Cairo City Guide

Cairo is the capital of Egypt. It is also the biggest city in the African continent and the 16th most populated metropolitan region in the world. The name of the city literally signifies “The Conqueror” or “The Vanquisher”.

Cairo City Guide: An Overview : 

Popularly dubbed as “The City of a Thousand Minarets”, Cairo is one of the most populated cities in the world. The city is primarily famous for its Islamic architecture. It is situated on the banks of the Nile River in the Northern Egypt.

The city is the primary cultural and political hub of Egypt. Cairo also has strong links with Ancient Egypt because of its nearness to the prehistoric cities of Giza, Memphis, and Fustat, which are close to the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx.

The city is home to the biggest and oldest music and film industries of the Arab World. Various businesses, companies, and other organizations have their headquarters in this city.

As per the census of 2006, the population of the city is 6,758,581. The city boasts a strong economy.

Tourist Attractions in Cairo City : 

The top tourist attractions in the city include the following:

• Tahrir Square – 

  A famous plaza in the city, located in downtown

• The Egyptian Museum – 

  It is also known as the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The museum contains the broadest variety of old age Egyptian artifacts.

• Old Cairo – 

  The portion of the city, which is home to the Babylon Fortress, Coptic Museum, the Greek Church of St. George, Hanging Church, Amr ibn al-‘As Mosque, Ben Ezra Synagogue, and various other Coptic cathedrals.

• Khan El-Khalili – 

  An old bazaar or marketplace in the city.

• Cairo Tower – 

  It is a self-supporting concrete television tower in the city, located in the Zamalek district.

Other than these tourist attractions, there are a number of famous mosques in the city and they are as follows:

• Al-Hakim Mosque Jame-al-Anwar, 928
• Al-Azhar Mosque
• Juyushi Mosque, 1085
• Aqmar Mosque, 1125
• Lulua Mosque, 1015
• Mosque-Mausoleum Zaynab
• Imam Husayn Mosque
• Sayyeda Nafisa Mosque
• Sayyidah Ruqayya Mashhad
• Mohammed Ali Basha Mosque

Transportation in Cairo City : 

Transportation system in Cairo is made up of a comprehensive rail system, road transportation system, naval transportation services, and subway system (metro). Road transportation network is dependent on taxicabs, personal cars, privately held public buses, as well as Cairo microbuses. Cairo, particularly Ramses Square, is the heart of nearly the whole transportation system in Egypt.

Metro : 

The subway network, formally known as “Metro”, is a rapid and effective means of traveling around the city. The fourth and fifth compartments of the locomotives are earmarked for women only, however women may travel in any compartment they wish.

Railways : 

The city is broadly linked to other cities and villages in Egypt by locomotives run by the Egyptian National Railways. The principal railway station of the city, Ramses Station (Mahattat Ramses) is situated on Midan Ramses.

Roadways : 

A wide road network joins Cairo with other cities and villages in Egypt. There is a new Ring Road that borders the suburbs of the city, with outlets that extend to the outside districts of Cairo. Bridges and flyovers are present in the city and they facilitate smooth traffic movements.

Buses : 

Cairo Transport Authority buses ply frequently in the city.

Airports : 

Cairo International Airport serves the city. It functions as the hub for EgyptAir, the national airline. It is the second busiest airport in Africa.

Hotels in Cairo City

Hotels in the city offer diverse lodging and dining options to an array of tastes and budgets. Top hotels in the city include the following:

• Dusit Thani Lakeview
• Four Seasons At Nile Plaza
• Conrad Hotel
• Nile Hilton
• Le Meridien Pyramids
• Mena House Oberoi
• Fairmont Nile City
• The Oberoi Philae
• Ramses Hilton
• Kempinski Nile
• Windsor Hotel