Cairo
The chaotic and fascinating capital, among pyramids, mosques and thousand-year-old markets.
What to See in Cairo
Al-Azhar Park
A green oasis of 30 hectares in the heart of Islamic Cairo, created from the transformation of a landfill into one of the most beautiful parks of the Middle East.
🏆 UNESCO Bab Zuweila
The last surviving southern gate of Fatimid Cairo, a monumental fortified entrance from 1092 with twin minarets and a panoramic view.
🏆 UNESCO Bayt al-Suhaymi
The most beautiful Ottoman house in Cairo, a masterpiece of Islamic domestic architecture with mashrabiya, courtyards and gardens, today a venue for cultural events.
🏆 UNESCO Coptic Cairo
The ancient Christian quarter of Cairo, heart of the Egyptian Coptic community with thousand-year-old churches, the Fortress of Babylon and the Coptic Museum.
🏆 UNESCO Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Early Christian church of the 4th-5th century in Coptic Cairo, famous for the crypt where, according to tradition, the Holy Family took refuge during the flight into Egypt.
🏆 UNESCO The Hanging Church
One of the oldest churches in Egypt, built atop the towers of the Fortress of Babylon, famous for its 110 icons and the pulpit with 13 columns.
🏆 UNESCO Citadel of Saladin
The imposing medieval fortress built by Sultan Saladin in the 12th century, the heart of power in Egypt for seven centuries, with an extraordinary panoramic view over Cairo.
🏆 UNESCO Fortress of Babylon
Ancient Roman fortress of the 1st century BC on the banks of the Nile, the foundation of the Coptic quarter and a strategic point for the control of Egypt.
🏆 UNESCO Khan el-Khalili
The historic bazaar of Cairo dating back to 1382, a labyrinth of alleys and shops in the heart of Islamic Cairo, where commercial tradition and culture have intertwined for over six centuries.
🏆 UNESCO Mosque of Sultan Hassan
A masterpiece of Mamluk architecture, one of the largest and most imposing mosques in the Islamic world, built between 1356 and 1363.
🏆 UNESCO Al-Azhar Mosque
The mosque founded in 970 AD by the Fatimid dynasty, home to the oldest university in the world still in operation and a prestigious centre of Islamic learning.
Al-Rifa'i Mosque
Majestic royal mosque of Cairo in neo-Mamluk style, the final resting place of the Egyptian royal family and of the Shah of Persia.
🏆 UNESCO Mosque of Ibn Tulun
The oldest intact mosque in Cairo, a masterpiece of 9th-century Abbasid architecture with its iconic spiral minaret.
🏆 UNESCO Mosque of Muhammad Ali
The majestic Alabaster Mosque, built between 1830 and 1848 within the Citadel of Cairo, dominates the city's skyline with its silver domes and soaring minarets.
Museum of Islamic Art
The largest museum of Islamic art in the world, with over 100,000 artefacts spanning twelve centuries of Muslim civilisation.
Coptic Museum
The largest museum of Coptic art in the world, with over 16,000 artefacts including textiles, icons, the Nag Hammadi codices and testimonies of Christian Egypt.
Egyptian Museum of Cairo
The legendary museum of Tahrir Square, founded in 1902, houses over 120,000 artefacts of ancient Egypt including the famous collection of royal mummies.
🏆 UNESCO Nilometer
Ancient device for measuring the Nile floods on Roda Island, the most ancient surviving Islamic monument in Cairo.
Abdeen Palace
Sumptuous presidential palace in the heart of Cairo, built for Khedive Ismail with over 500 rooms and precious museum collections.
Manial Palace
Sumptuous royal palace of the early 20th century on Roda Island, an eclectic mix of Ottoman, Moorish and Persian styles set in botanical gardens.
🏆 UNESCO Islamic District of Cairo
The largest historic Islamic centre in the world, UNESCO heritage since 1979, with over 600 monuments among mosques, madrasas, palaces and medieval bazaars.
Ben Ezra Synagogue
The oldest synagogue of Cairo, famous for the discovery of the Cairo Geniza with 300,000 medieval manuscripts that revolutionised historiography.
Cairo Tower
The iconic reinforced concrete tower, 187 metres high in the shape of a lotus flower, with a revolving restaurant and 360° panoramic view of the city.
🏆 UNESCO Al-Muizz Street
The most fascinating street in Islamic Cairo, considered the longest open-air museum of Islamic architecture in the world.