Located along the River Nile near the delta, the capital of Egypt is about 165 km from the Mediterranean Sea. The largest city in Africa was founded in 969 AD and has been ruled by the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, Romans, Turks, French and more over the centuries. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the city’s most famous landmark. That structure occupies an area of 53,000 square meters and is 140 meters high. The Cairo’s Egyptian Museum also houses the world’s greatest display of ancient Egyptian artifacts, many of which are from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Its rumble with history doesn’t just end here as it is home to the oldest university in the world as well as of the largest mosques. Known as the city of 1,000 minarets for its Islamic architecture, Cairo seems to breathe in the past more than the present.
If you want to get into the city, the better way is through the Cairo international airport which allows both domestic and international flights. You can even book Cheap Dubai to Cairo flights, Cape Town to Cairo flights, Oman to Cairo flights, Melbourne to Cairo flights and more from a reliable ticket booking source.
When you land here, you will surely get to witness a lot of minarets, mosques and its famous citadel. But if you want to experience something different then this is the list for you:
- Visit Abu Simbel: Built along the axis of the sun, the temple gets flooded with sunlight twice a year on February 22 and October 22. It illuminates Rameses himself. Only the fourth statue of Ptah, the mysterious creator-god which is left in shadow. Here’s a little-known fact: UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention was created actually to preserve Abu Simbel. You might want to mark those two dates down and plan your trip around it.
- Visit the Lost City of Heracleion: Found in the Abu Qir Bay off the coast of Egypt, the underwater ruins had 64 ships, 700 anchors, and a treasure trove of gold coins, statues standing at 16 feet and a massive temple to the god Amun-Gereb. All these give a peek into what was a great port that controlled all the trade into Egypt city 2300 years ago. But no one is really sure how it ended up underwater. If you love architecture and lore of the past then this is the place to go to.
- Ponder At The City Of The Dead: The cemetery Zawiyyet al-Mayyiteen is known as such since it is considered to be one of the world’s largest cemeteries. This huge necropolis is comprised of innumerable white conical domes which appear very similar to waves in the ocean. Each of the mausolea is topped with a dome. The place is just stunning at sunrise or sunset and it is highly recommended that you visit them. But remember that it is a working cemetery and so the proper decorum should be observed.
Cairo is a city which seems to be just progressively lost in various eras of time. But its beauty actually lies in that very fact. Visiting it feels like stepping into a time machine.