktails
LOCAL BARS at the long brass-top bar. The place draws
For those who want to see Cairo’s underbelly, most of Cairo’s celebrity scenesters, who look
a few Downtown bars serve beer and local gorgeous against the belle epoque backdrop.
spirits. They can seem unwelcoming: none One wing is sectioned off and dubbed Barten,
are suitable for women on their own, and the where the crowd skews younger and the music
toilets are pretty foul. It also doesn’t help that louder. Reservations are recommended.
none is clearly labelled ‘bar’; ‘cafeteria’ is the Odeon Palace Hotel (Map pp118-19; 6 Sharia Abdel
common euphemism, and the entrances are Hamid Said, Downtown; h24hr) Its green carpet
screened off so passers-by can’t see in. A Stella singed from sheesha coals, this rooftop bar is
will set you back E£8 or E£10. favoured by Cairo’s heavy-drinking theatre
Cairo (Map pp118-19; 3 Sharia Saray al-Ezbekiyya, and cinema clique, and is a great place to
Downtown; h24hr) Walk through the restaurant watch the sun go down (or come up). A Stella
to the 1st-floor bar. The beer is not always icy, costs E£8 and bar snacks start at E£5.
but the atmosphere is slightly sleazy and fun. Marriott Garden Café (Map pp144-5; Cairo Marriott,
Cafeteria Stella (Map pp118-19; cnr Sharia Hoda Shaarawi 16 Sharia Saray al-Gezira, Zamalek; h6.30am-10pm) The
& Sharia Talaat Harb, Downtown; huntil midnight) Marked Marriott’s garden terrace is one of the most
with a tiny red neon sign, this spit’n’sawdust– comfortable spots in town to relax over a
style place gets good reviews from Downtown drink. Big cane chairs, fresh air and good-
expats, who find it a more cheerful and wel- quality wine and beer make it deservedly pop-
coming place than similar bars nearby. ular. You can eat here, too. The only downside
Cafeteria Port Tawfiq (Map pp118-19; Midan Orabi, is that it’s pricey.
Downtown) Dark and reasonably inviting. Topkapi (Map p148; Corniche el-Nil, Garden City)
Cap d’Or (Map pp118-19; Sharia Abdel Khalek Sarwat, Tucked below the street opposite the Four
Downtown) Quite run-down and lit with fluo- Seasons Nile Plaza and behind a moored
rescent bulbs – but you’re not going for the restaurant boat, this mellow Nileside hang-
décor. The staff and regulars are used to out is easy to miss. Once down here, though,
seeing foreigners. parked at a picnic bench and enjoying a
sheesha and beer, it’s easy to forget the traf-
WESTERN-STYLE BARS fic on the corniche. Inside the tentlike main
As in any other busy city, bars open and close room, a DJ spins hip international and Arabic
and go in and out of favour. The most reliable tunes, and the menu (mains E£25 to E£42) is a
are those in hotels, but the flavour-of-the- quirky mix of local and Turkish flavours, with
week places can generate the most high-rolling nightly specials. It occasionally hosts special,
fun. By far the best place to go boozing (if you ticket-only parties.
have the cash) is Zamalek, where several bars L’Aubergine (Map pp144-5; 1st fl, 5 Sharia Sayyed al-
are within staggering distance of one another. Bakry, Zamalek; hnoon-2am) Wear your tightest
Many places also have full menus, so you can black T-shirt and your sharpest eyewear to
snack as you go. The fancier places can have this minimalist bar that’s just a little hipper
door policies as strict as the nightclubs, so than other fab nightspots, catering to jazz cats,
dress well and go in mixed groups. expats and moodier AUC students.
Windsor Bar (Map pp118-19; 19 Sharia Alfy, Downtown; Le Tabasco (Map pp110-11; %3336 5583; 8 Midan
h6pm-1am) Alas, most of the Windsor’s regu- Amman, Mohandiseen; minimum charge E£50; h1pm-2am)
lar clientele has passed on, leaving a few hotel Perennially chic, Le Tabasco is a basement
guests, a cordial, polyglot bartender and a faint grotto with good electronica and moody
soundtrack of swing jazz and Umm Kolthum. lighting – most of the well-dressed, slightly
Colonial history has settled in an almost pal- older patrons are here to air-kiss and nibble
pable film on the taxidermied antelope heads, on assorted international snacks. Reservations
the barrel-shape chairs and the dainty wall are a help.
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Deals (Map pp144-5; 2 Sharia Sayyed al-Bakry, Zamalek) Theatre is mainly in Arabic, so not accessible

CAIRO
A small cellar bar that never looks open ac- to many travellers.
tually gets too packed for comfort late in the
evening and at weekends. It’s pleasant enough Nightclubs
at quieter times. There are other branches in There aren’t enough clubbers in Cairo to pack
Mohandiseen (Map pp144–5) and Heliopolis more than one place at a time, so what’s hot
(Map p153). varies according to the night of the week.
Revolving Restaurant Lounge (Map p148; %3365 Occasionally a club will host a special one-
1234; 41st fl, Grand Hyatt Cairo, Corniche el-Nil, Garden City; off party for which a ticket is required; they’re
minimum charge E£35; h3pm-2am) Cheesy, yes, but free or very cheap, but the challenge is getting
there’s a lot to be said for comfortable seats one. Keep an ear to the ground, and ask likely
and knock-out views from the tallest structure Egyptians you meet. Many places start as res-
for miles around. There’s a pianist and you’ll taurants and only shift into club mode after
need to frock up. (The adjacent restaurant midnight, at which point the door policy gets
doesn’t merit the money.) stricter. Big packs of men are always a no-no –
Le Grillon (Map pp118-19; 8 Sharia Qasr el-Nil, Downtown) go in as mixed a group as you can, and ideally
Nominally a restaurant, this bizarre faux-patio make reservations.
is all about beer, sheesha and gossip about Absolute (Map pp144-5; %2579 6512; Corniche el-
politics and the arts scene. The illusion of Nil, Bulaq; minimum charge E£75; h1pm-3am) One of
outdoors is created with wicker furniture, Cairo’s most elite clubs but also one of its
fake vines and lots of ceiling fans. The en- best, Absolute absolutely requires reserva-
trance is in the back of a courtyard between tions. With a big dance floor and solid DJs, it
two buildings. draws a flashy crowd for which bottle service
Bull’s Eye (Map pp110-11; 32 Sharia Jeddah, Doqqi) is the norm. If you’re not up for the full club
This faux-English pub is a big stop on the scene, you can lounge at adjacent Sangria
nightlife circuit – an unpretentious place to restaurant (p164).
rest up on nonclubbing nights. It draws a mix Latex (Map pp118-19; %2578 0444; Nile Hilton, 1113
of expats and Egyptians, with darts, karaoke Corniche el-Nil, Downtown; h10pm-4am) The grande
Wednesday and, if you’re inclined, steak on dame of Cairo’s club scene (formerly known
the menu. as Jackie’s), the Nile Hilton’s basement party
Nomad (Map p148; King Hotel, 20 Sharia Abdel Rahim zone still keeps up with the times. The music
Sabry, Doqqi; h1pm-4am) The West Bank equiva- is always some variation on house, with the
lent of the Odeon Palace rooftop bar, ideal for occasional Arabic pop hit thrown in, and the
breezy sheesha and beer, with a good view. But crowd is largely 20-somethings. There’s a
befitting its Doqqi location, it’s a bit more styl- E£100 minimum Tuesday through Friday,
ish, and the sheesha comes in more flavours. except for ladies on Wednesday.
Food here is recommended, though portions Club 35 (Map p148; %3573 8500; Four Seasons First
are on the snacky side. Residence, 35 Sharia Giza, Giza; h7pm-3am) If you go
Jazz Up (Map pp118-19; Nile Hilton, 1113 Corniche before midnight, the place doesn’t look all
el-Nil, Downtown) The ground-floor bar in the that promising, as it’s still in soft-jazz Asian-
Nile Hilton is an odd mix of wood panel- fusion-bistro mode. But later, the light show
ling and white vinyl, as well as salsa nights gets livelier, as does the music, and it rivals
(Sunday and Friday) and the occasional live Latex for weekend crowds.
band (Thursday). Additionally the Hard Rock Café (left) often
Hard Rock Café (Map p148; %2532 1281; Grand Hyatt has a DJ spinning discs, and some kind of
Cairo, Corniche el-Nil, Garden City; hnoon-4am) Exactly dance scene.
what you’d expect from the global chain.
Cinemas
ENTERTAINMENT For what’s showing, check the listings in Al-
Western-style clubs, cinemas that screen Ahram Weekly or online at www.yallabina
English-language films and five-star caba- .com; cinemas usually have four or five ses-
rets with floorshows abound in Cairo. Live sions a day, some starting at 10am and or
music is somewhat more limited, but whether as late as 12.30am. Tickets typically cost
you’re in for rock, local folk or jazz, it can be a around E£25, and can be cheaper at day-
welcoming scene because it’s relatively small. time sessions (when more women attend
CAIRO 172 C A I R O • • E n t e r t a i n m e n t lonelyplanet.com

RAMY HABEEB
Director and co-founder of Kotobarabia.com, the first Arabic e-publishing house in the Middle East.

How long have you lived in Cairo?

Three years. I moved here in 2004 from Japan.

Whoa – major change!

Yeah, but I love Cairo. I like not knowing what the day will bring. And the average Egyptian is
really friendly. I find myself striking up random conversations with people on the street – a good
way of dealing with the claustrophobia. Anyway, I’m half Egyptian, and growing up I came to
Cairo every summer to visit my family. It’s amazing how fast it grows and changes.

Anything big recently?

The yellow cabs – what a step forward! The old black-and-white cabs have no meters, no air-
conditioning, and, if you’re really unlucky, no door handles. Each ride ends with an epic discus-
sion as to exactly how much the ride is worth versus the complications of traffic, old cars and
potential flat tires. But there are still plenty of those around, because the Egyptian mechanic is
a MacGyver of automotive technology. Egyptians can fix anything! So if you still want the real
Egyptian experience – haggle away!

What’s your favourite monument in Cairo?

Seeing how I’m in publishing, I suppose my favourite monument is the statue of Naguib Mahfouz
in Midan Sphinx [in Mohandiseen]. It was erected not long after he won the Nobel Prize.

And your favourite restaurant?

It’s a tie between Gad (p163) and Makani (9 Sharia Amr, Mohandiseen; h8am-2am). Gad is real modern
Egyptian fast food. You can get traditional fuul and ta’amiyya sandwiches, or crazy concoctions
such as French fries in a pita pocket smothered with tahini.
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Makani: a sandwich and sushi delicatessen. I know
that sandwiches and sushi don’t exactly mix, but Makani has found the balance, along with a
nice atmosphere. And you must try the carrot cake – it’s the best I’ve ever had anywhere. And
it has wireless.

Is there anywhere you go just to relax – and not use the computer?
Without a doubt, Nomad (p171). It’s a rooftop bar with an amazing view – a great place to sit
back, have a sheesha and enjoy the city from a peaceful, bird’s-eye perspective.
But I also like Cilantro (p168). It’s a home-grown coffeehouse that’s positioned to compete
with the Starbucks and Costas of the world. I would love to see something like Cilantro in other
parts of the world, to see an Egyptian company compete on an international scale.

What’s your favourite phrase in Egyptian colloquial?

