Classic Cairo Sites and Sights
LouiseAl
Used to live and work in Cairo
22 Sep 2008
based on 4 votes
Are you spending a couple of days in Cairo and do you want to see the must-see sites and sights but also explore this magnificent city a bit? Then this goList is for you.
******LIST NOT COMPLETED YET, STILL ADDING AND EDITING******
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Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
Cairo, Giza
- Category: Other
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Ave price:
$241
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There are many hotels in Cairo. And you do not have to book yourself into a 5* mega-hotel like the Ramses Hilton to have a good stay. I think that this hotel has an ideal location and that it offers good value for money. You will have to cross some horrible roads before you are downtown or at The Egyptian Museum, but if you can overcome that and also find a good deal, then Ramses Hilton is a good choice. Other hotels with good locations are Nile Hilton and Marriott. Marriott is located in the neighborhood called Zamalek, which is on an island in the Nile, and Zamalek is a very nice place to stay and ideal for strolling along the Nile, shopping, bar-hopping and eating.
On your first day in Cairo you unwind, unpack and get used to the smells and noises of Cairo and your immediate area.
One of the good things by choosing a hotel with a certain standard is that they often have a pool, which is almost a must, specially if you visit from May to September, where Cairo can be really hot. From October to April Cairo is not necessarily as hot. |
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| On your first full day in Cairo, you meet up with your guide and driver. If you want, you can just hail a cab from the street outside your hotel and agree on a price for the day. Your cabbie will happily take you where you want and with good haggling skills and a good guidebook you can easily do it all on your own. However, things become much easier with a guide and a driver and a nice car. You can book this online. Many guides and tour-operators are recommended on the forums, so there is a lot to choose from. And it really does make things easier. But anyway, you are picked up at your hotel and first stop on your first day are the ruins of Memphis - where the first capital of Egypt was founded around 3000 B.C.E. There is not much left to see, even though Memphis was a large and thriving city throughout much of Ancient Egypt's history. But it is still where it all began, so I think this is where a the classic tour begin no matter what. The remains to be seen in Memphis does not date back to the foundation of the city, but are much younger from New Kingdom (circa 1550 - 1070 B.C.E). Most impressive is the colossus of pharaoh of 19th Dynasty Ramesses II, lying on his back in a little museum-building. The colossus used to mark the entrance to the large Temple of Ptah which stood in Memphis. The twin-statue was placed in downtown Cairo for years, near the main station, but is now placed in the desert near the Giza-pyramids, approximately where the new museum is supposed to be build as we speak :-) |
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3. Saqqara (Sakkara) Pyramids
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The Keops/Cheops Pyramid is the only one of the Ancient World's Seven Wonders which are still standing. And its impressive and massive. The ancient and well known skyline with the three triangular giants dotting the horizon has been standing for more than 4.500 years. The first pyramid was build approx. 2551 BCE and is also the largest one, the pyramid of Keops who is also often called Khufu or Chufu. We don't know much about this pharaoh - the only image we have of him is the small statuette, barely 7 centimeters tall, kept at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in the same gallery where they keep the artifacts from his mother's nearby burial - and most of our sources about this pharaoh stems from ancient writers like Herodotus. We may call him ancient, but he wrote his books nearly 2000 years after Keops was buried, so perhaps he is not the most trustworthy witness? But its a fact that while he was the pharaoh behind the largest pyramid of Egypt, we haven't got much to say about him at all.
His pyramid stands at about 137 meters today, but in antiquity the pyramid was about 10 meters taller. The top is simply missing from this pyramid, probably removed already in antiquity and re-used as building material. The building-blocks has an average weight of 2.5 tonnes and it is estimated that a staggering 2.5 million individual blocks has been used to build this structure. It was build in 15-20 years by laborers who lived in a nearby workmen's village (they were not slaves, although there undoubtedly has been workers employed on slave-like conditions in addition to prisoners of war etc, but the myth that the pyramids were build by hordes of slaves is just that, a myth). Archaeologists are busy digging and researching the workmen's village in order to know more about the people who build the pyramid.
