| | Overview (Source: Frommers) |
When the ancient Greek historian and explorer Herodotus visited this city in 500 B.C., some of the pyramids were already 2,000 years old, but it wasn't until more than 1,000 years later that Cairo -- Al Qahira (The Victorious) in Arabic -- was founded. The view of the valley from the Moqatam Hills was a little different back then -- a little quieter, a little cleaner, and certainly a lot less crowded -- and today the city sprawls almost 13km (8 miles) wide and is bursting at the seams with around 18 million people, making it one of the most populous cities in Africa. The last 2,000 years have seen occupation by the Romans, Syrians, Turks, North Africans, Gulf Arabs, French, and British, and each has left their own distinctive imprint on the city. Built around A.D. 969, Cairo was originally a royal enclosure for the leaders of the new Fatimid occupation, who took over the country from the Syrian Umayyad rulers. They needed a safe place to live, so they built what amounted to a gated community close to the existing capital of Fustat. Administration of the country, meanwhile, continued to be carried out in Fustat, and it wasn't until a century later that Cairo took over these functions under threat of invasion by European Crusader forces. Since then, Cairo has spread out, taking over the space previously occupied by older cities such as Fustat, and crossed the Nile to fill the valley all the way up to the once isolated Giza plateau, where the three famous pyramids towe
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| History (Source: WCities) | Top | With its plethora of monuments, palaces, mosques and churches, Cairo is truly a city where the past is always present. Despite the proximity of the Pyramids, Cairo is, in fact, not a Pharaonic city. The earliest known settlement is Babylon Fort , established by the Romans. Babylon, the symbol of Roman power for many years, was later used as a safe place for Egyptian Copts fleeing from the atrocities of the Roman Emperor. It is even said that the Holy Family settled in the area. Many of the churches that were built in and around the Fortress, such as Al Muallaqua (Hanging) Church and Abu Serga can still be seen today. The area's history turned a new chapter when Muslim warriors from the Arab peninsula (now known as Saudi Arabia) swept across Egypt conquering the Romans and Persians. The Muslims, commanded by Amr Ibn al-As, laid siege to Babylon Fort in 642 AD. Realising the power and influence of the Arab Muslims, who had also earned the support of the Egyptian peasants and townspeople, the viceroy of Egypt, Cyrus, decided to relinquish the Fortress to the Muslim army. The city subsequently underwent many changes of rule passing from the Abbasids to the Tulunids (responsible for the Mosque of Ibn Tulun ) and then to the Fatimids. It was the latter who established what is now known as Islamic Cairo in 969. There are many fine remains of the Fatimid's reign including Al Azhar Mosque and the gates of Bab al Futuh . A serious threat was posed to the Fatimids
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| How To Get There (Source: WCities) | Top | Getting There By Air Cairo International Airport ( +2 291 4255/ http://www.cairo-airport.com ) is the busiest in the Middle East and plans and development of new terminals are assuring its capability of handling air traffic from all over the world. Major carriers include: Air Canada ( +1 888 247 2262/ http://www.aircanada.com ) Air France ( +1 800 237 2747/ http://www.airfrance.com ) British Airways ( +1 800 247 9297/ http://www.british-airways.com ) Iberia ( +902 400 500/ http://www.iberia.com ) Japanese Airlines ( +1 800 525 3663/ http://www.ar.jal.com/en/ ) Swiss ( +1 877 359 7947/ http://www.swiss.com/web/EN/Pages/index.aspx ) United Airlines ( +1 800 241 6522/ http://www.ual.com ) There are currently two terminals in the airport, but a new terminal is currently under construction. A free shuttle bus goes around the airport linking both terminals every few minutes. By Bus An airport bus service operates from Terminal 1. Bus no.400 leaves every 30 minutes during the day and every hour at night. Coach: Super Jet ( +2 579 8181 ) operates a bus service to Alexandria. By Car Car rental companies are located right outside the airport and they include: Avis ( +1 800 831 2847/ http://www.avis.com ) Budget ( +1 800 527 0700/ http://www.budget.com ) Europcar ( +33 0825 825 490/ http://www.europcar.com ) Hertz ( +1 800 654 3131/ http://www.hertz.c
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| What To Do (Source: WCities) | Top | The wide range of entertainment in Cairo, in addition to the historic monuments, offers something for everyone. The city offers a surprising diversity of art and culture ranging from Western to more traditional forms. On any given day, you can go to see a new foreign film, visit a contemporary art exhibition, and while away the evening at a nightclub, watching Oriental dancing. Art In a city with 7000 years of history, it is easy to overlook the modern aspects of its culture. Cairo has a vibrant modern art scene, and several galleries scattered throughout the city offer good venues to check out local artists. The downtown area has a great concentration of galleries to view contemporary art, and all are within walking distance of each other. Townhouse Gallery is fast becoming a favourite among the locals, and has three floors of exhibition space that usually changes about once a month. Other good downtown art spaces include Espace Karim Francis, Arabesque and Mashrabia . The Ewart Gallery, at the American University in Cairo, generally has interesting shows, sometimes of student work, and the Sony Gallery, at the American University of Cairo, is the only venue in town devoted to photography. In Zamalek, the Centre of Arts, located near several popular pubs, is a good place to see some work, and often hosts nice group exhibits. Nearby, at the Opera House Grounds, the Hanagar Arts Center and the Cairo Opera Gallery have interesting exhibits making it worthwhile t
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| Getting Around (Source: Frommers) | Top | The black-and-whites are the basic staple of transport for middle-class Egyptians, tourists, and anyone who has to transport a TV or a dishwasher from the souk. They are ubiquitous and have become so numerous that the government stopped handing out new taxi licenses several years ago, the result being an aging fleet choking the city. The meters that they sport on the dashboard are so outdated that they're useless and universally ignored (except for the odd enterprising individual who will attempt to scam an inexperienced victim by playing with the decimal point and claiming to be owed exorbitant sums of money). There is no system, per se, for fares; everyone simply knows what the rates are to and from various points. You tell the driver where you want to go (usually leaning forward and shouting the neighborhood through the open passenger window as he rattles past), and if he consents to go there, he waves you in and off you go. Upon arrival, you ante up the fare and wander off, unless the driver senses that you're not in the know, and then a whole raucous opera is played out with red-faced demands for sky-high fares. There are clearly two ways to deal with this as a tourist: Either negotiate the fare to begin with, or go local and just tell the driver where you're going and pay when you get there. In either case, use the rate table below as a point of reference. These fares are generous and marginally more than an expat would pay (and certainly in excess of wha
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