One of the largest urban agglomerations on the planet in terms of the number of inhabitants, the capital of Egypt is often the subject of research for travelers interested in the history of the ancient world. The reason for this is the pyramid of Cheops, the only surviving Seven Wonders of the World. But not only the grandiose monuments of the power of the pharaohs attract tourists. The capital of Egypt itself also has something to see. In Cairo, you will find hundreds of beautiful mosques. The city has the largest archaeological museum in the region and several other educational expositions for both children and adults. In a word, researchers of antiquities and the Middle Ages will certainly like the Egyptian capital.
TOP 10 attractions in Cairo
Cairo Egyptian Museum
The largest collection of objects on the planet dating back to the era of Ancient Egypt was first presented to the audience in 1858. Half a century later, the collection moved to a new building in Tahrir Square, and today the museum has about 160 thousand exhibits dating from all historical periods of Ancient Egypt. …
In the Cairo Museum, you can look at papyri and coins from different eras, mummies and stone sarcophagi, sculptural images of pharaohs and their wives. The most famous exhibits of the collection are the golden mask of Tutankhamun, mummies of the priests of Amun and some kings, objects from the tombs of Thutmose III, Ramses I and Amenhotep III.
Among the strangest exhibits in the museum in Cairo is the Sakkar bird. The figurine, carved from a sycamore tree, according to some scientists, is a model of an ancient aircraft. The find is dated from the 3rd-2nd centuries. BC.
Pyramids of Giza
In the southwest of Cairo, on the desert plateau of Giza, there is the only attraction of the Ancient World that has survived to this day. It is the pyramids of Giza that most often become the reason for a trip to Cairo for those who are interested in the mysteries of history.
Scientists date the construction of the pyramids to the era of the Old Kingdom and believe that they were erected in the XXVI-XXIII centuries. BC NS.:
- The pyramid of Khufu, known to the general public as the pyramid of Cheops, is striking in its size today. The height of the colossus is almost 140 m, and the side of the base is about 230 m. According to general estimates, its weight is at least 4 million tons.
- The pyramid of Khafre is the only one that has preserved part of the stone facing at the top.
- The smallest of the three, the Menkaur pyramid reaches "only" 66 meters in height. But the funeral temple with this construction is impressive almost more than any other! One of the monoliths from which the temple is built weighs at least 200 tons, and it is the largest stone block on the Giza plateau.
- The Great Sphinx on the eastern side of the complex is considered the oldest monumental sculpture on the planet. It is carved out of the rock and its height reaches 70 m, although it is obvious that part of the monument is covered with sand.
The Giza complex also includes several smaller pyramids, apparently built for the burial of queens. They are called the pyramids of the valley.
Djoser's pyramid
The oldest surviving stone building of solid size on the planet, the pyramid at Saqqara was built for the pharaoh Djoser. The architect Imhotep applied the principle of stepping and, perhaps, it was precisely such a project that ensured such a long life for the tomb. The height of the Djoser pyramid is just over 60 m, the size of the base is 125 m by 115 m. In total, 11 burial chambers for the king and his family members were provided in the tomb, while in later structures only the pharaoh himself was left with a place for the ashes. A covered gallery leads into the pyramid, the vaults of which rest on stone columns in the form of tree trunks.
The village of Sakkara, where you can see the step pyramid, is located 30 km away. south of Cairo. In addition to the tomb of Djoser, there are 10 more royal pyramids and other burials in the necropolis. The necropolis at Saqqara is the oldest among others that existed in the capital of the Old Kingdom, Memphis.
Muhammad Ali Mosque
Among the hundreds of mosques in Cairo, Alabaster stands out. It was built in the first half of the 19th century. in memory of the son of the Ottoman governor Muhammad Ali. When designing, the architect Yusuf-Bohna used the principles of the Constantinople school of architecture. The mosque turned out to be huge and monumental: the area of the prayer space was 1600 sq. m., the dome crowning the structure has a height of about 52 m. On the sides of the building there are minarets, and in the courtyard there is a tower on which a clock donated by the French monarch Louis-Philippe is installed.
The location of the Muhammad Ali Mosque allows it to dominate the entire vast city. The structure rises on a hill in the center of the Cairo Citadel.
City fortress
The construction of one of the most impregnable citadels of the Middle Ages began in 1176. Sultan Saladin, who founded a new ruling Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt, decided at all costs to keep his own capital impregnable, whose name is "Cairo" in Arabic meaning "Victorious". As a result of the construction campaign, a fortress appeared, which became the heart of the city and played an important role for seven centuries.