Pharaoh Kheops also had three Queen Pyramids build at the site plus five so-called boat graves. The boat-graves are those oddly shaped pits you'll see when walking around the pyramid. On the side of the pyramid you'll see a large, ugly building - a modern building. But try and forget this building's ugliness and head into it instead. In here, the funeral boat of Kheops is kept. It was found in a boat grave in 1954 in 1224 pieces. At that time, conservators didn't know how to remove the parts without damaging them - after all, the boat is made of wood - and it was decided to build around the pit where the boat was found and then assemble to boat on site. The result is what you see today. An amazing sight. Much of the wood is the original wood and the boat is assembled without using nails. Some call it a solar boat, thus saying that it had a symbolic meaning in antiquity. As a solar boat it was used to carry the dead king's soul to the sun, bringing him closer to the divine. But it can also have had a practical use during the funeral of the king. Perhaps it was used to sail the king's mummified corpse and his grave goods to his final resting place. It may be that the boat is a combination of the two things.
The Keops Pyramid is the most interesting pyramid to visit at the Giza Plateau, but only a number of tickets are available each day. You enter a bit below the original entrance (which was hidden in antiquity) and after some meters you enter the grand gallery. From here you walk up towards the King's Chamber. There are no other places to go, although there are chambers and hallways beneath you as well (not that many, though, the pyramid is, for the most part, massive) In the King's Chamber the remains of Kheop's sarcophagus still stands, but the pyramid was robbed already in antiquity.
The smaller Khefren (or Chepren or Khafre) pyramid looks like it is taller than the Keops pyamid, but that is because it is standing on a slightly higher plateau. Chephren was the grandson of Kheops, whose son, Djedefre, build his, much smaller, pyramid 8 kilometers from Giza in the area called Abu Roash. But the pyramid of Chepren is in Giza, and you will always be able to tell which one is the Chepren pyramid, as it is the only one where the whitish cover-stones are still left in place around the top of the pyramid. The pyramid is almost massive, with the burial chamber almost subterranean. There is only one way in and out, which is hacked into the pyramid below the original entrance. There is nothing to see inside the burial chamber - except the remains of the sarcophagus and the grafitti by Belzoni who entered the pyramid in March 1818 and found it empty. Belzoni was an Italian engineer and had also worked in a circus before he became an adventurer and "art collector" in Egypt, working for various European consuls. The Chepren pyramid measures about 136 meters.
The smallest pyramide, the one of Pharaoh Mycerinus (also called Menkaure) is only about 66 meters tall, which is indeed small compared with the two giants. The base of the Mycerinus pyramid is covered in red granite slabs, but whether the stones were supposed to cover all of the pyramid in time is not know. There is nothing to see in the burial chamber which is subterrenean.
All pyramids were used as burial places for the kings of the 4th dynasty. The pyramid continued to be used as burial through the 5th and the 6th dynasties, but those pyramids are build in a much smaller scale. The mighty pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom, 12th dynasty, also build pyramids as their tombs, but after that, this form of burial died out and by New Kingdom, the pharaohs were buried in the deep cliff tombs we can visit in the Valley of the Kings further up the Nile to the south in Luxor, ancient Thebes.
All pyramids were robbed and plundered in antiquity and all through the history and more or less to present day, Egyptian Pashas and other nobility has used the Giza Pyramids as a place, where already cut stone could be gathered for the building of palaces etc in Cairo. So the pyramids definitely stand as shadows of their former glorious self today.
All pyramids had a wall build around them. Just outside the wall, very close to the pyramid, there was a temple, the so-called pyramid temple. You can still see remains of the pyramid temple on one of the sides of the Chepren pyramid. From the pyramid temple, a processional walk way led to the Valley Temple. If you visit the great Sphinx, you can also visit the Valley Temple of Chepren, which is located just beside the Sphinx. Here you can also see remains of the ancient processional way. The famous statue of Chepren, which is on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, was found in his Valley Temple by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. By the Valley Temple, you can also see the remains of the ancient harbour, which was here. Very convenient for all the stones which had to be transported to the site from the Muqattam Mountains further east. A lot of the stones used for pyramid building is, however, from the Giza Plateau itself. You can still see places where the workers cut the stones out of the cliffs.
