MAP OF SHARM EL SHEIKHWHY
ITop of page

View Larger Map

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CAIRO
Top of page

Cairo isn't a gentle city. Home to more than 16 million Egyptians, Arabs, Africans and sundry others, the 'Mother of the World' is an all-out assault on the senses. Chaotic, noisy, polluted, totally unpredictable and seething with people, the sheer intensity of the city will either seduce or appal.

Mud-brick houses lean up against towering modern office blocks, flashy cars crowd donkey-drawn carts. Cairenes see nothing strange in this. They aren't driven by the Western obsession to update and upgrade, possibly because they live in such close proximity to millennia of history (when the pollution haze lifts the Pyramids appear). Cairo has only two seasons: summer and 'not-summer'. Given the choice, you're far better off visiting during 'not-summer', a period that stretches roughly from September to April or May.

It's also worth considering the timing of the various Muslim festivals when planning your trip. During Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, many businesses work half-days, museums and tourist sites shut early and many restaurants only open after sundown. Alcohol is rarely served outside hotels and you may have to show a passport to prove that you're not Egyptian (they're forbidden from drinking in public places throughout the month). The fascinations of this city are many. It was a city built originally on the faith of Islam, but it grew into so much more. It became a city where slaves ruled an empire, sometimes a battleground where first the French and then the British attempted to weld their colonial aspirations, and even a retreat for colorful officers from the American Confederate Army. It did become the Paris along the Nile, and today continues to be a focal point as one of the world's great cities.

Not so long ago, both Europeans and Americans came to glamorous Cairo to escape their dreary northern cities, and a new book by Cynthia Myntti portrays the way that they built up Egypt in the style of Paris, later adding their own flair. The book, named Paris Along the Nile,  is almost an informal guide to the older city where electric trams once needled three lined boulevards linking splendid mansions, hotels, arcades, brightly lit theaters and pleasant parks. She tells us of a time when the silky cotton of Egypt and the money that it generated brought merchants, speculators, artisans, adventures and even landless, Italian peasants to a city where the corner grocer was Greek, the mechanic Italian, the confectioner Austrian, the pharmacist English, the Hotelier Swiss and the department store owner Jewish. This is not the Cairo of today, but the headiest days parties and social magic, and many of the buildings and houses built during this period remain. It is these that Cynthia offers us in her new book. She tells us that the photographs that comprise this book are not a systematical coverage, but rather more of a work of love defining the charming, the likable, the grand or even the amusing. They cover some, but by no means anywhere near all, of the architecture of Cairo between 1870 and 1930, with a mixture of baroque, art deco and expressionism, including well known landmarks of downtown Cairo, but also the less familiar landscapes of Garden City and Zamalek. 

Some Background
This is, perhaps most of all, a story of the city that Khedive Ismail built, with the help of his mater builder and Minister of Public Works, Ali Mubarak, with the European money that would eventually steal the common Egyptian's freedom and give it to the great banking empires of the west. They were built during a time that ruthless European powers vied for Egypt and won her from her people, but in the course of things, a grand city was laid out  Ismail ruled Egypt from 1863 until 1879. It was his predecessors who had actually licensed Britain to build a modern railway system in Egypt, linking Cairo with the the port city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean sea and the Red Sea town of Suez. Robert Stephenson had built the British railway between Alexandria and Cairo in 1852, against bitter French opposition, and now, it allowed thousands of Europeans to descend upon the old city. This railway was to provide, perhaps, the practical path to Cairo's future, but it was Ferdinand de Lesseps and the French who won the concession to built the Suez Canal, and it was this that would, at least symbolically, change Cairo forever. 

When Ismail inherited the throne of what was considered a part of the Ottoman Empire, he also inherited a grand, though deceptive economy. The British needed an adequate supply of cotton for their textile factories in Manchester and Leeds. However, the Americans were at  war amongst themselves over the issue of slavery, and could not supply it, so Britain looked anxiously to Egypt for that raw material. With the increase in the demand of Egyptian cotton, so too its price rose, so that the export value rose from 16 million dollars in 1862 to 56 million in 1864. Now, the store of European affluence began to do its best and its worst for Cairo. Ismail had been educated in France and had traveled extensively in Europe, but it was perhaps his visit to Paris in 1867, as a special guest of Emperor Napoleon III, that most influenced the future of Cairo. This was upon the event of the Paris Exposition, and Egypt itself went to great lengths to create a spectacular national exhibit. It featured a pharaonic temple, an oriental bazaar and a Bedouin tent, revealing at least to the Europeans what they expected Egypt to be. However, it was the city of Paris itself that won the attention of the fair's visitors, for it was newly laid out on a plan of wide boulevards, formal gardens, grand departments  stores and covered shopping arcades. And it was Baron Haussmann, who had created this new Paris, that personally received and entertained the khedive and his entourage.

Ismail hungered to be a part of the civilized Europe, and upon his return to Cairo, he set about to fulfill this dream with the short-lived money from his cotton bonanza. He would build his Paris along the Nile, but rather than simply pull down old districts as Haussmann did in Paris, Ismail decided to build an entirely new city just west of the old one.  The European Hand When the Khedive Ismail and Ali Mubarak drew up the plans for modern Cairo, there was no doubt that they would have to rely on foreigners to implement their ideas, at least in the beginning. Nevertheless, Ismail founded the School of Irrigation and Architecture in Abbasiya, which became what is today, the Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering. He also reestablished the School of Arts and Crafts in Bulaq that would later become the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University. However, it would take considerable time to train Egyptians for his immediate task.