Kubbar dimaaghik. It literally means ‘Make your head bigger’, but the connotation is ‘Chill out’ or
‘Relax’, to defuse a situation. Whenever I’m in an uncomfortable situation, I just say this, and people
usually start to laugh and ask me how I learned the phrase – they’re really surprised, because I’m
often mistaken for a foreigner. By the end of the discussion, we’re usually best friends.

shows at the lower-rent places). Also Cinema Karim I & II (Map p122; %2592 4830; 15 Sharia
check schedules at the many cultural cen- Emad ad-Din, Downtown) Cheap tickets and action flicks
tres (p112). The following regularly screen make it popular with young males (not a place for unaccom-
English-language films: panied women). The entrance to Karim II is around the corner.
Cairo Sheraton Cinema (Map p148; %3760 6081; Cinema Metro (Map pp118-19; %2393 7061; 35
Cairo Sheraton, Midan al-Galaa, Doqqi) The closest Cairo Sharia Talaat Harb, Downtown) Once Cairo’s finest, now
has to an art-house cinema. one of its scruffiest.
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • E n t e r t a i n m e n t 173

Cinema Tahrir (Map p148; %3335 4726; 122 Sharia traditional women’s zar, a sort of musical

CAIRO
Tahrir, Doqqi) Comfortable, modern cinema where single trance and healing ritual (usually Wednesday,
females shouldn’t receive hassle. 9pm; E£20).
Citystars Centre (off Map pp110-11; %2480 2013; El Genaina Theatre (Map pp110-11; %2362 6748;
Sharia Omar ibn Khattab, Nasr City) A 13-screen megaplex www.mawred.org; Al-Azhar Park, Sharia Salah Salem, Islamic
at the mall. Cairo) The park’s 300-seat open-air theatre hosts
Good News Grand Hyatt (Map p148; %2532 2800; touring Western artists, stars from the Middle
Grand Hyatt Annex, Nile Corniche, Garden City) Three East and locals; shows are often free (though
screens. Occasionally subtitles Arabic films in English. you must pay the park entrance fee).
Also check the schedule at El Sawy Culture
Live Music & Theatre Wheel (p112), where two concert halls host
For theatre and classical and folk music sched- the city’s bigger rock and jazz bands. Jazz Up
ules, check the ‘ET Calendar’ in Egypt Today (p171) has bands one or two nights a week,
or the Egyptian Gazette; for bands, pick up a and the Citadel (p135) often has free major
copy of the Croc monthly. Also keep an ear concerts in the summer as well.
out for the SOS Music Festival (www.sosmu
sicfestival.com), a periodic free show of local Dance
bands that draws a devoted crowd. BELLY DANCING
Cairo Opera House (Map p148; %2739 8144; Gezira If you see only one belly dancer in your life,
Exhibition Grounds, Gezira) Of the opera complex’s it had better be in Cairo, the art form’s true
five halls, performances by the Cairo Opera home. The best dancers perform at Cairo’s
and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra tend to be five-star hotels, usually to an adoring crowd
held in its Main Hall while recitals, theatre and of wealthy Gulf Arabs. Shows typically begin
dance from Egypt and the rest of the world around midnight, although the star might
in its Small Hall, Gomhouria Theatre, Arab not take to the stage until 2am or later.
Music Institute and an open-air theatre. Jacket Admission is steep; expect to shell out up-
and tie are required by males for Main Hall wards of E£250, which includes food, but
performances (travellers have been known not drinks. Cairo’s divas are often getting in
to borrow them from staff). Programmes are tiffs with their host hotels or their manag-
available at the information window (right of ers, so their venues may change from what’s
the main entrance). given below.
Cairo Jazz Club (Map pp144-5; %3345 9939; www At the other end of the scale, you can
.cairojazzclub.com; 197 Sharia 26th of July, Agouza; h5pm- watch a less nuanced expression of the art
3am) The city’s liveliest stage, with modern form for just a few pounds at several clubs
Egyptian folk, electronica, Oriental fusion, along Sharia Alfy in Downtown. They’re
and more seven nights a week, usually start- seedy, the mikes are set on the highest reverb,
ing around 10pm. You must book a table and most of the dancers have the appearance
ahead (online is easiest), and no-one under and grace of amateur wrestlers. But it can be
25 is admitted. fun, especially if you can maintain the right
After Eight (Map pp118-19; %2574 0855; www level of inebriation – buzzed enough to join
.after8egypt.com; 6 Sharia Qasr el-Nil, Downtown; mini- in the dancing onstage (a perk if you shower
mum charge Fri-Wed E£60, Thu E£90; h8pm-2am) A the dancer and the band with enough E£5
funky, poorly ventilated venue that gets notes) but not so out of it that you fall for the
packed for everything from jazz trios to a myriad over-charging tactics, such as fees for
Frank Sinatra impersonator to the wildly unordered snacks and even napkins (expect
popular DJ Dina, who mixes James Brown, to pay about E£15 for a Stella, after about E£5
’70s Egyptian pop and the latest cab-driver cover charge). Like the hotels, nothing hap-
favourites; the clientele is equally eclectic. pens till after midnight.
Reserve online (the website’s style in no way Haroun al-Rashid (Map pp118-19; %3795 7171;
reflects the club’s). Semiramis InterContinental, Corniche el-Nil, Garden City;
Makan (Map pp110-11; %2792 0878; www.egyptmu h11pm-4am Tue-Thu & Sun) This old-fashioned-
sic.org; 1 Sharia Saad Zaghloul, Mounira) The Egyptian looking five-star club – all red curtains and
Center for Culture & Art runs this intimate white marquee lights – is where the famous
space dedicated to traditional music. Don’t Dina undulates (though often not on
miss the Mazaher ensemble, performing the Wednesday nights– call to check).
 174 C A I R O • • S h o p p i n g lonelyplanet.com

Casablanca (Map p148; %3336 9700; Midan al-Galaa, expect – look especially on Sharia al-Marashly
CAIRO

Doqqi) Located in the Cairo Sheraton, where and Sharia Mansour Mohammed. For upscale
Soraya is the star. imported goods (and all the people-watching
Palmyra (Map pp118-19; off Sharia 26th of July, that affords), Mohandiseen is the place to go,
Downtown; admission E£6) The furthest on the ‘other especially along Sharia Suleiman Abaza and
end of the scale’ is Palmyra, a cavernous, di- Sharia Abd al-Hamid Lotfy.
lapidated 1950s dancehall in an alley off Sharia
26th of July. It has a full Arab musical con- Antiques & Interiors
tingent, belly dancers who get better the more Shop-owners have begun commissioning styl-
money is thrown at them, and an occasional ish home items from traditional artisans, with
singer or acrobat. In addition to the entrance some beautiful results. As for antiques, some
fee, there’s a minimum charge of E£30, which are stratospherically priced – but neat Egypt-
basically covers a beer and a sheesha. specific items such as old advertising signs are
Scheherazade (Map pp118-19; 1 Sharia Alfy, Downtown; often a deal. Sikket al-Badistan, the central
admission E£5) Worth visiting for the gorgeous in- east–west route through Khan al-Khalili, is
terior alone, all Orientalist fantasia complete home to several notable antiques shops.
with red velvet drapes – this doesn’t inspire a Tao Gallery (Map pp144-5; %2735 0480; 15A Sharia
classier air in the patrons, however. al-Marashly, Zamalek; h10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat)
Nile Maxim (Map pp144-5; %2728 3000; opposite Cairo Fun, not-too-pricey home-décor items, such
Marriott, Sharia Saray al-Gezira, Zamalek; minimum charge as custom-printed window sheers, Arabic
E£170; hsailings at 7.30pm & 10.45pm) The best of movie posters, even (terrorist-kitsch alert!)
the Nile cruise boats, run by the Marriott, is decoupage coasters featuring the bearded mug
a relatively economical way to see a big-name of Hamas’ Sheikh Nasrallah.
star such as Randa or Asmahan, along with Loft (Map pp144-5; %2736 6931; www.loftegypt.com;
an à la carte menu. Go for the later sailing, as 12 Sharia Sayyed al-Bakry, Zamalek; h10am-10pm Mon-Sat)
the show is less rushed. In a rambling apartment, this eclectic store
stocks Oriental curiosities from small brass
SUFI DANCING candlesticks to antique divans. Here’s where
Al-Tannoura Egyptian Heritage Dance Troupe (%2512 to pick up large painted tabletop trays like
1735; admission free; h7pm winter, 8pm Mon, Wed & Sat those in chic restaurants around town.
summer) Egypt’s only Sufi dance troupe – far Ahmed El Dabba & Sons (Map p129; %2590 7823; 5
more raucous and colourful than white-clad Sikket al-Badistan, Islamic Cairo) The most respected
Turkish dervishes – puts on a mesmerising antiques dealer in Khan al-Khalili is a warren
performance at the Wikala of Al-Ghouri of Louis XV furniture and glass cases filled
(p133). It’s a great opportunity to see one of with gleaming jewellery and snuff boxes. This
the medieval spaces in use; arrive about an is where the treasures stashed in 19th-century
hour ahead to secure a seat. Downtown apartments all end up.
Makan (Map pp144-5; %2738 2632; www.makan
SHOPPING egypt.com; 4 Sharia Ismail Mohammed, Zamalek; h10am-
Between the mountains of chintzy souvenirs 11pm) This cool housewares shop features
and the over-eager hustlers trying to sell them clever applications of traditional crafts – check
to you over endless glasses of tea, it’s tempting out the lights made from tambourines. Some
to keep your wallet firmly shut in Cairo. But items are minimalist; others, like the painted
then you’d be missing out on some of Egypt’s wood picture frames, have a folk-art aesthetic.
most beautiful treasures. The trick is knowing Upholstery fabric is sold by the yard.
where to look. Though they’re touristy and Noubi Nabil (Map pp144-5; %2735 3233; 106-126
stocked with goods from China, the tiny shops Sharia 26th of July, Zamalek; h10am-2pm & 4-10pm)
of Khan al-Khalili (p128) do yield a few spe- Elephant sculptures guard the entrance to
cific treasures, such as gorgeous silks, reviewed this corner shop, a trove of antique silk rugs,
here. Downtown along Sharia Qasr el-Nil is cut-glass bowls, old silver and fine china. The
more for checking out street fashion in the overflow is in a smaller place just across 26th
mass-market shops. Zamalek is the best place of July.
to actually buy – its shady streets have some Also try the following:
gem boutiques for housewares and clothing, Home & Beyond (Map pp144-5; %012 329 7830;
and not all of them are as expensive as you’d 17 Sharia Mansour Mohammed, Zamalek) Arabic house-
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S h o p p i n g 175

number tiles, striped lampshades and blocks of fragrant tween Sharia Abdel Khalek Sarwat and Sharia

