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Cairo, Egypt Tour
Cairo, Egypt
has many fine monuments to tour. Most of the monuments here and elsewhere in Egypt are not so difficult to identify. Most have one of several different types of markers and the more important have full descriptions. Therefore, walking through one of the historical areas, one does not necessarily need a guide, though certainly it helps.
The Modern City Tour Modern Cairenes consider the city center of Cairo to consist of the area bordered by the old city to the south, the Islamic Cairo to the east and the Nile River to the west, but this covers a number of different districts that are interesting to tour.
Islamic Cairo Tour The Islamic City is not the oldest section of the city, as that distinction belongs to old city. Western visitors many not wish to think in terms of Islamic here, but rather medieval. Indeed this area encompasses the medieval history from beginning to end.
Old (or Coptic) Cairo Tour This section of Cairo, Egypt actually predates the modern city itself to old Babylon and the Romans era. Located here are some of the oldest Christian Churches in the World, as well as one of the oldest Mosques, and this is a common tour destination.
West Bank and Giza Tour Giza is where the Great Pyramid is located, and so a common stop on any tour, but there is more to the west bank of the Nile in Cairo, Egypt. Several important districts are located here, along with wonderful restaurants and great shopping opportunities.
Heliopolis
Heliopolis is a suburb located to the north east, though there is no break between the cities as there was when it was first constructed in 1906. At that time the building style of the city, known as Masr al-Gedida or New Cairo had a mix of architecture set in a garden environment which reflected the tastes of the original promoter, Baron Empain, who built the Tram system. Originally there was a strictly enforced building code with considerable neo-Arabic style used in buildings, but there are also some exotic dwellings in the area. Originally, it attracted upper class families, and today that segment is still there, along with the middle class.
Other Districts:
Modern Teens Seem to love to come to Heliopolis for the Entertainment
(Note: In addition to the information we present here, also see our "Budget and Independent Travel to Egypt" article, which primarily concerns the capital, and has good information even if you are not traveling on a budget or independently.)
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