You buy a ticket for the site itself and if you wish to get a ticket to enter one of the pyramids (it changes from time to time which one is open), you also buy them at the same ticket office. The plateau is rife with vendors and camel-drivers wanting to sell you everything, but in recent years it is tried to be kept at a minimum. But be prepared though.
You will also be amazed at how close the city is to the pyramids. In ancient times, the pyramids were located far out in the desert with canals dug from the main Nile. Not so today.... |
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This review is for the Felfela located in Giza, not the one in Huda Sharawi Street in Downtown Cairo.
On a recent trip to Cairo, my family and I went for a quick lunch at Felfela by the pyramids. We were there early so we were the only ones there, which made the place lack a bit of atmosphere. The nearby take out place was busy, but we wanted to sit down and relax. The friendly waiters were quick with the menus and the drinks and after ordering the food, we got our food within less than 15 minutes. It came from the take out-place, which wasn't bad at all. On the contrary, it was freshly cooked and piping hot as it should be.
We started our lunch with some platters of various "salads" like baba ghanough, hummus and yoghurt w/mint with a basket of wonderfully fresh, home cooked, hot and spongy pitas and a platter of green salad, onions, tomato and cucumber. We could have left the table after that, we simply ordered so much of it and the bread was really filling.
After this first round, two of us got stacks of freshly fried tammiyas (falafel) which we ate with the rest of the bread, dips and salad. One of us got pigeon stuffed with rice and the last person in our group got a simple omelette. Everything came freshy made and hot and tasting very well. We drank mineral water and cokes with the meal.
We paid around 125 Egyptian pounds including tips and extra bottles of mineral water for the rest of the day. For four persons, this must be considered very cheap. It wasn't a large lunch, of course, and you are bound to be able to get the same at a lower price in a more local place. Felfela caters for many tourists.
The place was somewhat dusty and everything could've done with a good wipe down. But we were there in the middle of sand storm season and it had been very windy a few days before.
All in all I can easily recommend Felfela, and with a bit more people around, the atmosphere is probably better. You can have the same in the Downtown Felfela, and that is always packed. |
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6. Egyptian Antiquities Museum
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The Egyptian Museum in Cairo was built in the late 1800's and was opened in 1902. The founder of the museum was the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette, who thought that the antiquities belonged in Egypt and not in various European private collections.
When you arrive, make sure that you do not carry any "weapons" with you, as they will be confiscated at one of the two security checkpoints. Weapons include pocket knifes, picnic utensils and sometimes also nail clippers.
The photo-policy changes from time to time. Last time I was there, no photo was allowed AT ALL, and all cameras had to be left in a special camera cloak room outside the main entrance.
After the first security check, you turn to either side, where you find ticket booths. If you are a student, bring your International student card, as you can get a good discount (half price). Officially only the ISIC Card counts, but many has been given the student discount with their regular student card.
You are now in a wonderful garden in front of the pinkish, large building which is The Egyptian Museum. In the fountain there are usually both papyrus and lotus plants. Artefacts are strewn around the garden: from stone baboons depicting the god of wisdom, Thoth to large colossi of Ramesses II. Have a look around here either before you enter or after you have been.
There are Egyptian guides milling around the garden, trying to get you to buy their services. If you want to go to the museum with a guide, which can be a very good idea, you should make sure that he or she is a certified guide. There is a reason the guides in the garden are not working and pushing their business. In most cases it is because they are not very good.
You can get audioguides inside the museum. I have tried them once, and they were not overly good, plus it was expensive and I was forced to leave my passport in order to be able to rent the audioguides. That gave me an uneasy feeling, but there were no problems getting the passport back after the tour. This may have changed.
