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Cairo Information
Founded on the site of Babylon,
near the ruins of ancient Memphis, Cairo has been the largest city
in Africa for centuries. Modern Cairo encompasses many former cities
and their monuments: the pyramids of the pharaohs; early Christian
monasteries and churches; Salah al-Din's Citadel; mosques of the
Mamluke and Ottoman sultans. Five thousand years of culture are
concentrated here, at the center of three continents.
Travel through time in a city that is a living index to civilization.
Enjoy the comforts of a cosmopolitan twentieth-century capital.
Cairo, a microcosm of the greater world.
Today's skyline mixes minarets and palm trees with art deco villas
and multicolored neon - but you can still see the sunset over the
Nile. