Cairo is an amazing city full of life and movement. You can find it living 24 hours a day, with children playing in the streets and merchants selling their wears and services, with museums crowded with tourists and dates in restaurants and cafés, with pupil going to universities and women shopping in the malls… Whatever you can imagine of the human life you can find in Cairo.
Whereas modern Cairo is living its high pace of life, Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic monuments having century histories are looking calmly on all this vanity. Incredible monuments you might stumble across while wandering around. Only here you’ll get to see the Giza Pyramids, thousands of ancient artifacts in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and much more.
THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA AND THE SPHINX.
In ancient time the famous Pyramids of Giza were counted among the Seven Wonders of the World. They were built between 2550 and 2490 B.C. as royal tombs. For 4000 years, the Pyramids of Giza just sat there, with their extraordinary geometry.
Huge amount of researches was made and still there is no exact understanding how they could be built centuries ago. All we have are theories and to understand why you should once to see it by your own proper eyes.
The Guardian of the Pyramids the legendary Sphinx is not less mystical. The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock at the bottom of the causeway to the Pyramid of Khafre and it is probably portrays his features. As the proof of this theory experts show some pharaohs signs – the royal head dress it still has on and the ceremonial beard that was carted off in 19th century and is now on display in the British Museum in London.
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
Everyone at least once in their life heard about Pharoah Tutankhamun. He is the most well known pharaoh. Young nine year’s old lost king of Egypt. The Egyptian museum is the treasure of his story -about 1700 items are spread throughout a series of rooms on the museum’s 1st floor…Of course as one of the world’s most important ancient history museum it has a lot of other exhibitions which even can’t be looked through all. You can find there the statue of the builder of the second pyramid at Giza sitting on a lion throne and protected by the wings of the falcon god Horus that is larger than life size ‘Statue of Khafre (Chephren), the bust of Queen Nefertiti, whose original colour is preserved without restoration since the Amarna period, so called Berlin “Green Head” named after its greenish stone… the list can be endless. This museum is good choice to visit and to feel all colossal history of ancient Egypt and to see the ancient masterworks.
ISLAMIC CAIRO
The World Heritage of Islamic culture is situated in Cairo. Among them are Al-Fustat,
Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun, Al-Imam ash-Shaf’i Necropolis, Qayitbay Necropolis.
The oldest Islamic city had been founded in the 10th century with its grand mosques, madrasas, hammams and fountains by the 14 th century it reached its golden age. It covers large area with enomerious places to visit.The most significant of them are Al-Azhar and Khan al-Khalili.
KHAN EL-KHALILI
during the Ottoman period was called Turkish bazzar. This market was built in 1382 and now it is one of the most important shopping areas. Here you will find whatever you are d rimming of: imitations of pharaonic objects, Jewellery, items made from copper, papyrus paintings, etc. Also you can try here the water pipe called Shisha, a cup of tea called karkade. Karkade tea is a deep red drink that is served either hot or cold and has a tangy citrus taste. It made from a variety of hibiscus flower and it contains a lot of vitamin C. To say about this place in one word – it is magic place!
AL-AZHAR PARK
is important place to visit because this hilly site is surrounded by the most significant historic districts of Islamic Cairo. This new park located in its heart of the city can provide you with wonderful view of the surrounding area.
The $30 million (USD) project of the Park was designed as an agent for economic development, and has become a case study for creative solutions to a spectrum of challenges. The park is the largest green space created in Cairo in over a century.
Located on the western side of the park are the old Fatimid city and its extension Darb Al Ahmar, with their wealth of mosques, madrasas and mausolea. To the south are the Sultan Hassan Mosque and its surroundings, as well as the Ayyubid Citadel. On the eastern side is the City of the Dead. Here you can see panoramaview over the townscape of historic Cairo.
OLD COPTIC CAIRO
Old Cairo is the Christian center of the modern city, and churches of great antiquity still stand here. There is a believe that even earlier that 6th century BC there was a settlement called Masr- al-Qadima which now have a name The old Coptic Cairo. Before the famous Fortress of Babylon was built by Romans here exist twenty churches, nowadays you can five of them. The oldest one where the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus Christ, rested at the end of their journey into Egypt named Abu Serga. Church famous for its wedding chamber which dates from 4th century AD – Keniset Mar Girgis. The Churches and Convents of Harat Zuwaila (Virgin Maria) and of course the most famous Coptic church El-Mu’Allaqa, as well as the first built in Basilcan style. It was probably built during the patriarchate of Isaac (690-92), though an earlier church building may have existed elsewhere dating as earlier as the 3rd or 4th century.