CAIRO
ambar – a musky moisturizer. Adly just west of Midan Opera is crammed
King Saleh Bazaar (Map p129; %2589 2747; 80 with hijabs in every pattern imaginable. For
Sharia al-Muizz li-Din Allah, Islamic Cairo) Immediately jewellery, gold and silver is sold by weight
south of the Madrassa & Mausoleum of Qalaun. The more (check the daily rate in the Egyptian Gazette),
you look through the dust, the more pops out. plus a little extra for labour; antique silver can
Nostalgia (Map pp144-5; %2737 0880; 6 Sharia be quite expensive (and unfortunately is easily
Zakaria Rizk, Zamalek) From framed Arabic ad prints to faked). The centre of Khan al-Khalili is still the
escargot forks. main district for gold and silver, and where
you should go for a custom cartouche with
Books & CDs your name in hieroglyphics. The stores listed
For new books, look under Information here offer something a bit different.
(p109). L’Orientale/L’Orientaliste (Map pp118-19; Mix & Match (Map pp144-5; %2736 4640; 11 Sharia
%2576 2440; www.orientalecairo.com; Shop 757, Basement, Brazil, Zamalek; h10am-8pm) Well made and lo-
Nile Hilton Shopping Mall, Corniche el-Nil, Downtown; cally designed, these separates for women in
h10am-8pm Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun) is a great outlet wool, silk and cotton are reasonably priced
for rare books on Egypt and the Middle East, and often feature subtle Middle Eastern de-
as well as lithographs, maps and engravings. tails. A branch two blocks south, at 11 Sharia
There’s a second shop at 15 Sharia Qasr el- Hassan Sabry, stocks larger sizes.
Nil. The 50 or so stalls at Ezbekiyya Book Market Mobaco (Map pp144-5; %2738 2790; 8 Sharia Ahmed
(Map pp118-19; Ezbekiyya Gardens, Downtown) have the Sabry, Zamalek) Not as interesting as Mix & Match
occasional treasures, but browsing the messy in design, but inexpensive and in a great range
piles is a chore. of colours. There’s always a flattering long
The latest hit played in taxi cabs might be cotton or linen skirt available, and men can
available only on cassette; look for sidewalk choose from a rainbow of polo shirts sport-
kiosks selling these. Sawt al-Qahira (Map pp118-19; ing a camel logo. There are stores through-
% 2392 1916; Midan Opera, Downtown; h 10am- out the city, including at the Nile Hilton and
11pm), in an arcade set back from Sharia al- the Semiramis.
Gomhurriya, stocks the classic crooners on Atlas (Map p129; %2591 8833; abdelazizsalah@hotmail
CD. The best music section outside the malls .com; Sikket al-Badistan, Islamic Cairo) In business since
is at Diwan (Map pp144-5; %2736 2582; 159 Sharia 26th 1948, the Atlas family specialises in silk. Sold
of July, Zamalek; h9am-11.30pm). by the yard, it’s both beautiful and sturdy, and
holds its dye better than anything you might
Carpets & Rugs find for less. Caftans and slippers are also
Unlike Morocco, Turkey or Iran, Egypt has no available, and you can order custom clothing
rich tradition of Oriental carpet weaving. The with any of the fabrics.
standard products are brown striped camel- Sami Amin (Map pp144-5; %2738 1837; www.sami
hair Bedouin rugs, and flat-weave kilims with -amin.com; 15A Sharia al-Mansour Mohammed, Zamalek) Cool
geometric patterns – all stocked by numerous chunky brass-and-enamel jewellery as well as
shops in the tight squeeze of alleys behind leather bags, belts and shoes, many imprinted
the Mosque of Al-Ghouri, across the road with tribal patterns. And all at bargain prices –
from Khan al-Khalili, or some of the places bags and sandals start at just E£33.
mentioned in the Handicrafts & Souvenirs Friction (Map pp144-5; %2736 9204; 18B Sharia al-
section (p176). The rugs and wall hangings at Marashly, Zamalek; h11am-8.30pm Sat-Thu) Friction’s
Wissa Wassef Art Centre (p151) are in a class shop-window mannequins scandalise with
by themselves. Super-elegant El Kahhal Carpets underwear-as-outerwear; inside, it’s club
(Map p129; %2590 9128; Sikket al-Badistan, Islamic Cairo; music and cool clothes from Turkish and
h10am-8pm Mon-Sat), in the khan, has the finest Scandinavian designers – still nothing you
imported stock in the city, with both antiques could wear on the street here, but welcome
and new made-to-order designs. at better night spots.
Nagada (Map p148; %3748 6663; www.nagada.net; 13
Clothing & Jewellery Sharia Refa’a, Doqqi; h10am-6.30pm) Colour-saturated,
Egyptian-cotton clothing can be a good buy. handwoven silks, cottons and linens are the
For real local fashion (mostly polyester), cruise mainstay of this luxe shop in a grand villa –
the main avenues Downtown; the arcade be- buy by the yard, or in boxy, drapey women’s
 176 C A I R O • • S h o p p i n g lonelyplanet.com

and men’s apparel. There’s also very pretty h11am-9.30pm) Cairo’s last working bookbinder
CAIRO

handmade pottery from Al-Fayoum. also makes beautiful leather- and oil-paper-
Beymen (Map p148; %2791 7000; Four Seasons Hotel bound blank books, photo albums and diaries.
at Nile Plaza, 1089 Corniche el-Nil, Garden City; h10am- Free gold monogramming is included in the
11pm) This Turkish department store is the last prices, which are heartbreakingly low, consid-
word in luxury shopping in Cairo, stocking ering the work that goes into them. Getting
Prada et al alongside its chic house brand. your own book bound starts around E£15 and
Disproportionately huge selection of scarves takes a few days.
and perfume, and great people-watching in Oum El Dounia (Map pp118-19; %2393 8273; 1st
the café. fl, 3 Sharia Talaat Harb, Downtown; h10am-7pm) At a
Dina Maghawry (Map pp144-5; %012 322 3896; www great central location, Oum El Dounia sells
.dinamaghawry.com; 1st fl, 16 Sharia Sayyed al-Bakry, Zamalek; an attractive range of locally made glassware,
h11am-9.30pm Sat-Thu, 3-9.30pm Fri) This boutique Bedouin jewellery, cotton clothes, bags, em-
showcases the local designer’s delicate cas- broidered shawls and light fittings. It also
cading necklaces trimmed with semiprecious stocks a small range of maps, postcards and
stones and other elegant but modern pieces. English- and French-language books about
Not cheap, but gorgeous work. Cairo and Egypt, as well as CDs.
Both Nomad (below) and Oum El Dounia Al-Khatoun (Map p133; %2514 7164; www.alkhatoun
(right) sell chunky Bedouin-style silver. .net; 3 Sharia Mohammed Abduh, Islamic Cairo; h11am-9pm)
This gorgeous store stocks an ever-changing
Handicrafts & Souvenirs array of very chic light-fittings, alabaster pots,
These fixed-price shops often stock familiar tablecloths, jewellery, clothes and shawls, all
Egyptian crafts for not much more than you’d designed and made in Egypt.
pay in Khan al-Khalili, and often with better Khan Misr Touloun (Map p137; %2365 2227; Midan
quality. Expect muski glass (gem-coloured Ibn Tulun; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat) This shop opposite
but fragile), inlaid wood and papyrus. For the Mosque of Ibn Tulun is stacked with a
sheesha fittings, visit the copper district just desirable jumble of crafts from all over Egypt,
north of the Madrassa & Mausoleum of including wooden chests, jewellery, pottery,
Barquq, or Sharia Ahmad Mahir Pasha east puppets, scarves and even hip T-shirts embla-
of Bab Zuweila. zoned with popular Egyptian product logos.
Egypt Crafts Center/Fair Trade Egypt (Map pp144-5; Said Delta Papyrus Center (Map p133; %2512 0747;
%2736 5123; www.fairtradeegypt.org; 1st fl, 27 Sharia 3rd fl, 21 Sharia al-Muizz li-Din Allah, Islamic Cairo; h10am-
Yehia Ibrahim, Zamalek; h9am-8pm Sat-Thu, 10am-6pm 9pm) A spin-off of Dr Ragab (the father of
Fri) Crafts sold here are produced in income- quality papyrus painting), Said has a vast se-
generating projects throughout the country. lection, from ancient Egyptian scenes to cool
Items for sale include Bedouin rugs, hand- Cairo skylines. He’ll do a cartouche with your
woven cotton, pottery from Al-Fayoum and name done in about half an hour. Prices are
beaded jewellery from Aswan. The cotton negotiable, and quite reasonable, provided
bedcovers and shawls are particularly lovely, you arrive without a tout. (The shop is up two
and prices are excellent. flights and down a dim hallway.)
Nomad (Map pp144-5; %2736 1917; 1st fl, 14 Sharia Wady Craft Shop (Map pp144-5; %2738 0826; All
Saray al-Gezira, Zamalek; h10am-7pm) This gem of a Saints Anglican Cathedral, 5 Sharia Michel Lutfallah, Zamalek;
place specialises in jewellery and traditional h9am-5pm) This charity store next to the
Bedouin crafts and costumes, particularly Marriott Hotel sells cotton bags, aprons, ta-
from Siwa. Standout items include appliquéd blecloths, inlay coasters and silk-screened tea
tablecloths and cushion covers, dresses made towels – all work done by organisations of ref-
in the oases, woven baskets, silk slippers and ugees, prisoners and others in need of aid.
chunky silver jewellery. To find it, go past the Mahmoud Abd El Ghaffar (Al Wikalah; Map p129;
Egyptian Water Works office to the 1st floor %2589 7443; 73 Sharia Gawhar al-Qaid, Islamic Cairo) One
and ring the bell. There are smaller branches of the best dealers in belly-dancing outfits in
in the Cairo Marriott (Map pp144–5), Grand the city; the really nice stuff is upstairs. Look
Hyatt (Map p148) and Nile Hilton (Map for the entrance down a little lane just off the
pppp118–19) hotels. main street.
Abd El Zaher (Map p133; %2511 8041; www.abdelzaher Appliqué work is one case where it can be
binding.com; 31 Sharia Mohammed Abduh, Islamic Cairo; more rewarding to head to the source: the
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • S h o p p i n g 177

tent-makers bazaar, Sharia al-Khayamiyya Citystars Centre (off Map pp110-11; %2480 0500;

CAIRO
(p134), where scores of shops sell intricately Sharia Omar ibn Khattab, Nasr City; h11am-1am) Cairo’s
embroidered bedspreads, pillow covers and most lavish mall is the current landing spot for
wall hangings, as well as canvas-weight every new international chain, from Starbucks
striped fabric and thinner stamped cotton to Wagamama. There’s a kids’ theme park
(E£7 per metre). and a big cinema. It’s about 12km east of
Downtown – a E£12 taxi ride.
Household Linens Arkadia Mall (Map pp144-5; Corniche el-Nil, Bulaq;
Egyptian cotton is a badge of quality in sheets h10am-11pm) The biggest mall in central Cairo,
and towels, though little of it is turned into with bars and a top-floor arcade. All the usual
fine products locally. An exception is the gor- international brands, plus a good food court.
geous hand-embroidered sheets and robes by
Malaika at Mounaya (Map pp144-5; %2736 4827; 16 Perfume
Sharia Mohammed Anis, Zamalek; h11am-8pm Mon-Thu & Cairenes adore scent, and this is one of the few
Sat, noon-8pm Fri). You can also find decent linens cities where you’ll find perfumers occupying
for less than you’d pay at home at the frumpy kiosks in the subway – perfectly good (and
Galerie Hathout (Map pp118-19; %2393 6782; 114 Sharia nonpushy) places to shop, though you can
Mohammed Farid, Downtown). find somewhat better quality at a few special-
ists, such as Karama Perfumes (Map p129; %2590
Malls, Souqs & Markets 2386; 112 Sharia al-Azhar, Islamic Cairo), which is very
Street markets in Cairo are both social and popular with locals for scent copies as well as
functional – a great place for bargains and its own blends and basic essences; look for the
interacting with locals in a lively public space. open-sided corner shop at the corner of Sharia
Cairenes are also crazy for malls, and a new al-Muizz. At less reputable places, ‘essences’
one opens every couple of years, inevitably are diluted with vegetable oil – be sceptical if
drawing the crowds and shops away from a salesman rubs the scent furiously into your
the older places. skin while applying a sample.
Souq al-Gomaa (Friday Market; Map pp110-11; Islamic
Cairo; h6am-noon Fri) In the Southern Cemetery Spices
south of the Citadel, this sprawling weekly Spices are a good buy, particularly kuzbara
market is all the craziness of a medieval bazaar (coriander), kamoon (cumin), shatta (chilli),
in a modern setting: under a highway flyover, filfil iswid (black pepper) and karkadeh (hi-
expect new bicycles, live donkeys, toilets and biscus). Buy whole spices, never ground, for
broken telephones. Savvy pickers can find freshness, and skip the ‘saffron’ – it’s really
some great antiques and vintage duds. Go safflower and tastes of little more than dust.
before 10am, when the crush of people can get The shops that sell these items also deal in
overwhelming. You’ll need a taxi to get there henna, soaps and herbal treatments. One
(about E£12 from Downtown); tell the driver interesting place is Abd ar-Rahman Harraz (Map
‘Khalifa’, the name of the neighbourhood. pp110-11; %2512 6349; 1 Midan Bab al-Khalq, Islamic Cairo),
Souq al-Fustat (Map p124; Sharia Mar Girgis, Old Cairo; the sheikh of herbalist and medicinal plants;
h8am-4pm) A new market built for tourists, look for the neglected taxidermy in the win-
this is nonetheless a nice collection of shops, dow on the corner. Attara Ahl al-Beit (Map pp144-5;
with vendors of antique carpets, modern %2735 4955; Sharia Hassan Assem, Zamalek) is a small
ceramics, richly embroidered galabiyyas but excellent shop, just west of Sharia Shagaret
and wooden toys along with branches of ad-Durr. The streets around Midan Falaki
Sami Amin ( p175 ) and the bookbinders also contain several large shops, as does the
Abd El Zaher (opposite). Sales pressure is southwest corner of Khan al-Khalili.
pleasantly low.
Wikalat al-Balah (Souq Bulaq, Bulaq Market; Map Tailoring
pp144-5; north of Sharia 26th of July, Bulaq) The main Given cheap labour and skilled tailors, Cairo
draw is secondhand clothing, mostly well is a good place to get a bespoke suit. Bring
organised, clean and with marked prices magazine clips of suit designs, as local tai-
(especially on Sharia al-Wabur al-Fransawi). lors aren’t always up on trends. You may also
Further in, you’ll find good textiles, car parts need to bring your own fabric (at least 3m for
and military surplus. a jacket and a pair of pants, plus another metre
 178 C A I R O • • G e t t i n g T h e re & A w a y lonelyplanet.com