Hence, Europeans played a central role in building the new Cairo, and particularly at first, the Italians. Cairo became a boom town, and both professionals and common laborers crossed the Mediterranean to become a part of Ismail's plan. Italian architects and technicians were employed in Egypt's Ministry of Public Works, and also in private practice. They made considerable contributions to Ismail's palaces, public buildings and the private residences that would spring up about the new district. Names such as Francesco Battigelli, Carlo Prampolini, Pietro Avoscani, Carlo Virgilio Silvagni, Luigi Gavasi, Augusto Cesari and Giuseppe Garozzo began to be engraved on the buildings of this new Cairo. Perhaps notable, among these, was the Sicilian Giuseppe Garozzo, and later his sons, who were involved with many of Cairo's major buildings, including the Egyptian Antiquities Museum, the Abdeen (Abdin) Palace, the famous Shepheard's Hotel and the Cairo Fire Brigade Station in Ataba Square.

Many of the buildings that the Italians built during this period drew upon the Renaissance buildings of Italy, with ground floors of heavy stone facing, or its equivalent in plaster, and an upper story with Tuscan columns or Ionic pilasters and pedimented windows.  Others, such as Ernesto Vercucci Bey and Mario Rossi used the Italian Gothic style in buildings such as Villa Tawfik in Zamalek, which is now a Helwan University building.  However, it should be noted that the Italians were also responsible for many renovations of great Islamic monuments in Cairo, and in doing so, they also drew from Islamic motifs in some of their later building projects. Antonio Lasciac, who came from Trieste, was responsible for many of  downtown Cairo's most beautiful buildings. These include the Suares and Khedival Buildings that were designed during his early career in Egypt. They follow classical and baroque lines, but his later works, such as the Trieste Insurance Building and Bank Misr, show clear Islamic or neo-Moorish influences. Still others followed Lasciac's lead and as this movement grew, some designers also began using Arabesque motifs in their furniture creations.

Considerable use of the French baroque style was also applied to building projects in downtown Cairo, and later Garden City and al-Daher. These often had delicate balconies with extensive wrought iron work and ornate cantilevers, marble steps and entrances, molded windows and door surrounds with distinctive French touches. Later still, French architects such as Georges Parcq built grand buildings in Cairo during the early twentieth century, including the Mubarak Library and the French Embassy. The French influence was also felt at the hands of those such as Alexan Marcel, Leo Nafiliyan, Raoul Brandon, Antoine Backh, Edward Matasek who was Austrian, and the the Ottoman Armenian, Garo Balian. 

Cairo Under Construction
Ismail built Ezbekiya into a centerpiece of his new scheme, opening up two new boulevards into the old city which cut straight through the Citadel neighborhood, but the new city to the west was planned to be quite separate from the old city. All of these plans, he decided, should culminate in his own world's Fair to mark the opening of the Suez Canal. This gave him only two years in which to transform Cairo.  The new quarter to the west was laid out to a French plan with straight streets and roundabouts that defined what today is modern Cairo, though the European old guard in Cairo who loved the old Ottoman and medieval city complained that it was being "Haussmannized" which in fact it was. Land was subdivided for villas and apartments and the Khedive gave a new section of the city fee to anyone who would build upon it within eighteen months a house or building worth at least thirty thousand francs. Hence, even the European old guard signed on, instantly obliging Ismail, first constructing residences along the straight new streets and later commercial buildings. Barillet-Deschamps, who designed the Bois de Boulogne and the Champs de Mars in Paris, along with the French horticulturist, Delchevalerie, to create a typical French pleasure garden at Azbakiya. When finished, the garden held a large collection of exotic trees and plants, a small lake with pedal pedal boats and bridges, together with European and oriental tea rooms and restaurants, a photography studio, a Chinese pavilion, a fencing school, theater and shops.

Ismail's personal contribution to the European look was the nearby wooden Opera House on the Model of La Scala of Milan located on Ezbekiya, built by the Italian, Pietro Avoscani, and symbolically facing the western side of the city, and the Theatre National de Comedie. The Opera House was put up in five months in 1868 by gangs of forced labor, so that it could be ready for the Verdi opera, created with the aid of Egyptologist Jean-Francois Champollion, that he commissioned called Aida, but alas, the costumes for the opera were not ready for the opening of the Suez Canal, so Riogoletto was instead performed. Though this old Opera House is gone, its Lebanese wood burnt away, towards its end it was hardly useful, for it had almost no wings and little dressing room space, and the orchestra and it conductor had to walk down the main aisle to reach the pit. Yet it was indeed plush, with its harem boxes fronted with silken screens, loges scrolled in gilt, and hangings of crimson and gold brocade. 

Soon, Cairo was recognized as a delightful city with amenities that often surpassed many of those in America and Europe. Ali Mubarak's master plan for the new western part of the city created wide streets and squares similar to Haussmann's Paris. Clot Bey Street, named after Dr. Antoine Clot, Napoleon's physician and founder of Egypt's first medical school, linked the new Cairo train station at Bab al-Hadid to the main commercial square, al-Ataba al-Ahadra. Ataba eventually contained Cairo's post office, fire stations, several elegant hotels, arcaded commercial buildings and the city's central food market. When trams were introduced to the city, Ataba Square became the hub of Cairo's modern public transportation system. Ataba backed into the Ezbekiya gardens and Opera Square, and was linked by a grand boulevard southward to the khedive's main palace at Abdeen. 

