Cairo’s Top Historic Landmarks, Cairo, Egypt

Cairo is a city with two personalities. It’s chaotic, crowded, and dirty. Touts seem to be everywhere and hound you relentlessly. But its historic streets are also full of life and its landmarks carry an amazing array of stories. Cairo’s unruly reputation keeps many away, but if you can get past the noise, the litter and the touts, you will be exposed to its many charms.

With a population of over 23 million, Cairo can be overwhelming. Those who do visit come to see the Pyramids of Giza and don’t give the city much time. We spent seven days in Cairo, and many were filled from morning to night with varied and uniquely Egyptian landmarks that had nothing to do with the pyramids. In our Cairo posts, we’ll take you to its many corners; some you have heard of, but likely many more you haven’t. We’ll have to do it over several posts because there is that much to see.

In this post, we’ll show you the common sites around the city’s historic centre, to ease you into Cairo. Later, we’ll explore Al-Mu’izz Street and the Citadel in Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo, and finally take you to the showstoppers, the Tombs and Pyramid of Saqqara, and end in the Pyramids of Giza. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).