Cairo calling
If you dream of Pharaohs and deserts, you should head
straight to the country that houses them all. The presence of Nile River and
beautiful oasis, make the country a traveller's delight. Egypt, the Arab
Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country in North Africa, with its
capital located in its largest city, Cairo. With its beautiful environs and
mystic minarets, the tourism industry here has got a big boost.
Cairo, the capital and the city
of minarets
Located near the Nile Delta, modern Cairo was founded
in 969 CE by the Fatimid Dynasty, but the land composing the present-day city
was the site of ancient national capitals whose remnants remain visible in
parts of Old Cairo. Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and
cultural life, and is titled "the city of a thousand minarets" for
its preponderance of Islamic architecture. The city's metropolitan area is one
of the largest in Africa, the largest in the Middle East and the Arab world,
and the 15th-largest in the world, and is associated with ancient Egypt, as the
famous Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in its
geographical area.
A TRIP AROUND
Tall and mighty: Pyramids of
Giza
• Built as
tombs on the orders of the pharaohs, these pyramids were constructed by teams
of workers tens-of-thousands strong. Today, they stand as an awe-inspiring
tribute to the might, organisation and achievements of ancient Egypt. Tourists
love to visit the four most famous sights; the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the
Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure and the Sphinx. The last remaining
wonder of the ancient world for nearly 4000 years, the extraordinary shape,
impeccable geometry and sheer bulk of the Giza Pyramids. But for those who want
to explore further, the desert plateau surrounding the pyramids is littered
with tombs, temple ruins and smaller satellite pyramids.
The wonder world: Egyptian
Museum
• One of
the world's most important collections of ancient artefacts, the Egyptian
Museum takes place of pride in Downtown Cairo, on the north side of Midan
Tahrir. Inside the great domed, oddly pinkish building, the glittering
treasures of Tutankhamun and other great pharaohs lie alongside the grave goods,
mummies, jewellery, eating bowls and toys of Egyptians whose names are lost to
history. More than 100,000 objects are wedged into about 15,000 sq metres. Like
the country itself, the museum is in flux. Most objects are still on display,
although some are being moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Some display cards
have become obsolete as new discoveries have busted old theories. And the
collection rapidly outgrew its sensible layout, as, for instance, Tutankhamun's
enormous trove and the tomb contents of Tanis were both unearthed after the
museum opened, and then had to be shoehorned into the space.
Time for some prayer: At Al
Azhar Mosque
• Founded
in AD 970 as the centrepiece of the newly created Fatimid city, Al Azhar is one
of Cairo's earlier mosques, and its sheikh is considered the highest
theological authority for Egyptian Muslims. The building is a harmonious blend
of architectural styles, the result of numerous enlargements over more than
1000 years. The tomb chamber, located through a doorway on the left just inside
the entrance, has a beautiful mihrab (a niche indicating the direction of
Mecca) and should not be missed. The central courtyard is the earliest part,
while from south to north the three minarets date from the 14th, 15th and 16th
centuries; the latter, with its double finial, was added by Sultan Al Ghouri,
whose mosque and mausoleum stand nearby. A madrassa was established here in AD
988, growing into a university that is the world's secondoldest educational
institution (after the University of Al Kairaouine in Fez, Morocco).
For the culturally inclined:
Museum of Islamic Art
• This
museum, on the edge of Islamic Cairo, holds one of the world's finest
collections of Islamic art and is Egypt's (and one of the entire Middle East's)
most beautifully curated museums. As one enters the place, there are
architectural details - frescoes, carved plaster so fine it looks like lace, an
intricate inlaid-wood ceiling - and ceramics grouped by dynasty. A surprising
amount of figurative work is on view, and not all of it strictly Islamic - a
shard of an Ayyubid bowl shows Mary holding a crucified Christ. What's on
display here is only a sliver of the 80,000 objects the museum owns, but the
selected items are stunning.
Where stories turned alive:
Sharia Al Muizz Li Din Allah
• Sharia
Al Muizz, as it's usually called, named after the Fatimid caliph who conquered
Cairo in AD 969, was Cairo's grand thoroughfare. It used to be once crowded
with storytellers, entertainers and food stalls. The part of Sharia Al Muizz
just north of Khan Al Khalili's gold district is known as Bein Al Qasreen, a
reminder of the great palace complexes that flanked the street during the
Fatimid era. Today, the great Mamluk complexes provide one of Cairo's most
impressive assemblies of minarets, domes and striped-stone facades.
ET3SEP18
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