for extra pants). The best quality is at Salem rate windows for each bus company, so you
CAIRO

(below); cheaper shops on Midan Opera sell might have to do some comparison-shopping.
Egyptian-made textiles. Allow three days to a It is advisable to advance-book most tickets,
week, plus another day for final adjustments. particularly for popular routes such as Sinai,
Orange Square (Map pp144-5; %2735 2887; 4A Sharia Alexandria and Marsa Matruh in summer.
Ibn al-Nabieh, Zamalek; hnoon-8pm) With books to Companies don’t offer student discounts.
select designs from and a decent stock of fab- There are four other bus stations, less fre-
ric, this trendy operation is the easiest place to quently used now that Cairo Gateway has
get a suit made. But not the cheapest: prices been revamped to handle more traffic:
start at E£1800. Aboud (Map pp110-11; Sharia El-Tir’a El-Boulakia,
Samir El Sakka (Map pp118-19; %2392 6196; 31 Sharia Shubra) is the starting point for buses to the
Abdel Khalek Sarwat, Downtown; h10am-1.30pm & 5.30- Delta; shuttle taxis run between here and
8.30pm Mon-Fri) This old-school tailor trained in Midan Ramses (2km to the south), or you
Rome; he stocks a small selection of fabrics. can walk east from the Rod al-Farag metro
Prices start around E£1000. stop, about 800m.
Salem (Map pp144-5; %3345 2232; 30 Sharia Libnan, El-Moneib is the small station where buses
Mohandiseen) The finest suit fabrics from England from Al-Fayoum terminate. It is located on
and Italy are available here. the Giza corniche after Sharia al-Bahr al-
Osman Ahmed (Map pp118-19; %012 331 8622; 18 Azam and just south of Dr Ragab’s Pharaonic
Sharia Adly, Downtown; h10am-2pm & 4-8pm Mon-Sat) Village. A taxi will cost E£15 from Downtown,
As he doesn’t speak English or stock fabrics, or you can walk from Sakiat Mekki metro
Mr Ahmed is the least convenient option, but station, about 800m.
his skills transcend the language barrier. He’s Al-Mazah is in Heliopolis near the airport
used to foreign customers, and can work off (a taxi will cost E£30, or you can take the
a magazine photo. Merghani line of the Heliopolis tram and walk
a couple of blocks north). Some international
GETTING THERE & AWAY services depart from here, and some other
Air services stop here en route out of Cairo.
For international airfare details see p521; for Abbassiyya (Sinai Station; Map pp110-11; Sharia Ramses,
domestic flights see p528. For information on Abbassiyya) is where all of the services from Sinai
airline offices in Cairo see p521. used to arrive, and there’s a very slim chance
you might still get dropped here – it’s about
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT E£15 in a taxi to the centre.
For information on the airport see p180.
For flight information call %0900 77777 AROUND EGYPT
from a landline in Egypt or %27777 from a Alexandria & the Mediterranean Coast
mobile phone. From Cairo Gateway, West & Mid Delta Bus Co
(%2432 0049) travels to Alexandria (E£21 to
EGYPTAIR OFFICES E£25, three hours) hourly at 45 minutes past
EgyptAir Airport (%2265 7256); Doqqi (Map p148; the hour starting at 4.45am and running till
%2748 9122; Cairo Sheraton, Midan el-Galaa); Downtown 8.45pm; after that, departures go at 15 minutes
(%2391 9515; Midan Opera, Sharia al-Gomhuriyya); past, 9.15pm to 1.15am. A couple of extra
Downtown (Map pp118-19; %2393 0381; cnr Sharia VIP-class buses run at 9.45am and 12.45pm.
Talaat Harb & Sharia al-Bustan); Downtown (Map pp118-19; Services to Marsa Matruh (E£50, five hours)
%2392 7680; 6 Sharia Adly); Downtown (Map pp118-19; leave at 7.30am, 8.15am, 10.45am, 3.15pm,
%2577 2410; Nile Hilton, 1113 Corniche el-Nil) 9.45pm and 11.30pm.

Bus Al-Fayoum
Cairo’s main bus station is Cairo Gateway (Mina Buses and service taxis for Al-Fayoum (E£6 to
al-Qahira, Turgoman Garage; Map pp110-11; Sharia al-Gisr, E£8, two hours) leave from El-Moneib station
Bulaq), 1km northwest of the intersection of in Giza, as well as from Aboud, every half-
Sharia Galaa and Sharia 26th of July. It’s a five- hour 6am to 7pm. Fares on Thursday are E£1
minute walk from the Orabi metro stop – or more expensive. The buses stop en route at
pay E£5 or so for a taxi from Tahrir or Talaat Midan el-Remaya after the Pyramids Rd and
Harb. The flashy new station maintains sepa- just before the Giza–Fayoum road.
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • G e t t i n g T h e re & A w a y 179

Sinai Western Oases

CAIRO
All Sinai buses leave from Cairo Gateway, but All Western Oases buses leave from Cairo
return to Abbassiyya, stopping at Al-Mazah Gateway. Note that to get to Siwa you must
en route. take a bus to Alexandria or Marsa Matruh,
East Delta Travel & Tourism Co (%2574 2814) has and then another onwards. For journeys to the
services running to Sharm el-Sheikh (E£60 oases take food and water as sometimes these
to E£70, seven hours) at 6.30am, 10am, buses don’t stop anywhere useful for breaks.
3pm, 7pm, 11pm, 11.30pm, midnight, 1am There are three Upper Egypt Bus Co serv-
and 1.45am. Dahab (E£67 to E£80, nine ices per day to Bahariyya (E£25, four hours)
hours) service goes at 7.15am, 1pm, 5pm and Dakhla (E£56, 10 hours) at 7am, 8am
and 12.15am. and 6pm. The 7am and 6pm buses stop in
There are three daily buses to Nuweiba Farafra (E£40, seven hours). Another bus runs
(E£70 to E£80, eight hours) and Taba (E£70 to Al-Kharga (E£51, eight hours) at 9.30pm
to E£80, nine hours), leaving at 6.30am, and 10pm.
9.30am and 10.15pm. A daily service to St
Katherine’s Monastery leaves at 10.30am INTERNATIONAL
(E£37, 7½ hours). For information about buses to Libya, Israel
Superjet (%2290 9017) has services to Sharm and Jordan see p524.
el-Sheikh at 7.30am, 3.15pm, 10.45pm (all
E£80, six hours) and 11.15pm (E£70). Service Taxi
Most service taxis depart from lots around
Suez Canal Ramses Station and Midan Ulali (see Map
All Suez buses depart from Cairo Gateway. p122). Delta and Suez services leave from just
East Delta Travel & Tourism Co travels north of Midan Ulali, east of Sharia Orabi,
to Ismailia (E£7.25, 2½ hours) and Suez running to destinations including Suez (E£7,
(E£7.25, 1½ hours) every 30 minutes be- one hour), Ismailia (E£8, 1½ hours) and Port
tween 6am and 8pm. Buses to Port Said Said (E£15, two hours).
(E£16, three hours) leave every 30 minutes Service taxis for Alexandria (E£17, 2½ to
between 6am and 9.30am and then every three hours) leave from south of Ramses Station
hour until 9.30pm. (Map122), and one large bus (E£17) waits in
the skinny lane just behind. Both depart every
Luxor & Aswan hour or so; the bus has air-conditioning.
Upper Egypt Travel (%2576 0261) buses depart
from Cairo Gateway. There’s one daily serv- Train
ice to Luxor (E£91, nine hours) at 5pm and Ramses Station (Mahattat Ramses; Map p122; %2575
9pm; the 5pm bus goes on to Aswan (E£91, 3555; Midan Ramses) is Cairo’s main train station.
12 hours). You’re much better off getting It has a left luggage office (Map p180; per piece per day
the train. E£2.50; h24hr), a post office (Map p180; h8am-8pm),
ATMs, a pharmacy and a tourist information
Red Sea office (Map p180; h9am-7pm).
Superjet departs from Cairo Gateway for For general details about the types of
Hurghada (E£60, six hours) at 7.30am, trains and tickets available, including student
2.30pm and 11.45pm. discounts, see p533. Also try www.egyptrail
Upper Egypt Travel & Tourism Co runs .gov.eg, which may be running fully by the
to Hurghada (E£56 to E£61, six hours) de- time you read this.
parting at 8am, 9.30am, noon, 1.30pm, 3pm,
5pm, 6.30pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, ALEXANDRIA
11.30pm, 12.30am and 1am. The 1.30pm, The best trains running between Cairo and
5pm, 6.30pm, 8pm, 9pm and 10pm services Alexandria are the air-conditioned Turbini
go on to Safaga (E£71, 7½ hours). (1st/2nd class E£46/29, two hours). Second class
There are Upper Egypt Travel services in this train is about as good as 1st class in most
running to Al-Quseir (E£76, nine hours) at others. They depart from Cairo at 8am, 2pm
1.30pm, 6.30pm, 8pm, 10pm and 11pm. The and 7pm. The next best trains are the Espani
1.30pm, 6.30pm, 8pm and 11pm services go (Spanish) services, which cost the same as the
on to Marsa Alam (E£86, 10½ hours). Turbini and leave at 9am, noon, 5pm, 6pm and
 180 C A I R O • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d lonelyplanet.com

