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Cairo -
Giza |
| Cairo
at a Glance |
| Cairo
- the modern capital of an ancient land-is magical, mystical, and
mysterious. It
is itself a juxtaposition
of the anachronistic and the modern.
This extraordinary city, the
largest in Egypt,
and indeed all
of Africa, simply cannot
be missed. Islamic Cairo is
truly a cultural
and historical highlight of
the city. Its minarets
and domes, bazaars, and
cobblestone streets are straight
from A Thousand and One
Arabian Nights.
But let Islamic Cairo
be but a start to
your explorations here. From Central
Cairo with its fine 19th century
architecture
to the Citadel of
Saleh el-Din and
the astonishing dome
of the
Alabaster Mosque to the
haunting echoes of the
City of
the Dead…Cairo beckons.
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| Giza
and Heliopolis |
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Giza
and Heliopolis are two
Cairo suburbs that are
not only geographically opposed,
they also epitomize two
extremes of Egypt's history.
Giza, on the West Bank of Nile, is
famed for its ancient monuments.
The Sphinx, dating back
to 2500 BC and the earliest-known
monumental sculpture, stands guard over
the Great Pyramids at Giza
and their attendant Queens' pyramids, temples
and tombs. The Pyramids are the only one of
the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World
to survive.
Even the accompanying circus of
camel and horse rides, souvenir and soft
drinks vendors and the nightly
Sound and Light show
do not diminish their splendor.
In the diagonally opposite
suburb of Heliopolis, history
moves on to the late
19th century and Baron Edouard
Empain, the entrepreneur whose
vision inspired his
garden city in the desert.
Built in a mixture of European and Moorish
styles, Heliopolis attracted
wealthy Egyptians to its leafy
grandeur. Although it is
no longer separate from Cairo, visitors
still come to
enjoy its stylish architecture,
restaurants
and nightlife. |
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