Cairo

Year Visited: 2014 – Oct

I visited Cairo for five days during my visit to Egypt in 2014. Cairo is the capital of Egypt and one of the largest cities in the Africa. Cairo is well known for its history, preserved in the fabulous medieval Islamic city and Coptic sites in Old Cairo. The Egyptian Museum in the center of town is a must see, with its countless Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Below are the stories and photos of the areas I visited in Cairo.

Welcome to Cairo! A beautiful manhole cover in the Old Cairo city.

Coptic Cairo
Old Cairo is the home of Cairo’s Coptic Christian community. The Coptic Orthodox Church traces its founding to Saint Mark the Apostle in 42 AD, and is thus arguably the world’s oldest Christian denomination. Egypt has around 12 million Copts. The narrow alleyways of Old Cairo still have the feel of an island set apart from the rest of the city.

Pictures below are from Abu Serga. The Church of St. Sergius (Abu Serga) is one of the oldest church in Cairo, built in the 4th century it has been built, destroyed and renovated many times over. It is built over a cave where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus are said to have taken shelter after fleeing to Egypt to escape persecution from King Herod.

Main Entrance of Abu Serga.

Glass flooring above the ruins of an old church. Originally built in the 4th century Abu Serga has been built, destroyed and renovated many times over.

Inside of the Abu Serga.

Interior of Abu Serga.

Renovated roof and dome of Abu Serga.

Pictures below are from the Church of St. George, a Greek Orthodox church within the Babylon Fortress in Coptic Cairo.

Church of St. George

A mural of St. George killing a dragon.

Interior of Church of St. George.

Pictures below are from Walking along the Mar Girgis Street in Coptic Cairo.

So many places of Interest in the Coptic Cairo.

Walking along the Mar Girgis Street

Narrow streets of Coptic Cairo.

Shops selling “New” antiques on the Mar Girgis Street.

Three generations of a Coptic family

Islamic Cairo, also called Historic Cairo refers generically to the historic areas of Cairo, that existed before the city’s modern expansion during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The name “Islamic” Cairo refers to the city’s rich history and heritage since its foundation in the early period of Islam, while distinguishing it from with the nearby Ancient Egyptian sites of Giza.

This area holds one of the largest and densest concentrations of historic architecture in the Islamic world. It is characterized by hundreds of mosques, tombs, madrasas, mansions, caravanserais, and fortifications dating from throughout the Islamic era of Egypt. In 1979, UNESCO proclaimed Historic Cairo a World Cultural Heritage site, as one of the world’s oldest Islamic cities, with its famous mosques, madrasas, hammams and fountains.

The Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, also known by many other names, was originally built in 641–642 AD, as the center of Fustat, the newly founded capital of Egypt under Muslim rule. The original structure was the first mosque ever built in Egypt and the whole of Africa.

Corridor of the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As.

Courtyard of the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As.

Al-Azhar Mosque, an Egyptian mosque in Islamic Cairo. Established in 972 AD, It was the first mosque established in Cairo, a city that has since gained the nickname “the City of a Thousand Minarets”. With hiring by mosque authorities of 35 scholars in 989, the mosque slowly developed into what is today the second oldest continuously run university in the world. Al-Azhar University has long been regarded as the foremost institution in the Islamic world for the study of Sunni theology and sharia, or Islamic law.

The Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or Alabaster Mosque. Situated on the summit of the citadel, this Ottoman style mosque, the largest in the first half of the 19th century, is, with its animated silhouette and twin minarets, the most visible mosque in Cairo.

Exterior of the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

One of the minaret of the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

Beautifully decorated ceiling of the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

Interior of the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

Pictures below are from walking around the citadel with friends.

Skyline of the Old Cairo from the citadel.

With my Local friends at Citadel.

With a local friend.

With a friend from Dubai.

A local vendor selling Red Turkish Hat (Fez Hat) to tourists.

Little girls loved taking pictures with my local friend, they thought she is a foreigner too!

Khan el-Khalili, more than thousand years old bazaar and souq (souk) in the historic center of Cairo. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais. It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and souvenirs.

Khan el-Khalili Bazaar.

A fruit shop in the market.

A cat is inspecting fresh fruits.

Preparing for the Eid celebration

Below are few more photos of the Historic Cairo neighborhood.

Al Azhar Mosque.

Old Cairo neighborhood.

Residential neighborhood in Old Cairo.

Beautiful Sunset over the Historic Cairo

Tahrir Square (Liberation Square), also known as “Martyr Square”, a major public town square in downtown Cairo. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations in Cairo, most notably those that led to the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

Army patrolling the Tahrir Square (Liberation Square).

The Egyptian Museum (Cairo Museum), one of the world’s great museums with massive collection of Egyptian antiquities. A MUST visit place is truly a destination in its own right, with at least 136,000 items on display; hundreds of thousands of additional items languish in the museum’s basement storerooms and are added to each year with ongoing excavation and discovery.

A view of the city from Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino

My locals friends showed me some of the non-touristic area of this amazing city. Without their help, I would not know about these places and may not have explored them.

Zooba, a restaurant serving Egyptian street food, with vegetarian options.

Koshari at Zooba was delicious. Koshari is Egypt’s national dish and a widely popular street food.

With my local friend.

Egyptian breakfast.

Walking around old Cairo after dark.

Underground band performing in Al Rab3 Cultural Center located in a Historic Building, many young followers for this band. I would not have found this place without help from my local friends.

At Al Rab3 Cultural Center.

A run-down bar/restaurant in the Mokattam, that overlooks the city of Cairo. Post Revolution, there are very few places in Cairo where you can still purchase alcohol in a public restaurant or bar. A must visit place in the evening for an incredible view of the city below. Chat with friends over few beer, fresh fruit juice and Shisha.

Would not have possible to visit Mokattam without help from my local friend.

Enjoying Stella Beer at bar in the Mokattam,

Enjoying Sakara Beer at the Executive lounge of Marriott.

A relaxing night out with friends cruising down the Nile River. These dinner cruises offer open buffet dinner and live entertainments; Tanoura show and belly dancers performing on classic Arabic songs.

Tanoura, an Egyptian folk dance.

A belly dancer entertaining on the dinner cruise.

With my friends on a dinner cruise.

A felucca, a traditional wooden sailing boat, ride on the Nile is a good way to escape from the busy city.

Beautiful manhole cover with old flag of the Kingdom of Egypt, a single larger crescent moon surrounding 3 five-pointed stars representing Egypt, Nubia and Sudan.

A view below from my guest house’s balcony in Giza

Click below to continue with more stories and photos of the Pyramids, beyond the Great Pyramids of Giza like the Bent Pyramid, Step Pyramid (Saqqara), Red Pyramid and Black Pyramid. Or Click on Luxor to view hundreds of pictured from Ancient Thebes and its Necropolis

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