10.30pm; the 9am and 6pm trains go direct, tickets cost US$60 per person one-way in a
CAIRO

while the others stop at Tanta and sometimes double cabin, US$80 in a single cabin and
Benha and Damanhur as well. Slower trains US$45 for kids ages four to 10. There are
known as the Francese (French; 1st/2nd class no student discounts. If you wish to get off
E£35/19, three hours) leave at 6am, 8.15am, at Luxor and continue to Aswan a few days
9.30am, 11am, 3.10pm, 4pm and 8pm. Student later this must be specified when booking.
discounts are available on all tickets. The price includes an aeroplane-style dinner
and breakfast.
LUXOR & ASWAN Aside from the sleeping train, foreigners
The excellent overnight wagons-lit service to can travel to Luxor and Aswan only on train
Upper Egypt departs from Giza Station (Map 980, departing Ramses daily at 7.30am; train
pp110–11), right next to the Giza metro stop; 996, at 10pm; and train 1902, at 12.30am.
you can purchase tickets at the office in a To Luxor, 1st/2nd class fares are E£78/42;
trailer to the right of the station entrance, to Aswan, E£94/47. The trip to Luxor takes
but the larger Abela Egypt Sleeping Train Ticket 10 hours; to Aswan, around 12. Student dis-
Office (Map p180; %2574 9274; www.sleepingtrains.com; counts of 30% are available in both classes.
h8.30am-9pm) keeps longer hours and can take Tickets on these services can be bought from
credit cards. Tickets for same-day travel must the windows beside platform 11 (Map p122),
be purchased before 6pm, although in the on the other side of the tracks from the main
high season (from about October to April) hall. You must buy your tickets at least a cou-
you should book several days in advance. The ple of days in advance.
offices take payment in cash (euros or dollars
only) or, for a small surcharge, credit card SUEZ CANAL
(Visa only). Trains to Port Said (2nd class E£18, 3½ to
The sleeping car services depart Giza at four hours) and Ismailia (E£11 to E£14, 2½
8.25pm and 8.45pm daily. The former stops to three hours) leave at 8.45am, 12.30pm,
at fewer towns along the way, arriving in 2.35pm, 5.45pm (Ismailia only) and 7.10pm.
Luxor at 5am and in Aswan at 8.05am. The For Suez (2nd class E£18, 2½ hours), there
latter train gets in about 40 minutes behind. are departures at 6.30am, 9.20am, 1.10pm,
There is also a third sleeping car, departing at 4.15pm and 6.45pm – but they go only from
9.10pm from Ramses and arriving at 6.30am Ain Shams station, 15km northeast of Ramses
in Luxor and 9.45am in Aswan; the agents but accessible via the metro. Delays on these
try to steer people away from this train be- routes are common, so going by bus is more

cause it’s slower, but it might be ideal if you efficient, and more comfortable than the
want to sleep later. To either Luxor or Aswan, non-air-con trains.

GETTING AROUND
RAMSES TRAIN STATION Overcrowded buses and minibuses are the
1st & 2nd Class
Tickets to Aswan
most common form of transport for the ma-
2nd & 3rd Class jority of Cairenes, anyone with means takes

& Luxor
Tickets to Aswan
& Luxor taxis. By Western standards, taxis are very
Platform 8 (Trains to Aswan & Luxor)
cheap, although the fare can mount up if you
1st Class Tickets Café
travel any distance – to the Pyramids, say – in
to Alexandria
Platform 4 which case the bus or the excellent metro can
2nd & 3rd
(Trains to Alexandria)
be better.
Class Tickets
to Alexandria, Information
Port Said
& Ismailia To/From the Airport
Telephone
Cairo International Airport (www.cairo-airport.com)
Abela Sleeping Train Centrale To Egyptian National Terminal 1 (%2265 5000); Terminal 2 (%2265 2222) is
Ticket Office Railways Museum (75m)
Pharmacy on the northeastern fringes of Heliopolis,
Tourist Office
& Police
Café
Post Office
20km northeast of the city centre. Terminal
Left
Luggage 1 services EgyptAir’s international and do-
To Metro Station (75m);
Midan Ramses (175m)
mestic flights and Terminal 2 services all
Station
international carriers except Saudi Arabian
Forecourt Not to Scale Airlines. Under construction at the time of
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d 181

writing, Terminal 3 (immediately adjacent to

CAIRO
Terminal 2) is due to open sometime in 2008. PLAYING CHICKEN IN CAIRO
You’ll find ATMs and exchange booths in all It may sound silly, but the greatest chal-
arrivals halls. lenge most travellers face in Egypt is cross-
ing the street in Cairo. Roads are always
BUS frantically busy and road rules are some-
Don’t believe anyone who tells you that there thing that the average Cairene has heard of,
is no bus to the city centre – there are two, but only in jokes. Our advice is to position
plus a minibus. yourself so that one or more locals forms
Air-con bus 356 (E£2, plus E£1 per large a buffer between you and oncoming traf-
luggage item, one hour) runs at 20-minute in- fic, and then cross when they do – they
tervals from 7am to midnight between Midan usually don’t mind being used as human
Abdel Moniem Riad (behind the Egyptian shields. Basically, you have to trust the cars
Museum) in central Cairo and Terminal 1 at will avoid you – never, ever hesitate once
the airport (as of 2007; service to both ter- you’ve stepped off the sidewalk, and cross
minals may be restored by the end of 2008). as if you own the road. But do it fast!
Less comfortable options are minibus 27
(6am to midnight) and the 24-hour bus 400
(both 50pt). In the traffic-free early hours of the morn-
If you arrive at Terminal 1, you’ll see the ing (when so many flights seem to arrive), the
bus parking area to the side of the arrivals hall, journey to central Cairo takes 20 minutes. At
beyond the Air Mall. During the construction busier times of the day it can take an hour,
of Terminal 3, buses are bypassing Terminal with the worst traffic on Sharia Uruba.
2, so the situation is trickier: catch a shuttle
bus to the car park (clearly marked, running Bus & Minibus
constantly), then cross the road and walk left Cairo is thoroughly served by a network
to the bus shelter. Flag down any bus from of lumbering sardine-cans-on-wheels and
here; it will carry on to Terminal 1, where smaller, shuttle-size minibuses (on which,
you can change if necessary. By the time you theoretically, there’s no standing allowed),
read this, though, Terminal 3 may very well but visitors will find only a few uses for them:
be complete, and presumably the buses will they’re good for a slow but cheap trip to the
stop in the parking area between Terminals Pyramids or from the airport, but elsewhere
2 and 3. you can travel more efficiently and comfort-
ably by metro and/or taxi. Signs are in Arabic
TAXI only, so you’ll have to know your numerals.
The going rate for a taxi from the airport to There is no known map of any of the city’s
central Cairo is E£45 to E£60; unfortunately bus routes.
the metered yellow cabs (p183) are seldom Nonetheless, the view from a window
seen at this end of the trip. (Heading to the seat on any bus is invariably fascinating. For
airport from the centre, you can get one of general take-me-anywhere sightseeing, start
these, or bargain a black-and-white down to at the central Midan Abdel Moniem Riad,
E£35, taking into account that drivers must behind the Egyptian Museum, where serv-
pay E£5 to enter the airport grounds.) It’s bet- ices leave for just about everywhere in the
ter to get away from the arrivals hall and all city; another major hub is Midan Ataba (see
the touts before talking to anyone, as walking Map pp118–19). Just pick a neighbourhood
away can sometimes bring the price down. and ask bystanders where to stand. Tickets
Triple-check the agreed fare, as there is an cost between 50pt and E£2 depending on dis-
irritating tendency for drivers to nod at what tance and whether there’s air-con (mint-green
you say and claim a higher fare later. buses often have it). See above for additional
If you don’t want to bargain and would pre- bus tips.
fer a clean and comfortable ride, head for the
limousine counter, where you can organise a Car
car at a fixed price of E£60 to E£75. There’s a Driving in Cairo can’t in any way be recom-
lot to be said for this option, particularly after mended – not only is it harrowing, but you’re
a long international flight. only contributing to the already hideously
 182 C A I R O • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d lonelyplanet.com

clogged streets. Lane markings are ignored

THE CAIRO METRO
CAIRO

and brakes are scorned; traffic lights are dis-

cretionary unless enforced by a policeman.
At night some drivers use their headlights
exclusively for flashing oncoming vehicles. New Al-Marg
But Cairo drivers do have road rules: they Al-Marg
look out for each other and are tolerant of the Shubra al-Kheima
Ezbet al-Nakhl
Ain Shams
type of driving that elsewhere might provoke Koleyet al-Zeraah Al-Matariya
Helmiet al-Zeitoun
road rage. Things only go awry when an in- Mazallat
Khalafawi
Hadayek
Saray al-Kobba
experienced driver – like yourself, perhaps – St Theresa
al-Zeitoun
Hammamat
Kobri al-Kobba
is thrown into the mix. Rod al-Farag
al-Kobba

For more information about cars and driv- Misarra

Manshiyet al-Sadr
Al-Demerdash
ing in Egypt see p529. Ghamra
Orabi Mubarak (Midan Ramses)
Nasser
Gezira
HIRE (Opera)
Ataba
Doqqi Mohammed Naguib
The only reason we expect you might rent Behoos
Sadat Saad Zaghloul
Cairo
a car is to drive directly out of the city. The University
(Midan
Tahrir)
Sayyida Zeinab
(Al-Gamaa) Al-Malek as-Saleh
major options: Faisal Mar Girgis
Al-Zahraa
Avis (www.avisegypt.com) Airport (%2265 4249); Giza
Dar as-Salaam
Giza Suburban
Downtown (Map pp118-19; %2579 2400; Nile Hilton, Sakiat Mekki
Hadayek al-Ma'adi
Ma'adi
1113 Corniche el-Nil) Sakanat al-Ma'adi
El-Moneib
Budget (%2265 2395; Cairo Airport) Tura al-Balad
Kozzika
Europcar (%2267 2439; Terminal 1, Cairo Airport) Tura al-Esment
Al-Maasara
Hertz (www.hertzegypt.com) Airport (%2265 2430); Hadayek Helwan
Downtown (Map pp118-19; %2575 8914; Ramses Hilton, Wadi Hof
Helwan University
Corniche el-Nil) Ain Helwan
Helwan

The rates of these big guns match interna-

tional charges and finding a cheap deal with
local dealers is virtually impossible. You are ing where the front of the train will stop, as it
much better off organising via the web before won’t hang around long in the station.
you arrive.
Microbus
Metro Increasingly Cairenes use private microbuses
The metro is blissfully efficient and the sta- (meekro)– small vans with 10 or so seats – rather
tions are cleaner than many of Cairo’s other than public buses and minibuses. No destina-
public places. It’s also inexpensive and, tions are marked, which can make them hard to
outside rush hours (7am to 9am and 3pm use at first. To catch a meekro, position yourself
to 6pm), not too crowded. Two lines are in beside the road that leads where you want to go
operation, with a fabled third line perpetually and, as one approaches, yell out your destina-
‘under construction’. The 35-station main line tion. At the same time, a kid is usually leaning
stretches for 43km from the southern suburb off the running board yelling the meekro’s end
of Helwan up to Al-Marg; the second line terminal. If it’s going where you want to go and
connects Shubra with Giza, stopping at the there are seats free, it’ll stop. Some microbus
Cairo Opera House en route. See the Cairo terminals are near Midan Ataba and in Sayyida
Metro map, p182. Aisha, the closest transit hub to the Citadel.
Metro stations are easily identified by signs Fares vary according to distance, from 50pt to
with a big red ‘M’ in a blue star. Tickets cost E£2, paid after you take your seat. This often re-
E£1 to any stop; keep your ticket handy to quires passing your money to passengers ahead
feed into the turnstile on the way out. Trains and receiving your change the same way (which
run every five minutes or so from around 6am is always done scrupulously).
until 11.30pm.
The first (and often second) carriage on River Bus
each train is reserved for women. If you want The Downtown river-bus terminal (Map
to ride in this carriage, make sure you’re stand- pp118–19) is at Maspero, on the Corniche
lonelyplanet.com C A I R O • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d 183

CAIRO
KHALED AL-KHAMISI
Author of the 2007 best-seller Taxi, a collection of transcribed conversations with Cairo cab drivers. The
English translation is available from Aflame Books in the UK (www.aflamebooks.com).