There is not a lot of signs or explanations once you are inside. A guidebook or a guide is a definite must. There are more than 120.000 things on display (not a million like another reviewer claimed) but more than 120.000 is also quite a number. Some of the signs were written (in French) when the museum opened in 1902. Some corners of the museum are dark and dusty, others are noisy, overcrowded and hot. Some have aircon (the treasuries on the first floor), most does not.
Most groups visit from 9AM and until noon. After that the museum will be much less crowded. It is not unusual to have to stand in line for a long time in the morning in order to get in.
When you enter the door to the museum, you are going through security point # 2. Once again your bags will be checked for weapons, cameras and other forbidden things. When you are finally in you can go three ways. I suggest you cast a look to the wall on your right. Here you can see a copy of the Rosetta Stone, the finding of which began what we consider modern Egyptology. The original is in British Museum in London.
A little to your left, right about where there is a booth with audioguides, you will see a grey palette in a glass case. Or you will see a lot of people at the same spot, looking at the same thing. This is the Narmer Palette, depicting Pharaoh Narmer, thought to be the first king of Egypt who unified the two lands, Upper and Lower Egypt and united them. His palette dates to around 3100 BC and is the spot where you should begin, if you want to do it the chronological way. Turning around and heading towards the security checkpoint, you turn right and from now on, going through all the rooms and halls on the ground floor will take you on a tour through the main periods of Ancient Egypt: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, Late Period/Graeco-Roman Period and you will end up where you began.
Highlights of Old Kingdom are the seated statue of pharaoh Djoser/Zoser, the triad of pharaoh Mycerinus with a queen and a goddess, the large, seated statue of pharaoh Khefren (note the falcon on the back of his head), the statue of the scribe, the doublestatue of Rahotep and Nofer, the wooden statue of Ka'aper, the tiny, tiny stautette of king Kheops (only depiction of this king who build the Great Pyramid), the wall paintings of the Meidum Geese and the furniture from the tomb of Queen Hetepheres.
Now you have been in the first rooms and in the first third of the long gallery. On the walls you can follow a rough chronology, and after Old Kingdom you will go to the artefacts of Middle Kingdom. Highlights are: The colossus of pharaoh Mentuhotep, the lion headed sphinxes of Amenemhet III, other statues of 12th Dynasty kings and the large statue of Amenemhet III as a river god with thick hair.
Before you reach the end of the long gallery, you come to New Kingdom. Here are some of the highlights: The head from a colossus of queen Hatshepsut, the sfinx of Hatshepsut, the (pink) round room with artefacts from the Amarna periode where heretic pharaoh and his beautiful queen Nefertiti ruled and the statue of pharaoh Ramesses II as a child. When you are by the Ramesses II as a child, you make your way down through a long gallery with more objects from New Kingdom plus the periods after that time (Late Period and Greco/Roman) At the end of this long gallery, there is often a room with a special exhibition which changes maybe twice a year. Turning the corner you can see a lot of sarcophagi and also the check point where you began.
At the corner, you can head up the stairs to first floor with the galleries of Tutankhamun, the mummy room and lots of chambers with all sorts of things: statuettes, mummy portraits, models, ostraca (limestone flakes with texts or images), papyri, jewellery and loads and loads more.
Before heading out, you can visit the small shop near the exit (which is also the entrance, by the way) selling books, catalogues, bookmarks, pens, postcards etc.
If you are going out in the garden just for a break or a snack or a cigarette, tell it to one of the guards and say or gesture, that you are going back in again in a minute.
There is also a cafeteria and a large souvenirshop. Both places are rather pricey. The guy selling water and cokes from a little stall in the garden also has very high prices. If not going back in, it is better to head across the street outside the main gate to Nile Hotel for a snack, coke, beer etc. |
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7. Mohamed Ali Mosque (Citadel of Saladin)
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8. Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
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Compliment LouiseAl