Ismail had also turned one of his own palaces, which later became the Continental-Savoy, but at that time was called the New Hotel, into lodging for distinguished guests, refurbishing it for the "Exposition" visitors. It was, at first the rival, and then the ally of Shepeard's Hotel, which had and continued to be the heart and soul of visiting English society in Cairo. They now could easily travel along an elevated road adorned with shade trees to the Giza Pyramids, where he built a hunting lodge for their comfort that later became the Oberoi Mena House Hotel. Ismail also had another palace builtto house      many of his royal guests who came especially to Cairo for the opening of the canal. It was just across the river on Gezira Island (in a location better known to day as Zamalek), and it was here that the Empress Eugenie of the French, the crown Prince of Prussia, Henry of the Netherlands, Prince Louis of Hesse and their large entourages were put up for the Suez Canal celebrations. This palace was eventually taken over by a European company that immediately used most of the land for speculative building. A rich pasha bought the palace itself, which was finally turned into a hotel after the 1952 revolution. Then it was called the Omar Khayyam, but today is the Cairo Marriott. 

At this time, the acacia and sycamore lined avenue to Shubra was the most important street in Cairo, because the Cairo elite had followed the khedive and built their finest houses along the road. It was along this stretch of road that the elite showed off their wealth and finery. Greek and German brasseries and French cafes sprang up like spring flowers on all the new streets, and many of them had orchestras or bands. On some free land overlooking the Ezbekiya Gardens, the Duke of Sutherland built the new Khedive Club, a copy it was said of the best London clubs of its day. It was under local royal patronage and its chairman was the British consul, who was then the highest British

Diplomatic official in Egypt.
Another important development in Egypt, was that the British began to base their expansion into Africa in Cairo, mostly at Egypt's expense. In 1869, Samuel Baker spent four months in Cairo while preparing his campaign to the White Nile, supposedly to put down the slave trade,  though that seems not to have been his real intent. He did leave Cairo with black troops, together with English trade goods and British ships, most of which was paid for by the Egyptians, but as J. C. MacCoan pointed out, considerable new territor y was acquired, but the slave trade seems not to have been affected at all. 

In 1869, the canal was ready to open and it was an astonishing year for Cairo. For those of wealth, that year was as one big festival of balls, banquets, theaters, operas and horse races. Even the common populace could somewhat enjoy the packed streets, the gay lights, the hundreds of kiosks and booths, the street performers and the traditional Muslim Mulids (festivals). After a quick trip to Europe, Ismail was ready for the formal opening celebrations of the Suez Canal to begin. It was attended by the rich and noble of Europe, as well as an army of others who managed to procure invitations, and together with the newsman covering the event, all were housed and fed in Cairo, and later moved to Port Said in November of that year. While the canal company was French, the first ship through was British, and the celebrations surrounding this event were so spectacular that they could occupy an entire book, and afterwards, Cairo had a very difficult time returning to any sort of normalcy.

In fact, Europeans simply continued to pour into the city and Ismail went on attempting to build a copy of Paris. In 1870, Ismail brought gas to the city, and it was replaced by electricity in 1898, making Cairo one of the earliest cities in the world to use electricity. Though running water would come later, Ismail also put down a number of well paved carriage roads throughout the city, and in 1872, he had a new iron bridge built over the Nile from Kasr el Nil to Gezira Island by a French firm. This bridge would open to river traffic, but the River on the other side of the island was deliberately blocked so that Gezira effectively became a part of Giza. Eventually Gezira, and specifically the residential neighborhood of Zamalek, would become one of the city's wealthiest quarters. The Beginning of the End Unfortunately, the cotton boom of the 1860s was short lived, though Ismail lavishly went about his business and sometimes it seemed that the money he spent on his beloved city came from a bottomless pit, but in fact it came from the blood of Egypt's populous, paid for by high taxation of everyone and everything. In the end, he and the Egyptian people would lose it to the banking houses of Europe. He was apparently lacking in his knowledge of finance, and the European bankers would lavish upon him huge loans, but with stiff terms.

For example, in one instance, the Rothchilds loaned Ismail, through the state, 8.5 million pounds sterling against some 435,000 acres of the richest agricultural land in the world, but the proceeds he received after various deductions amounted to only 4.36 million pounds. During the eleven year period surrounding Ismail's efforts to turn Cairo into a Paris on the Nile, he was loaned some 68 million pounds sterling, from various European bankers, of which only 48 million actually reached his hands, and in the end, he was forced to sell his share in the Suez Canal to the British for four million pounds. In a very short time, that would be the annual revenue of the canal in shipping tolls. Eventually, even Ismail could see that he would never escape the financial grip held by his European bankers, and due to his hard and oppressive policies towards Egypt's peasants, he had little support at home. He attempted to turn to the Americans, and after the American Civil War, he hired a number of that war's officers, mostly confederate officers, in order to distance himself from his British occupiers. However, while they were indeed some of the most colorful characters in this point of Egypt's history, they did little to stave off the coming foreclosure on Egypt. In 1876, self appointed Europeans, sitting in judgement on his financial situation, told him that he owed them 91 million pounds sterling and by 1879, that sum had reached 100 million.

Ismail probably actually saw little of this money himself, and in fact a large amount of it was used to finance various European projects in Egypt. In 1879, Britain and France did what they had been waiting to do for some time, taking over Egypt's finances with two comptroller generals, one British and one Frenchman. Then, on June 19th, 1879, the Europeans took another extraordinary step, when the British and French consuls generals called on him at Abdin Palace and instructed the khedive to abdicate. He had little other choice but to do so, for he could not even call on popular support, since the people were now so burdened by the misery of his taxes that they hated him and were glad to see him go. Ismail left for Europe where he died in exile in 1895, leaving behind his son, Tawfik, who then inherited what was left of Egypt. Egypt was taken by the European powers of the day and in 1882, Britain occupied Egypt without any shot being fired, ruling it virtually as a colony. Though Egypt was still considered a part of the Ottoman empire and continued to have its own hereditary rulers descended from Muhammad Ali, the country was actually run by the Europeans. 