You’re a Cairo native, right?

I was born in Downtown Cairo and have lived there my whole life – except for four years in
France, for my PhD at the Sorbonne. But when you live in a city like Cairo you feel as if you have
lived in it for thousands of years, and not only since your birth.

How has the city changed?

Cairo has become much uglier, dirtier and more polluted, and it has expanded more into squatter-
type cities. The splendour that used to be has disappeared. Yet, in my eyes, Cairo remains the
most beautiful city in the world.

That’s such a Cairene answer! What do you love best about it?
Every corner of the city conveys the aura of the ancient Egyptian civilisation, the old Coptic
civilisation, Islamic history and the enlightenment period after Mohammed Ali Pasha. In Cairo
you walk in history.

So what’s your favourite historic building?

The Sultan Hassan mosque (p137) – it’s the Pyramids of Islamic architecture.

How about restaurants and ahwas?

Abou El Sid (p166) in Zamalek is my favourite because it serves great Egyptian food. As for ahwas
(coffeehouses), definitely Fishawi’s (p169) in Al-Hussein. Even though it has a touristy feel, it still
has its beauty and its history. Every wall and every chair in it represent Egypt’s memories.

Do you have a place you like to relax?

Al-Azhar Park (p140) is situated in the middle of the city and it overlooks the Citadel and Egypt’s
old mosques. You can actually breathe fresh air.

Back to loving the city… I think a lot of visitors find it very hard to like at first. Any advice?
Don’t rely on your first impression of Cairo, where traffic lanes don’t count, car horns are inescap-
able, people cross the street anywhere they like and buildings are left unfinished so the owners
don’t have to pay taxes. If you look at its details, it really is one of a kind.
If you feel like the city is too much for you, the solution is very simple: take a felucca ride
(p154) on the Nile at sunset, and you will find yourself in a world parallel to paradise.

in front of the big round TV building. Boats so it’s important not to get drawn into a
depart at 8am, 2pm and 9pm for Manial, Giza dialogue over the fare. Following are some
and Misr al-Qadima (Old Cairo). The trip sample fares from Downtown:
takes 50 minutes and the fare is E£1.

Taxi Destination Fare (E£)

Aside from the midafternoon rush, taxis Airport 30-35
are readily available and will come to a (45-60 airport to Downtown)
screeching halt with the slightest wave of Cairo Gateway 5
your hand. Standard black-and-white taxis The Citadel 12
are unmetered, and navigating the system Heliopolis 10-15
requires the confidence that you are pay- Khan al-Khalili 6
ing adequately. Given how cheap the fares Midan Ramses 4
are, a cabbie can with a few words plant The Pyramids 25
the seed of doubt that you’ve paid too little, Zamalek 6
 © Lonely Planet Publications
184 C A I R O • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d lonelyplanet.com

16516), which can be called ahead, have air-

CAIRO

USEFUL METRO STATIONS conditioning and always use meters. There

Ataba The closest stop to Khan al-Khalili. aren’t enough of them to hail in the street,
Gezira (Opera) Underneath the Cairo Opera but you can always get one from the rank on
House, closest to Zamalek. the south side of Midan Tahrir. With a mini-
Giza Connected to the Giza train station, for depar- mum charge of E£3.50, they’re pricier than
tures to Upper Egypt. black-and-whites for short distances, but for
Mar Girgis In the middle of Coptic Cairo. a trip to the Pyramids, for instance, they can
Mohammed Naguib Close to the Abdeen actually work out more cheaply (drivers still
Palace and the Museum of Islamic Art. appreciate a 10% or so tip, though).
Mubarak Beneath Midan Ramses and Ramses
Railway Station. Tram
Nasser Sharia 26th of July and Sharia Ramses; Known to Cairenes, confusingly, as ‘metros’,
closest to Downtown nightlife. rattly old-fashioned trams run from central
Sadat Beneath Midan Tahrir, close to the Egyptian Cairo to Heliopolis (25pt, 30 to 45 minutes).
Museum. The terminal is just north of Midan Ramses
(see Map p122); the line goes to Midan Roxy
on the southern edge of Heliopolis (see Map
Hiring a taxi for a longer period runs between p153), at which point it divides into three –
E£15 and E£25 per hour, depending on your Nouzha (through central Heliopolis on Sharia
bargaining skills. For information on black- al-Ahram; sign written in red), Al-Mirghani
and-white taxi etiquette see p532. (heads further east; sign in yellow) and Abdel
But there has been a life-changing shift re- Aziz Fahmy (west side, past Merryland; sign
cently, with the arrival of yellow taxis (%19730, in blue).

© Lonely Planet Publications. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally
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185

Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum is one of the world’s most important museums
of ancient history and one of its great spectacles. Here, the treasures of
Tutankhamun lie alongside the grave goods, mummies, jewellery, eating
bowls and toys of Egyptians whose names are lost to history. To walk
around the museum is to embark on an adventure through time.
The museum has its origins in the work of French archaeologist Auguste
Mariette. The Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali had banned the export of
antiquities in 1835. In 1858, his successor Said Pasha allowed Mariette to
create the Egyptian Antiquities Service and to base its activities around
a new museum in Bulaq, which was moved to the current purpose-built
museum in 1902.
The number of exhibits long ago outgrew the available space and the
The design for the
place is virtually bursting at the seams. Many stories are told about the
planned Grand Museum
museum’s basement store, some of whose sculptures have now sunk into
of Egypt features a spec-
the soft flooring and are currently being excavated. A ‘Grand Museum of
tacular alabaster façade
Egypt’ has been planned, close to the Pyramids in Giza, but progress has
that will be illuminated
been very slow and it is unlikely to open before 2012. When it does, many
at night.
of the museum’s highlights will be relocated to a state-of-the-art facility
whose advantages will include climate control, something sorely lacking
in the current building.
Until 1996, museum security involved locking the door at night. When
an enterprising thief stowed away overnight and helped himself to treas-
ures, the museum authorities installed alarms and detectors, at the same
time improving the lighting on many exhibits. Some improvements have
since been made to display cases, but much of the collection remains in
early-20th-century cases with poor or nonexistent labels. This, together
with the enormity of the collection and the fact that it is arranged chrono-
logically, means that one of the most rewarding ways of visiting is simply
to walk around and see what catches your eye. There’s no missing the
highlights – they usually have crowds around them – but be sure to stop
and see some of the lesser items, all of which will help bring the world of
the pharaohs back to life.

PRACTICALITIES
Don’t hope to see everything in the Egyptian Museum (Map p187; %575 4319;
www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg; Midan Tahrir, Downtown; adult/student E£50/25; h9am-6.45pm) Despite the enormous
in one go. It simply cannot be done. Instead, plan on making at least two international fanfare
visits, maybe tackling one floor at a time, or decide on the things you surrounding the design
absolutely must see and head straight for them. In peak season (much of for the planned Grand
winter and all public holidays), there’s no best time to visit as the museum Museum of Egypt, the
heaves with visitors throughout the day, although lunchtime and late af- Egyptian government has
ternoons can be a little quieter. yet to raise or allocate the
There are several queues to brave before entering, which in peak season estimated US$500 million
often start to form an hour before opening time. At busy periods, the needed for its construc-
fivefold admission procedure is as painfully slow as it sounds: tion. You can follow its
„ queue near the gate to pass through a metal detector and have your progress through the
bags X-rayed museum’s website, www
„ queue at the booth to your right to buy a ticket .gem.gov.eg.
„ queue at the cloak room on the left to leave bags, cameras and videos
 186 E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • H i g h l i g h t s o f t h e E g y p t i a n M u s e u m lonelyplanet.com

„ queue at the automatic ticket barriers to enter the building

„ queue inside for a second metal detector and have your bags searched
again.

Note that the Royal Mummy Room (adult/student E£100/50, tickets from museum upper fl,
beside Room 50; h9am-6.20pm) closes before the rest of the museum.
Official guides can usually be found near the gate or after the cloakroom
and will take you around for upwards of E£60 per hour. You can also rent
audioguides inside (E£30) in English, Arabic and French, although with
at least three different numbering systems in use, it isn’t always easy to
match the item to the commentary.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

www.egyptianmuseum The following are our favourite, must-see exhibits, for which you need at
.gov.eg is the Egyptian least a half-day, but preferably a little more.
Museum’s own website. Tutankhamun Galleries (1st fl; p191)
It has a games section Old Kingdom Rooms (Ground fl, Rooms 42, 37 & 32; opposite)
where you can play with Amarna Room (Ground fl, Room 3; p189)
falling lotuses, work with Royal Tombs of Tanis (1st fl, Room 2; p193)
hieroglyphs and complete Royal Mummy Room (1st fl, Room 56; p190)
a Tutankhamun puzzle. Graeco-Roman Mummies (1st fl, Room 14; p193)
Yuya & Thuyu Rooms (1st fl, Room 43; p193)
Ancient Egyptian Jewellery (1st fl, Room 4; p193)
Animal Mummies (1st fl, Rooms 53 & 54; p194)
Pharaonic Technology (1st fl, Room 34; p193)

MUSEUM TOUR: GROUND FLOOR

Before entering the museum, wander through the garden; to your left
lies the tomb of Mariette (1821–81), with a statue of the man, arms folded,
shaded under a spreading tree. Mariette’s tomb is overlooked by an arc of
busts of two dozen Egyptological luminaries including Champollion, who
cracked the code of hieroglyphs; Maspero, Mariette’s successor as director
of the Egyptian Antiquities Service; and Lepsius, the pre-eminent 19th-
century German Egyptologist.
The ground floor of the museum is laid out roughly chronologically
in a clockwise fashion starting at the entrance hall. For room numbers
see Map p187.

ROOM 43 – ATRIUM
As you enter the museum, the central atrium is filled with a miscellany of
large and small Egyptological finds. In the area before the steps lie some of the
collection’s oldest items. In the central cabinet No 8, the double-sided Narmer
Palette is of great significance. Dating from around 3100 BC it depicts Pharaoh
Narmer (also known as Menes) wearing the crown of Upper Egypt on one
side of the palette, and the crown of Lower Egypt on the other, suggesting
the first union of Upper and Lower Egypt under one ruler. Egyptologists take
this as the birth of ancient Egyptian civilisation and his reign as the first of
the 1st dynasty. This, then, is the starting point of more than 3000 years of
Pharaonic history in which more than 170 rulers presiding over 30 dynasties
and during which time almost everything in this building was fashioned. Seen
like this, the Narmer Palette, found at the Temple of Horus in Kom al-Ahmar
near Edfu, is the keystone of the Egyptian Museum.
lonelyplanet.com E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • M u s e u m T o u r : G r o u n d F l o o r 187

EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

Temporary
Exhibitions
Basement

Ground Floor First Floor

Exit NEW KINGDOM

NW Stairs NE Stairs NW Stairs NE Stairs
1 3 5 1 3 5
2 4

Entrance 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10
MIDDLE KINGDOM

11 12 13 14 15 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 16 17 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 21 22 24 25
LATE PERIOD
26 27 28 29 30 26 27 29 30
Entrance to the Atrium
OLD KINGDOM

Temporary 31 32 33 34 35 31 32 34 35
Exhibitions Basement
36 37 38 39 40 36 37 39 40 Ticket Box
for Mummy
SW 41 42 43 44 45 SE SW 41 42 43 44 45 Room
Stairs Stairs Stairs
48
48
46 47 49 50 51 51 46 47 49 50 51

Library 53 54 55 56
SE
Bookshop Gift Shop & Stairs
Entrance
Cafeteria Tourist
Police

ROOM 48 – EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD

In glass cabinet No 16 is the limestone statue of Zoser (Djoser), the 3rd-dynasty
pharaoh, whose chief architect Imhotep designed the revolutionary Step
Pyramid at Saqqara. The statue, discovered in 1924 in its serdab (cellar) The Egyptian Government
in the northeastern corner of the pyramid, is the oldest statue of its kind established the Service
in the museum. The seated, near-life-size figure has lost its original inlaid des Antiques de l’Egypte
eyes, but is still impressive in a tight robe and striped headcloth over a in 1835 to halt the plun-
huge wig. dering of archaeological
sites and to arrange
ROOMS 47 & 46 – OLD KINGDOM the exhibition of all the
Look for the three exquisite black schist triads that depict the pharaoh Menkaure artefacts it owned. Its
(Mycerinus), builder of the smallest of the three Pyramids of Giza, flanked most enduring legacy is
either side by a female figure. The hardness of the stone makes the sculptor’s this museum.
skill all the greater and has helped ensure the triads’ survival through the ages.
The figure to the pharaoh’s right is the goddess Hathor, while each of the
figures on his left represents a nome (district) of Egypt, the name of which
is given by the symbol above their head. These triads (plus one other that is
not held by this museum) were discovered at the pharaoh’s valley temple,
just east of his pyramid at Giza.