Saladin and his successors used the southern part of the fortress, setting up their own luxurious residence there, and a military garrison was stationed in the north of the Citadel. In the center of the fortress to this day there is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, and to the south of it - the Al-Gawhar Palace, which today houses the Museum of Treasures.
Cairo TV Tower
You can get a bird's eye view of Cairo and dine with a view of the city's surroundings on a television tower built on the island of Jezira in the late 1950s. last century. The tower has a very impressive height - 187 m, which is 43 m higher than the Cheops pyramid. From the observation deck at its top, the Giza plateau and the pyramids on it in clear weather can be viewed without much difficulty.
The history of the construction of the TV tower is associated with political and corruption scandals, in which foreign governments took part. As a result of the actions of foreign intelligence services, the Egyptians ended up with three million dollars, which the then government decided to spend profitably.
Abdin Palace
It is called one of the most luxurious palaces in the world, because the collection of treasures that adorn the interiors includes paintings and clocks decorated with pure gold and precious stones. The construction cost of the palace was 700 thousand Egyptian pounds. Another 2 million pounds was spent on finishing, which in the middle of the XIX century. was just a cosmic sum. Now the Abdin Palace serves as a museum: on the upper floors, the royal chambers have been preserved, which are shown to high-ranking foreign delegations, and on the lower ones, various expositions are located.
The President of Egypt works in the Abdin Palace, but tourists can visit the residence to get acquainted with the most interesting collections of the Royal Family Museum, the Presidential Gift Museum or a museum where weapons from different times and peoples are collected.
Guyer-Anderson Museum
You can see how rich families lived during the Ottoman era, and see authentic items and jewelry that belonged to noble Egyptian nobles, in the small Guyer-Anderson Museum in Cairo. This surname was borne by the owner of the house where the collection is exhibited. British officer Guyer-Anderson, who served in the capital, was granted a mansion by the Egyptian authorities in 1935.
The owner of the house collected art. Thanks to his passion, the museum displays handmade wool and silk furniture and carpets, glassware and Arabian costumes, silver dinner sets and gold-encrusted boxes. The collection of pistols and swords made by Ottoman masters is considered one of the most valuable in the world.
The officer who bequeathed his treasures to Egypt, King Farouk bestowed the honorary title of Pasha.
Aksunkur Mosque
The most beautiful structure of the Egyptian capital, the Aksunkur Mosque was named the Blue Mosque thanks to the celestial tiles that adorn its walls. They were brought from Damascus in the 16th century. and were used to decorate the interiors of the mosque, although its history began three centuries earlier.
The foundation stone of the Aksunkur mosque was laid in 1346 by the Mamluks. She became the tomb of his son-in-law and one of the sons of An-Nasir Muhammad, the ninth Mamluk sultan of Egypt. He became famous for fighting speculators and holding back grain prices, thanks to which the material well-being of the population at that time was called stable.
The external distinguishing feature of the Blue Mosque is the cylindrical minaret. They say that in clear weather you can see the pyramids on the Giza plateau from it. Also noteworthy are the magnificent marble mihrab and the podium for reading sermons, decorated with stone carvings in the form of a grapevine inlaid with gems.
Coptic Museum
Coptic art refers to works of art created by Egyptian Christians at the dawn of this religion. The largest collection of Coptic art is kept in the Cairo Museum located in an area called Babylon of Egypt. In this part of the capital, Egyptian Christians have traditionally settled.
The Coptic Museum was founded in 1908. The collection is based on a private collection of local resident Markus Simaiki. The mansion itself, doors, window bars, locks and balconies of which were taken from old Coptic temples and dwellings can be considered an exhibit.
Exhibits in three dozen rooms represent the heyday of the Coptic church, starting from the 3rd century. You can see papyri and manuscripts with the texts of the Gnostic Gospels, the most ancient images of the crucifixion, painted capitals carved from wood with images of scenes from the Bible.
Near the museum building is the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary - the oldest Coptic temple in old Cairo. It was founded in the 3rd century. on the site of the bastion of a Roman fort. Due to its location on a solid elevation, the temple is called the Suspended Church. More than a hundred images, painted in the 8th century, are kept in the temple. The iconostasis, carved from Lebanese cedar wood and inlaid with ivory, is of great value.