Of course, this did not stop the building in Egypt, for certainly now even more Europeans came, and more than ever took over the city as their own. In fact, the cotton markets recovered and Cairo grew much as Khedive Ismail and his minister, Ali Mubarak had planned. Between Ataba Square and the Nile, a European city sprang up, while the Egyptian middle class spread northward to Faggala and Abbasiya. In the European district, rising demand for commercial, financial consular and residential quarters led to an increasing density of building and soon villas and gardens were replaced by multistoried Parisian style commercial and residential buildings. One could walk about these streets and find French and English bookshops, tea rooms and sidewalk cafes, fashionable department stores and art galleries that were no less grand than Printemps, the Galeries Lafayette or Au Bon Marche in Paris. One could even fill the afternoon at a roller skating rink. With the addition of modern public transportation in the early twentieth Century, suburban residential areas also sprang to life, with new developments in Garden City along the Nile, Heliopolis to the north of the city that was planned by Baron Empain and designed by Ernest Jaspar, both Belgain and Maadi near the hot springs resort of Helwan to the south, where many foreigners continue to live.

Many years would follow, and conditions would even grow much worst for the native Egyptians, before they slowly gained back their country. Finally in 1952, they could once again call it their own, but in the interval, parts of Cairo certainly became more European then oriental. By the 1920s, art deco and expressionist buildings began to appear, designed by Egyptian and expatriate architects. Their names included Fahmi Riad, Edouard Luledjian, Nubar Kevorkian, Giuseppe Mazza, and Galligopoulo. Frenchmen, such as Leon Azema, Max Edrei and Jacque Hardy also contributed to Cairo's style, and in the 1930s, a rather eclectic fashion grew to incorporate sphinxes, scarabs, cobras and other pharaonic motifs. While this period was a curse upon the populous, it did shape Cairo into much of the wonderful, diverse city that we see today.

HISTORYOF CAIROTop of page

In what is now called Old Cairo, the first Arab capital of Egypt, Al-Fustat was founded in ACE 751 near other Egyptian cities and villages, including the old Egyptian capital Memphis, Heliopolis, Giza and the Byzantine fortress of Babylon-in-Egypt. Fustat was itself a new city built as a military garrison for Arab troops and was the closest central location to Arabia that was accessible to the Nile. Fustat became a regional center of Islam during the Umayyad period and was where the Umayyad ruler, Marwan II, made his last stand against the Abbasids. Later, during the Fatimid era, Al-Qahira (Cairo) was officially founded in ACE 969 as an imperial capital just to the north of Fustat. Over the centuries, Cairo grew to absorb other local cities such as Fustat, but the year 969 is considered the "founding year" of the modern city.[2]

During the city's history various dynasties would add suburbs to the city and construct important structures that became known throughout the Islamic world, including the Al-Azhar mosque. Conquered by Saladin and ruled by Ayyubids starting in 1171, Cairo remained an important center of the Muslim world. In 1250, the slave soldiers or Mamluks seized Egypt and ruled from their capital at Cairo until 1517, when they were defeated by the Ottomans. Napoleon's French army briefly occupied Egypt in the 1700s, after which an Ottoman officer named Muhammad Ali made Cairo the capital of an independent empire that lasted from 1801 to 1882. The city then came under British control until Egypt attained independence in 1922. Today, Greater Cairo encompasses various historic towns and modern districts into one of the most populous cities in the world. A journey through Cairo is a virtual time travel: from the Pyramids, Saladin's Citadel, the Virgin Mary's Tree, the Sphinx, and ancient Heliopolis, to Al-Azhar, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-A'as, Saqqara, the Hanging Church, and the Cairo Tower. It is the Capital of Egypt, and indeed its history is intertwined with that of the country. Today, Cairo's official name is Al-Qahira (Cairo), although the name informally used by most Egyptians is "Masr" (Egyptian Arabic name for Egypt), from the original name of Egypt's first Arab capital Fustat, Misr al-Fustat, "City of the Tents."

Ancient Egypt (BC 3500 - AD 30)
Long before the pyramids were built, Egypt's northern and southern territories were ruled separately. It was about 5000 years ago that a young prince by the name of Narmer (Menes) unified the Red (North) and White (South) kingdoms and became Egypt's first Pharaoh. As brilliant a politician as he was a warrior, Narmer chose the site of Memphis as his capital. The city was situated at the then Nile Delta tip, along the North-South border, and about 25 km south of today's downtown Cairo. For the next 800 years or so, the first Capital of the ancient Egyptians prospered under the rule of Zoser, Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren), Menkaure (Mycerinus), Unas, and others. It became one of the most influential and powerful cities in the world, and housed one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza. Constructed on the Giza plateau, a necropolis of the city of Memphis on the Nile's west bank, the three Great Pyramids are the ultimate manifestation of political stability and power of the ruler during the Third and Fourth Dynasties. Khufu's son built 2 of the Giza pyramids.

The Hanging Church is Cairo's most famous Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria's church. No one knows the origin of the name of Babylon-in-Egypt. It may be a corrupted version of the ancient Egyptian per-hapi-n-on, or Nile House of On, a nearby Island. It might have come from the Arabic Bab-ila-on, or gateway to On. Or it may be simply a name the Babylonian prisoners of Pharaoh Sesostris gave to the place. Babylon-in-Egypt was more a strategic spot than an intellectual center. With the re-opening of the canal joining the Nile to the Red Sea, the town became the gateway to Persia and India. Control over the Fortress of Babylon therefore meant control over trade. And while Alexandria was the political and intellectual capital of Egypt under the Greeks and the Romans, Babylon Fortress became its military stronghold. The year 30 BC marked a significant change in the history of Egypt and the world at large. It was the year when the victorious Octavian (Augustus) entered Alexandria. His former ally and rival Mark Antony died, and Cleopatra ended her own life, realizing that her time was over. Although Cleopatra was of Greek descent, she, like her ancestors, ruled Egypt as an Egyptian. She was both Queen and Pharaoh. With her death, Egypt simply became just another Roman province, a Roman granary rather than a world power.