ROOMS 42, 37 & 32 – MASTERPIECES OF THE OLD KINGDOM

In the centre of Room 42 is one of the museum’s masterpieces, a smooth,
black, dioritic, larger-than-life-size statue of Khafre (Chephren). The builder
of the second pyramid at Giza sits on a lion throne, and is protected by
the wings of the falcon god Horus. The choice of stone, which is harder
than marble or granite, suggests the pharaoh’s power and yet this is the
 188 E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • M u s e u m T o u r : G r o u n d F l o o r lonelyplanet.com

only survivor out of 23 identical pieces from the pharaoh’s valley temple
on the Giza Plateau.
Slightly to the left in front of Khafre, the core of the stunning wooden
statue of Ka-Aper (No 40) was carved out of a single piece of sycamore (the
arms were ancient additions, the legs modern restorations). The syca-
more was sacred to the goddess Hathor, while Ka-Aper’s belly suggest his
prosperity. His eyes are amazingly lifelike, set in copper lids with whites
of opaque quartz and corneas of rock crystal, drilled and filled with black
paste to form the pupils. When this statue was excavated at Saqqara in
1860, local workmen named him Sheikh al-Balad (Headman), for his
resemblance to their own headman. Nearby sits the Seated Scribe (No 44),
a wonderful painted limestone figure, hand poised as if waiting to take
dictation, his inlaid eyes set in an asymmetrical face giving him a very
vivid appearance.
Room 32 is dominated by the beautiful statues of Rahotep and Nofret (No
27), a noble couple from the reign of Sneferu, builder of the Bent and the Red
Pyramids at Dahshur. Almost life-sized with well-preserved painted surfaces,
The Illustrated Guide to the limestone sculptures’ simple lines make them seem almost contemporary,
the Egyptian Museum despite having been around for a staggering 4600 years.
in Cairo is written In a cabinet off to the left, a limestone group shows Seneb, ‘chief of the
by Zahi Hawass, the royal wardrobe’ and his family (No 39). Seneb is notable for being a dwarf:
secretary-general of he sits cross-legged, his two children strategically placed where his legs would
Egypt’s Supreme Council otherwise have been. His full-size wife Senetites places her arms protectively
of Antiquities, and and affectionately around his shoulders. Rediscovered in their tomb in Giza
published by the excel- in 1926, the happy couple and their two kids have more recently been used
lent American University in Egyptian family-planning campaigns.
in Cairo Press. Available Also here is a panel of Meidum Geese (No 138), part of an extraordinarily
all over the city, it costs beautiful wall painting from a mud-brick mastaba at Meidum, near the
E£150 and features colour oasis of Al-Fayoum (see p207). Painted around 2600 BC, the pigments
photographs and useful remain vivid and the degree of realism (while still retaining a distinct
itineraries. Pharaonic style) is astonishing – ornithologists have had no trouble iden-
tifying the species.
Room 37, entered via Room 32, contains furniture from the Giza Plateau
tomb of Queen Hetepheres, wife of Sneferu and mother of Khufu (Cheops), in-
cluding a carrying chair, bed, bed canopy and a jewellery box. Her mummy
has not been found, but her shrivelled internal organs remain inside her
Canopic chest. A glass cabinet holds a miniature ivory statue of her son
Khufu, found at Abydos. Ironically, at under 8cm, this tiny figure is the
only surviving representation of the builder of Egypt’s Great Pyramid.

ROOM 26 – MONTUHOTEP II
The seated statue in the corridor on your right, after leaving Room 32,
represents Theban-born Montuhotep II (No 136), first ruler of the Middle
Kingdom period. He is shown with black skin (representing fertility and
rebirth) and the red crown of Lower Egypt. This statue was discovered by
Howard Carter under the forecourt of the pharaoh’s temple at Deir al-
Bahri in Thebes in 1900, when the ground gave way under his horse – a
surprisingly recurrent means of discovery in the annals of Egyptology.

ROOMS 21 & 16 – SPHINXES

These grey-granite sphinxes are very different from the great enigmatic
Sphinx at Giza – they look more like the Lion Man from The Wizard of
Oz, with a fleshy human face surrounded by a great shaggy mane and big
ears. Sculpted for Pharaoh Amenemhat III (1855–1808 BC) during the 12th
dynasty, they were moved to Avaris by the Hyksos and then to the Delta
lonelyplanet.com E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • M u s e u m T o u r : G r o u n d F l o o r 189

city of Tanis by Ramses II (see p215). Also here is an extraordinary wood

figure of the ka (spirit double) of the 13th dynasty ruler Hor Auibre.

ROOM 12 – HATHOR SHRINE www.ancientegypt.co.uk

The centrepiece of this room is a remarkably well-preserved vaulted sandstone
is a fabulous website
chapel, found near the Theban temple of Deir al-Bahri. Its walls are painted
hosted by the British
with reliefs of Tuthmosis III, his wife Meritre and two princesses, making
Museum that has loads
offerings to Hathor, who suckles the pharaoh. The life-size cow statue
of interactive online
suckles Tuthmosis III’s son and successor Amenhotep II, who also stands
games and information
beneath her chin.
about ancient Egypt for
Hatshepsut, who was coregent for part of Tuthmosis III’s reign, eventu-
children. It is guaran-
ally had herself crowned as pharaoh. Her life-sized pink granite statue stands
teed to keep aspiring
to the left of the chapel. Although she wears a pharaoh’s headdress and a
Egyptologists occupied
false beard, the statue has definite feminine characteristics. The large red-
for hours.
dish-painted limestone head in the corridor outside this room is also of
Hatshepsut, originally from one of the huge Osiris-type statues that adorned
the pillared façade of her great temple at Deir al-Bahri. Also here are wall
decorations from the temple showing the famed expedition to Punt, perhaps
Somalia or Eritrea.

ROOM 3 – AMARNA ROOM

Akhenaten (1352–1336 BC), the ‘heretic pharaoh’, did more than build a
new capital at Tell al-Amarna, close the temples of the traditional state god
Amun and promote the sun god Aten in his place. He also ushered in a period
of great artistic freedom, as a glance around this room will show. Compare
these great torsos with their strangely bulbous bellies, hips and thighs, their
elongated faces and thick lips, with the sleek, hard-edged Middle Kingdom
sculpture of previous rooms.
Perhaps most striking of all is the unfinished head of Nefertiti (No 161), wife of
Akhenaten. Worked in brown quartzite, it’s an incredibly delicate and sensi-
tive portrait and shows the queen to have been extremely beautiful – unlike
some of the relief figures of her elsewhere in the room, in which she appears
with exactly the same strange features as her husband. The masterpiece of this
period, the finished bust of Nefertiti, remains in the Berlin museum.

ROOM 10 – RAMSES II
At the foot of the northeast stairs is a fabulous large, grey-granite representation
of Ramses II, builder of the Ramesseum and Abu Simbel. But here in this statue
he is tenderly depicted as a child with his finger in his mouth nestled against
the breast of a great falcon, in this case the Canaanite god Horus.

ROOM 34 – GRAECO-ROMAN ROOM

It is best to visit these last rooms after seeing the upper floor, because this
is the end of the ancient Egyptian story. By the 4th century BC, Egypt
had been invaded by many nations, mostly recently by the Macedonian
Alexander the Great. Egypt’s famously resistant culture had become po-
rous, as will be obvious from the stelae on the back wall, and on the large
sandstone panel on the right-hand wall inscribed in three languages: official
Egyptian hieroglyphics; the more popularly used demotic; and Greek, the
language of the new rulers. This trilingual stone is similar in nature to the
more famous Rosetta stone (see p397), now housed in London’s British
Museum, a cast of which stands near the museum entrance (Room 48).
Also, notice the bust situated immediately to the left as you enter this
room: a typically Greek face with curly beard and locks, but wearing a
Pharaonic-style headdress.
 190 E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • M u s e u m T o u r : Fi r s t F l o o r lonelyplanet.com

ROOMS 50 & 51 – ALEXANDER THE GREAT

On the official museum plan this area is labelled ‘Alexander the Great’
but currently there’s nothing here that relates directly to the Macedonian
conqueror who became pharaoh. However, there is a beautiful small marble
statuette of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, carved at the end of the 1st century BC
and found in Alexandria. Egyptians identified her with Isis.

MUSEUM TOUR: FIRST FLOOR

Exhibits here are grouped thematically and can be viewed in any order,
but assuming that you’ve come up the southeast stairs, we’ll enter the
Tutankhamun Galleries at Room 45. This way, you’ll experience the pieces
in roughly the same order that they were laid out in the tomb (a poster on the
wall outside Room 45 illustrates the tomb and treasures as they were found).
But if you are fascinated by mummies, then some of the most amazing ones
are on display in the Royal Mummy Room, best visited before entering the
Tutankhamun Galleries.

ROOM 56 – ROYAL MUMMY ROOM

The Royal Mummy Room (adult/student E£100/50, ticket office beside stairs off room 50; h9am-
6.20pm) houses the remains of some of Egypt’s most illustrious pharaohs and
queens from the 17th to 21st dynasties, 1650 to 945 BC. They lie in individual
glass showcases (kept at a constant 22°C) in a suitably sombre, tomblike
environment. Talking above a hushed whisper is forbidden (somewhat
counterproductively, a guard will bellow ‘silence’ if you do) and tour guides
The Treasures of the are forbidden to enter, although some do.
Egyptian Museum, edited Displaying dead royalty has proved highly controversial in the past. Late
by Francesco Tiradritti, President Anwar Sadat took the Royal Mummies off display in 1979 for
is an excellent refer- political reasons, but the subsequent reappearance of 11 of the better look-
ence published by the ing mummies in 1994 has done wonders for tourism figures and a second
American University in mummy room has now been added. The extra admission charge is steep,
Cairo Press. Available in but well worth it if you have any interest in mummies or in ancient Egypt’s
most of Cairo’s English- great rulers. Parents should be aware that the mummies can be a frightening
language bookshops sight for young children.
and at the museum Take time to study the faces of some of the first room’s celebrated in-
bookshop, it features 416 mates, beginning with the brave Theban king Seqenenre II who died vio-
pages of stunning colour lently, possibly during struggles to reunite the country at the end of the
photographs and costs Second Intermediate Period (1650–1550 BC). His wounds are still visible
E£300. beneath his curly hair and his twisted arms reflect the violence of his death.
The perfectly wrapped mummies of Amenhotep I and Queen Merit Amun show
how all royal mummies would once have looked, bedecked with garlands.
Hatshepsut’s brother-husband Tuthmosis II lies close by, as does Tuthmosis
IV with his beautifully styled hair – he was the first pharaoh to have his
ears pierced. Here too is Seti I, often described as the best-preserved royal
mummy, although his son Ramses II, in the middle of the room, might
argue with that, his haughty profile revealing the family’s characteristic
curved nose, his hair dyed in old age with yellow henna. Ramses II’s 13th
son and successor Merenptah has a distinctly white appearance caused by
the mummification process.
The new mummy room (same ticket) is located across the building, off
room 46. The corridor display relates some of the most famous mummy
discoveries, including the 1881 Deir al-Bahri cache of royal mummies.
Many of the mummies in this section date from the 20th and 21st dynas-
ties, the end of the New Kingdom and the start of the Third Intermediate
lonelyplanet.com E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • M u s e u m T o u r : Fi r s t F l o o r 191

MYTH BUSTING
In January 2005 the National Geographic Society arranged for 1700 CT scans of the mummy of
Tutankhamun to be taken at his tomb in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings. The scans were then given
to three teams of researchers (from Paris, New York and Egypt) who used them to model busts
showing what the boy pharaoh might have looked like on the day of his death 3300 years ago.
Unveiling the startlingly similar-looking busts to a packed international press conference, Zahi
Hawass, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the scans had
shown that Tut was healthy and well fed at the time of his death and that there was no evidence
of foul play, contradicting the oft-repeated theory that he had been murdered at the behest of
Ay, the commoner who ruled Egypt as regent while Tut was growing up. The scans showed that
one of Tut’s legs had been fractured shortly before his death, leading to conjecture that this had
led to infection or a fat embolism that eventually killed him.