With the birth of Christianity, the capital city Alexandria witnessed a violent confrontation between the Egyptian followers of the new religion (the Copts) and the Greek and Roman Pagans. Christianity, then widely accepted among native Egyptians, found a safe place to grow away from the eyes of the Roman rulers. It was here that the Holy Family rested when they came to Egypt. It was inside and near the Fortress walls that many of the oldest churches in the world were later built: The Hanging (Muallaqa), Abu Sergah, Mar Guirguis, and others. When later the Romans adopted Christianity as their official religion, the population of Babylon was virtually all Christian.

The Islamic Conquest (641 - 969)
In AD 640 a Muslim army commanded by the Arabian general Amr ibn al-A'as, laid siege to the Fortress of Babylon near what is today Cairo. It was a matter of time before the Byzantine governor of Egypt agreed to peacefully surrender the fortress, and less than a year later, the capital city Alexandria as recorded in the Treaty of Misr. Amr became the first Arab ruler of Egypt and remained so until his death. Even though the Arabs admired Alexandria's glamor and wealth, they decided to abandon the city. The reason is simple: no body of water was to separate the Egyptian Capital from the Caliph's residence in Medina. Al-Fustat was therefore founded on the East bank of the Nile, outside the walls of the Fortress of Babylon. Deriving its name from the Arabic (and Roman) word for "camp" or "tent", the town was built at the spot where the Arabs camped during the Fortress siege. Here, the first mosque in Africa was built, carrying the name of the Arab general, Amr. The new capital grew slowly as Alexandria and other Byzantine cities went into decline. With the re-opening of the Red Sea Canal, Al-Fustat became the linking bridge between the East and the West.

Salah El Din and the Crusades (1168 - 1250)
The Masjid of Muhammad Ali in the Citadel Of Salahideen in Old Cairo The last Fatimid Caliph was only eighteen when the Seljuks captured Cairo. The Seljuks who came originally form Central Asia had already conquered Syria and Palestine, and established their capital in Damascus. By 1168, Egypt had become a battleground between the Seljuks and the Crusaders, with the Fatimids having virtually little or no control, although they sided mostly with the Crusaders. It was in 1168 that the victorious Shirkuh entered Cairo, and was named governor of Egypt by the Sultan of Damascus, Nur ad-Din. When Shirkuh died two months later, his nephew was immediately appointed as the next governor. He was young—in his early thirties—and full of will. Quickly, he would become one of the most prominent figures in medieval history. His name was Salah-El-Din the Ayyubid, better known in Western history as Saladin.[3] The Mamluks (1250 - 1517)

When Saladin established his rule over Cairo, his Seljuk army was mainly composed of slaves and former slaves who had climbed up the ranks. They were mostly Circassians from the Caucasus region or Central Asians who were captured in military raids or, in most instances, kidnapped by slave merchants. The military power of the male slaves had been on the rise since the early Abbasid rule, but their political influence tremendously increased when Saladin rewarded them extravagantly for their loyalty. They were granted ranches and palaces, and some became governors. Women slaves usually became part of the Sultan or ruler's harem, and had even more influence over politics and internal palace matters. These slaves became known as the Mamluks (lit. Owned), and the term extended to include former slaves who were often freed to become aides and viziers. Shagarit el-Dorr (Tree of Pearls) was the former slave and the wife of Al-Saleh, the last Ayyubid Sultan. When he died in 1249, and with no strong successor within the Ayyubid house, Shagarit el-Dorr became monarch. The Mamluk lady would be the last woman to rule Egypt to this day. She ruled singlehandedly for 80 days, but was later pressured into marrying the Mamluk chief officer, Aybeck, in order to "keep things in perspective". She continued, however, to rule Egypt, and even had her husband assassinated when he wanted to marry another woman. Shortly after, she herself was killed by her fellow Mamluks who decided she had "gone too far".[citation needed]

Under the Ottoman Empire (1517 - 1798)
Under the rule of the Ottomans, the Mamluks did not cease to exercise their power. As the Ottoman empire expanded, the new world power adopted a government model that consisted of three authorities: local, military, and political. In Egypt, they realized that the power of the Mamluks was strong enough to subdue the local people, yet not too strong to revolt against the Sublime Porte, or the Ottoman Sultan. The Mamluks were, therefore, left in charge of local affairs. Feudal Lords or Mamluk Beys were appointed to each of Egypt's districts, and, in order to ensure no revolt attempt on the part of the Mamluks, the Ottomans stationed their own soldiers, the Janissaries and the Azabs, in Cairo. Both orders consisted of soldiers, much like the Mamluks, enslaved at a young age, raised as fighters, and appointed to high military, political, and civil posts. The Janissaries were among the most skillful of fighters. It was to them that Constantinople fell in 1453. However, the ultimate political power was, at least theoretically, in the hands of the main authority, the Pasha, a Turk governor usually educated in Istanbul. In several occasions, Pashas were overruled by powerful Mamluk Beys, who were subsequently subdued by the Ottoman troops, who received their orders from the Sultan, and so on. To the Sultans, what mattered most in the provinces was tax collection rather than political power. Meanwhile, little was being done to improve the social and economic status of Egypt or its capital city.

French Expedition (1798 - 1801)
Baron Empain Palace (Qasr Al Baron) It was in the summer of 1798 that Napoleon's army landed in Alexandria and advanced to Cairo. Murad Bey and Ibrahim Bey, the Mamelouk rulers of Egypt, sent a messenger with a small tribute and asked the French general to leave the country. They had never heard of Napoleon before. The French captured Cairo with little resistance shortly after. It was during their presence that Egypt came out of its long Dark Age. Jean François Champollion, the father of Egyptology, deciphered the Ancient Egyptian writings on the Rosetta Stone. The French also established the "Institut d'Egypte", built schools and colleges, and wrote the Description de l'Egypte, the most comprehensive reference on the country's geography and culture. The French rule soon ended in 1801 with some help from the Ottoman Empire.

The era of Muhammad Ali and his successors
Under Muhammad Ali's rule, Cairo prospered both economically and culturally. Not only was the infrastructure of the city rebuilt, but a new city center was also planned according to European standards. This new city center today occupies the downtown Tahrir Square, Garden City, and Azbakeya. It was constructed, by French city planners and engineers, over a swampy flood plain stretching between Ramses Square and the Nile. A new mosque, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, was erected within the walls of Saladin's Citadel, and barrages were constructed along the Nile near the city. Cotton was introduced and soon became the country's main crop, thereby boosting the economy. During the six-year reign of Muhammad Ali's grandson, Abbas, the first railway line was constructed between Alexandria and Cairo, soon to be followed by a railroad network covering the Delta and Upper Egypt with Cairo at its center. Much of the hydraulic and transportation infrastructure built during that period is still operating to this day. It is noted that Muhammad Ali's sons wanted to re-create Cairo according to the European Standards of cities.

GEOGRAPHY OF CAIRO
Top of page

Cairo is located on the banks and islands of the Nile River in the north of Egypt, immediately south of the point where the river leaves its desert-bound valley and breaks into two branches into the low-lying Nile Delta region. The oldest part of the city is somewhat east of the river. There, the city gradually spreads west, engulfing the agricultural lands next to the Nile. These western areas, built on the model of Paris by Ismail the Magnificent in the mid-19th century, are marked by wide boulevards, public gardens, and open spaces. The older eastern section of the city is very different: having grown up haphazardly over the centuries it is filled with small lanes and crowded tenements. While western Cairo is dominated by the government buildings and modern architecture, the eastern half is filled with hundreds of ancient mosques that act as landmarks.

Extensive water systems have also allowed the city to expand east into the desert. Bridges link the Nile islands of Gezira and Roda, where many government buildings are located and government officials live. Bridges also cross the Nile attaching the city to the suburbs of Giza and Imbabah (part of the Cairo conurbation). West of Giza, in the desert, is part of the ancient necropolis of Memphis on the Giza plateau, with its three large pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza. Approximately 11 miles (18 km) to the south of modern Cairo is the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and adjoining necropolis of Saqqara. These cities were Cairo's ancient predecessors, when Cairo was still in this approximate geographical location.

PLACES TO SEE IN CAIRO
Top of page

Cairo has plenty of fine 19th-century buildings, modern art and sculpture, precious green spaces and ancient districts (Islamic Cairo is a Unesco World Heritage site). Then there's the Pharaonic sites that stretch south of the city, not to mention Those Pyramids and That River.

Egyptian Museum (Hours: 9:00am-6:45pm)
With so much to see in the Egyptian Museum, trying to get around everything in one go is liable to induce chronic 'Pharaonic phatigue'. The best strategy is to make at least two visits, maybe tackling one floor at a time. Unfortunately, there's no best time to visit as the museum is packed throughout the day. Without doubt, the exhibit that outshines everything else is the treasure of the young New Kingdom pharaoh Tutankhamun - don't miss the astonishing solid-gold death mask. Other highlights include the Royal Mummy Room; the Amarna Room, devoted to Akhenaten, the 'heretic king' portrayed with Mick Jagger-like lips; the Graeco-Roman Mummies; the glittering galleries in Room 2 that display an astounding array of finery extracted from New Kingdom tombs found at the Delta site of Tanis; and the larger-than-life-size statue of Khafre (Chephren), which many consider to be the museum's masterpiece.

Giza Pyramids archaeological site ; cemetery
The sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramids of Giza still live up to more than 4000 years of hype. Their extraordinary shape, geometry and age render them somehow alien constructions; they seem to rise out of the desert and pose the ever-fascinating question, 'How were we built, and why?'. Centuries of research have given us parts of the answer to this double-barrelled question. We know they were massive tombs constructed on the orders of the pharaohs by teams of workers tens-of-thousands strong. This is supported by the discovery of a pyramid-builders' settlement, complete with areas for large-scale food production and medical facilities. Ongoing excavations on the Giza Plateau are providing more and more evidence that the workers were not the slaves of Hollywood tradition, but a highly organised workforce of Egyptian farmers. During the season of the inundation, when the annual Nile flood covered their fields and made farm work impossible, the same farmers could have been redeployed by the highly structured bureaucracy to work on the pharaoh's tomb. The Pyramids can almost be seen as an ancient job-creation scheme, with the flood waters also making it easier to transport building stone to the site.