Period (c 1186–945 BC). In the mummy room, the small raised spots
visible on the face of Ramses V may have been caused by smallpox. His
predecessors Ramses III and IV lie nearby. Since her cheeks had burst apart
due to overpacking during the mummification process, the appearance of
Queen Henettawy (c 1025 BC) owes as much to modern restorers as to an-
cient embalmers, who decorated her linen shroud with an image of Osiris.
Queen Nesikhonsu’s mummy still conveys the queen’s vivid features. Queen
Maatkare lies nearby with her pet baboon. Also here are the mummies of
several youths, including Prince Djedptahiufankh.

TUTANKHAMUN GALLERIES
The treasure of the young New Kingdom pharaoh, Tutankhamun, are among
the world’s most famous antiquities. The tomb and treasures of this phar-
aoh, who ruled for only nine years during the 14th century BC (1336–1327
BC), were discovered in 1922 by English archaeologist Howard Carter. Its
well-hidden location in the Valley of the Kings, below the much grander but
ransacked tomb of Ramses VI, had long prevented its discovery (see boxed
text, p261). Many archaeologists now believe that up to 80% of these extraor-
dinary treasures were made for Tutankhamun’s predecessors, Akhenaten and Moisturising oils were
Smenkhkare – some still carry the names of the original owners. Perhaps very popular; even troops
with Tutankhamun’s death, everything connected with the Amarna Period were anointed with
was simply chucked in with him to be buried away and forgotten. perfumes as a mark of
About 1700 items are spread throughout a series of rooms on the museum’s honour. One Spartan king
1st floor, and although the gold shines brightest, sometimes the less grand stormed out of a banquet
objects give more insight into the pharaoh’s life. The following are some of when his fellow Egyptian
the highlights. guests had overdone the
perfume. He thought
them decadent and
Room 45 effeminate.
Flanking the doorway as you enter are two life-size statues of Tutankhamun,
found in the tomb antechamber. A large black-and-white photograph shows
them in situ. Made of wood coated in bitumen, their black skin suggests an
identification with Osiris and the rich, black river silt, symbolised fertility
and rebirth.

Room 40
Note Tutankhamun’s wig box of dark wood, with strips of blue and orange inlay,
the wooden mushroom-shaped support inside once holding the pharaoh’s
short curly wig.
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Rooms 35 & 30
The pharaoh’s lion throne (No 179) is one of the museum’s highlights. Covered
with sheet gold and inlaid with lapis, cornelian and other semiprecious
stones, the wooden throne is supported by lion legs. The colourful tableau
Despite the magnificence on the chair-back depicts Ankhesenamun applying perfume to husband
of his burial artefacts, Tutankhamun, under the rays of the sun (Aten), the worship of which was
Tutankhamun only ruled a hangover from the Amarna period. Evidence of remodelling of the figures
Egypt for nine years and suggests that this was the throne of his father and predecessor, Akhenaten.
made little impression in The robes are modelled in beaten silver, their hair of glass paste.
the annals of its history. Many golden statues were placed in the tomb to help the pharaoh on his
journey in the afterlife, including a series of 28 gilt-wood protective deities
and 413 shabti, attendants who would serve the pharaoh in the afterlife. Only
a few of them are displayed here.

Room 20
This room contains exquisite alabaster jars and vessels carved into the shape
of boats and animals.

Rooms 10 & 9
The northern end of this gallery is filled with the pharaoh’s three elaborate
funerary couches, one supported by the cow-goddess Mehetweret, one by
two figures of the goddess Ammit, ‘the devourer’ who ate the hearts of the
damned, and the third by the lioness god Mehet. The huge bouquet of persea
and olive leaves in Room 10, near the top of the stairs, was originally propped
up beside the two black and gold guardian statues in Room 45.
The alabaster chest contains four Canopic jars, the stoppers of which are
in the form of Tutankhamun’s head. Inside these jars, four miniature
gold coffins (now in Room 3) held the pharaoh’s internal organs. The
chest was placed inside the golden Canopic shrine with the four gilded
goddesses: Isis, Neith, Nephthys and Selket, all portrayed with protective
outstretched arms.
Most people walk right past Tutankhamun’s amazing wardrobe. The
pharaoh was buried with a range of sumptuous tunics covered in gold
discs and beading, ritual robes of ‘fake fur’, a large supply of neatly folded
underwear and even socks to be worn with flip-flop-type sandals, 47
pairs of which were buried with him. From these and other objects, the
Tutankhamun Textile Project has worked out that pharaoh’s vital statistics
were 79cm (31in) chest, 74cm (29in) waist and 109cm (43in) hips.

Rooms 8 & 7
These galleries just barely accommodate four massive gilded wooden shrines.
These fitted one inside the other, like a set of Russian dolls, encasing at
their centre the sarcophagi of the boy pharaoh.

Room 3
This is the room everybody wants to see as it contains the pharaoh’s golden
sarcophagus and jewels; at peak times, prepare to queue. Tutankhamun’s
astonishing death mask has become an Egyptian icon. Made of solid gold
and weighing 11kg, the mask covered the head of the mummy, where it lay
inside a series of three sarcophagi. The mask is an idealised portrait of the
young pharaoh; the eyes are fashioned from obsidian and quartz, while the
outlines of the eyes and the eyebrows are delineated with lapis lazuli.
No less wondrous are the two golden sarcophagi. These are the inner
two sarcophagi – the outermost coffin, along with the pharaoh’s mummy,
remains in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The smallest coffin is,
lonelyplanet.com E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • M u s e u m T o u r : Fi r s t F l o o r 193

like the mask, cast in solid gold and inlaid in the same fashion. It weighs
110kg. The slightly larger coffin is made of gilded wood.

ROOM 4 – ANCIENT EGYPTIAN JEWELLERY

Even after Tutankhamun’s treasures, this stunning collection of royal jew-
ellery takes the breath away. The collection covers the period from early
dynasties to the Romans and includes belts, inlaid beadwork, necklaces,
semiprecious stones and bracelets. Among the most beautiful is a diadem
of Queen Sit-Hathor-Yunet, a golden headband with a rearing cobra inset with Cosmetics played an
semiprecious stones. Also of note is Pharaoh Ahmose’s gold dagger and important role in the
Seti II’s considerable gold earrings. daily life of both women
and men; the tomb
ROOM 2 – ROYAL TOMBS OF TANIS builders of Deir al-Medina
This glittering collection of gold- and silver-encrusted objects came from are shown having their
six intact 21st- and 22nd-dynasty tombs found at the Delta site of Tanis eye paint applied during
(p215). Unearthed by the French in 1939, the tombs’ discovery rivalled working hours as protec-
Carter’s finding of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but news of the discovery was tion against glare and
overshadowed by the outbreak of WWII. The gold death mask of Psusennes various eye diseases.
I (1039–991 BC) is shown alongside his silver inner coffin and another
silver coffin with the head of a falcon belonging to the pharaoh Shoshenq
II (c 890 BC).

ROOM 14 – GRAECO-ROMAN MUMMIES

This room contains a small sample of the stunning portraits found on
Graeco-Roman mummies, popularly known as the Fayoum Portraits (see
boxed text, p209). These faces were painted onto wooden panels, often
during the subject’s life, and placed over the mummies’ embalmed faces.
These portraits express the personalities of their subjects more successfully
than the stylised elegance of most other ancient Egyptian art and are recog-
nised as the link between ancient art and the Western portrait tradition.

ROOM 34 – PHARAONIC TECHNOLOGY

For gadget buffs, this room contains a great number of everyday objects
that helped support ancient Egypt’s great leap out of prehistory. Some
are still in use in Egypt today. Pharaonic boomerangs were apparently used
for hunting birds.

ROOM 43 – YUYA & THUYU ROOMS

Before Tutankhamun’s tomb was uncovered, the tomb of Yuya and Thuyu
(the parents of Queen Tiy, and Tutankhamun’s great-grandparents) had
yielded the most spectacular find in Egyptian archaeology. Discovered vir-
tually intact in the Valley of the Kings in 1905, the tomb contained a vast
number of treasures, including five ornate sarcophagi and the remarkably
well-preserved mummies of the two commoners who became royal in-laws.
Among many other items on display are such essentials for the hereafter as
beds and sandals, as well as the fabulous gilded death mask of Thuyu.

ROOM 48 – PYRAMID MODEL

This excellent large-scale model of one of the Abu Sir pyramids per-
fectly illustrates the typical pyramid complex with its valley temple,
high-walled causeway, mortuary temple and minisatellite pyramid – well
worth studying before a trip to Giza. Case No 82 contains the much-
copied blue faïence hippopotamus from the Middle Kingdom, a symbol of
the Nile’s fertility.
 © Lonely Planet Publications
194 E G Y P T I A N M U S E U M • • M u s e u m T o u r : Fi r s t F l o o r lonelyplanet.com

ROOM 53 – ANIMAL MUMMIES

Animal cults grew in strength throughout ancient Egypt, as the battered
and dust-covered mummified cats, dogs, crocodiles, birds, rams and jackals
in Room 53 suggest.

www.animalmummies
ROOM 37 – MODEL ARMIES
Discovered in the Asyut tomb of governor Mesheti and dating from about
.com, a website
2000 BC (11th dynasty), these are two sets of 40 wooden warriors march-
dedicated to the Egyptian
ing in phalanxes. The darker soldiers (No 72) are Nubian archers from
Museum’s animal mum-
the south of the kingdom, each wearing brightly coloured kilts of varying
mies, encourages you to
design, while the lighter-skinned soldiers (No 73) are Egyptian pikemen.
adopt one and help pay
for a climate-controlled
room and special cases to
ROOMS 32 & 27 – MIDDLE KINGDOM MODELS
These sensational lifelike models were mostly found in the tomb of
conserve the poor beasts.
Meketre, an 11th-dynasty chancellor in Thebes, and, like some of the
best of Egyptian tomb paintings, they provide a fascinating portrait of
daily life in Egypt almost 4000 years ago. They include fishing boats, a
slaughterhouse, a carpentry workshop, a loom and a model of Meketre’s
house (with fig trees in the garden). Most spectacular is the 1.5m-wide
scene of Meketre sitting with his sons, four scribes and various others,
counting cattle.

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