Al-Fayoum Oasis desert ; lake
Taking in an area 70km (43mi) wide and 60km (37mi) long, including the lake Birket Qarun, Al-Fayoum is Egypt's largest oasis. Home to two million people, it is an intricately irrigated and extremely fertile basin watered by the Nile via hundreds of capillary canals that were first built by 12th-dynasty pharaohs. Taking in an area 70km (43mi) wide and 60km (37mi) long, including the lake Birket Qarun, Al-Fayoum is Egypt's largest oasis. Home to two million people, it is an intricately irrigated and extremely fertile basin watered by the Nile via hundreds of capillary canals that were first built by 12th-dynasty pharaohs. It was a favourite vacation spot for 13th-dynasty pharaohs, who built fine palaces, and later was named Crocodilopolis by the Greeks, who believed the lake's crocodiles were sacred. These days the region is revered for its lush vegetation and abundant crops, and amazing variety of birdlife. There isn't a whole lot to do at Al-Fayoum, and the grimy Medinat al-Fayoum (Fayoum City) should be avoided at all costs. Qasr Qarun and the Pyramid of Meidum are deserving of a visit, the vicinity of the lake is attractive and the desert scenery around Wadi Rayyan, just beyond Al-Fayoum, is gorgeous. The oasis is about 100km (62mi) southwest of Cairo, and because it's so spread out, having your own transport is best.

Bab Zuweila (Hours: 8:00am-6:00pm) monument ; waterfront
A magnificent two-towered gate, Bab Zuweila was the southern entrance to the royal city of the Fatimids. Built in 1092 as part of the city's southern defenses, it has long been a Cairo landmark and is one of the region's few remaining examples of pre-crusader military architecture. A five-year makeover of the gate was completed in 2003, leaving the entire structure cleaned and, most importantly for visitors, accessible. Inside the towers flanking the doors (now able to be closed for the first time in 500 years) plaques explain the gate's long history and showcase discoveries made during the restoration (like the teeth found embedded in the masonry as offerings to a saint associated with the area). Views from the top of the minarets are stunning and well worth the clamber up what seems like hundreds of steps.

The House of Suhaymi (Beit el-Suhaymi) significant house ; architectural highlight Darb al-Asfar (Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm)
Islamic Cairo's finest example of the traditional family mansions built throughout the city from Mamluk times to the 19th century has a typically plain facade, but once through the tunnel-like entrance you emerge into a beautiful inner courtyard. If you only shell out for one Islamic monument, this should be it. Guests were received in an impressive qa'a (reception room) off the courtyard, graced with a polychrome marble fountain inset in the floor and a high, painted wooden ceiling. Upstairs are the family quarters: wooden lattice windows, known as mashrabiyya, allowed the women to observe the goings on below without being seen. The rooms were kept cool by malqaf (angled wind catchers on the roof) that direct the prevailing northerly breezes down into the building

Birqash Camel Market (Souq al-Gamaal) markets ; quirky (Hours: 7:00am-12:00pm)
A visit to Egypt's largest camel market, on the edge of the Western Desert, makes for a wild contrast to Cairo city life. The market is an easy half-day trip from Cairo but, like all of Egypt's animal markets, it's not for the faint-hearted. Hundreds of camels are swapped here daily, most having made the long haul up the 40 Days Road from Sudan. When here, watch out for pickpockets. Women should dress conservatively - the market is very much a man's scene, with the only female presence other than the occasional traveller being the local tea lady. When you arrive, pick a strategic spot and settle in to watch the negotiations. The best area is around the middle of the lot; there aren't as many camels at the entrance and at the very back, and it's noticeably scruffier there.

Citadel Midan al-Qala'a (Hours: Oct-May 8:00am-5:00pm; Jun-Sep 8:00am-6:00pm)
Sprawling over a limestone spur on the eastern edge of the city, the Citadel was home to Egypt's rulers for some 700 years. Their legacy is a collection of three very different mosques, several palaces (housing some underwhelming museums) and a couple of terraces with city views. Admission includes entry to all the museums within the Citadel. Though this is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Cairo (particularly for Egyptians), it is relatively unimpressive and decidedly overpriced.

The Dahshur Necropolis (Hours: Oct-Apr 8:00am-4:00pm, May-Sep 8:00am-5:00pm)
South of Saqqara in a quiet bit of desert, Dahshur is an impressive field of 4th- and 12th-dynasty pyramids. The site was an off-limits military zone until mid-1996, remains free of large tour buses. Although the rhomboidal Bent Pyramid can only be admired from outside, the interior of the wonderful Red Pyramid is open to visitors. Many cluey travellers are choosing to visit Dahshur instead of the Giza Plateau for three reasons: the pyramid is just as impressive as its counterparts at Giza, the site is much more peaceful and the entry fee here is significantly cheaper. There were originally 11 pyramids at Dahshur, although only the two Old Kingdom ones (the Bent and Red Pyramids) remain intact. Of the three Middle Kingdom pyramid complexes built by Amenemhat II (1922-1878 BC), Sesostris III (1874-1855 BC) and his son Amenemhat III (1855-1808 BC), only the oddly shaped Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III is worth a look. The simplest way to visit Dahshur is as part of a tour to Saqqara and Memphis. Alternatively, you could hire a taxi and cover Abu Sir, Memphis and Saqqara on the way.

See also

• Giza Zoo
• Al-Azhar Park
• Al Salih Tala'i Mosque
• Cairo Metro
• Gates of Cairo
• List of buildings in Cairo
• Wagh el Birket
• Cairo Geniza
• Smart Village
• Mosque of Ibn Tulun
• Large Cities Climate Leadership Group

ACTIVITES IN SHARM EL SHEIKH
Top of page

Traditional dance
The most famous belly-dancing teacher in Cairo (and, indeed, the whole of Egypt) is Mme Raqia Hassan. Many of the country's best dancers have learned their craft from Mme Hassan, and she still gives private lessons in her home. Though most of her students are serious dancers, she's never been known to turn away a beginner. The general reluctance to accept belly dance as a true art form means that official schools do not exist. Instead, some of the city's gyms and health clubs organise group courses - try Horizon in Mohandiseen.

Horse riding
A horse ride out to the Pyramids can be a great way to escape the clamour of Cairo. Hiring a horse from a reputable stable is better than taking one at the Pyramids. The best stables in Nazlet as Samaan, the village near the Sphinx, are MG and AM, near the coach park. The best stable of all, though not so close to the Pyramids, is the International Equestrian Club on Saqqara Road, at the end of Al-Moneeb Ring Road.

Boating
Feluccas, the ancient broad-sail boats that are seen everywhere on the Nile, can be hired by the hour from several places along the Corniche. One of the most pleasant things to do on a warm day is to go out on a felucca with a supply of beer and a small picnic just as sunset approaches. One of the best spots for hiring is the Dok Dok landing stage on the Corniche at Garden City just north of the Royal Nile Tower. A boat and captain should cost about 25-30 per hour, regardless of the number of people on board. This, of course, is subject to haggling.

Swimming
Finding a place to cool off can be difficult in Cairo. Some hotels will allow day use for nonguests, but at a price. The best options are the Cairo Marriott, Le Méridien Pyramids and the Oberoi Mena House.

TRANSPORTATION IN CAIRO
Top of page

Get There Overview
There are many good options for getting to Egypt, and there are easy connections between Cairo and many European cities. The national airline is EgyptAir, and Air Sinai also has many domestic connections. Cairo is most travellers' first stop, although people are increasingly disembarking in other major cities and later making their way to the capital. First-class train services connect Cairo with Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan, but other domestic services are badly in need of an upgrade. Combined bus and ferry deals will land you safely at Aqaba in Jordan. A bus service is also available to and from Libya.

Getting Around Overview
Cairo's Metro system is startlingly efficient, and the stations are startlingly clean. It's also extremely inexpensive and, outside rush hours, not too crowded.

Increasingly, Cairenes are using private microbuses to get around. Destinations are not marked on microbus routes, so they are tricky to use unless you are familiar with their routes. Overcrowded buses and minibuses are still the most common form of transport for the masses, but for anyone who prefers breathing while travelling, taxis are the only option. By Western standards, taxis are very cheap and there's never one far away. The only time when they aren't the best bet is for long hauls, in which case they can become a little expensive. A new addition to the ubiquitous black and white taxis is the proliferation of limsousines, some luxurious Mercedes, others reasonably new saloons, all with air-conditioning and usually with functioning front and back seatbelts. Ordered by phone, they aren't much use for a quick jaunt but are excellent for longer journeys or daily hire.

Don't believe anyone who tells you that there is no bus to the city centre from the airport - there are two, plus a minibus.

Driving in Cairo is not for the faint-hearted. It's like the chariot race in Ben Hur only with Fiats. The river bus terminal is at Maspero, on the Corniche in front of the big round TV building. Boats depart frequently for University, a landing over on the Giza side of the river, just north of the University Bridge. Every second boat continues south to Manial, Rhoda, Giza and Masr al-Qadima (Old Cairo). The last stop is convenient for Coptic Cairo. Most of Cairo's trams (known to Cairenes, confusingly, as 'metros') have been phased out. One of the few surviving tram lines visitors might use is the one connecting central Cairo to Heliopolis.

Transport
Ramses Street, one of the main arteries of Cairo Transportation in Cairo comprises an extensive road network, rail system, subway system and maritime services. Cairo is the centre of almost the entire Egyptian transportation network. The subway system, called 'The Metro' locally, is a fast and efficient way of getting around Cairo. It can get very crowded during rush hour. The first two train cars are reserved for women only. Egypt has one of the longest railways in the world. An extensive road network connects Cairo with other Egyptian cities and villages. There is a new Ring Road that surrounds the outskirts of the city, with exits that reach to almost every Cairo district. There are flyovers, and bridges such as the Sixth of October bridge that allows straight, fast and efficient means of transportation from one side of the city to the other. Cairo traffic is known to be overwhelming and overcrowded. Traffic moves at a relatively fluid pace. Drivers tend to be aggressive, but are more courteous at intersections, taking turns going, with police aiding in traffic control of some congested areas.

Cairo Metro

• Cairo International Airport
• Ramses Railway Station
• Ahmed Helmy Bus Stop
• Abbood Bus Stop
• Cairo Metro
• Cairo Tram
• Cairo Transportation Authority CTA
• Cairo Taxi
• Cairo Yellow Cab
• Cairo Nile Ferry

WHY INVESTING IN SHARM EL SHEIKH MAKES EXCELLENT SENSE:WHY ITop of page

Why invest in Cairo:

• Investment opportunities are currently attracting as much as 25% annual capital growth
• Can buy freehold
• Good rental incomes
• Low tax environment
• No capital gains tax
• Rapidly expanding city with many corperate companies head offices moving to Cairo
• Politically stable country
• Well renowned developers creating luxury resorts to cater for Egypt’s thriving market
• Massively extended Cairo International airport finished in 2007 gives good access all over the world
• Relatively low cost of living and maintenance costs
• British residents avoid inheritance tax on any Egyptian properties

Overview
As an investor in this emerging area investing in the off-plan property developments will give you a substantial return in the longer term. Why? Four reasons:

• The property is priced BELOW today's market value (You literally buy your property at a discounted price).
• Your equity is limited to only around 30% of your property's price. (You only pay a fraction of the total sales price to secure your ownership rights).
• During construction you can sell your property on to a 'lifestyle' buyer benefiting from any pre-scheduled price increases from the developer and additional capital market growth due to the development of the area
• Or, elect to go to Title Deed and complete your purchase; then sell the property on approximately two years later and see potentially even bigger gains on your investment due to the development's 'mature' status and desirability (it's easier to sell a completed apartment with a beautiful swimming pool and gardens than something still in construction) and the development of Cairo.

MAP OF SHARM EL SHEIKH
Top of page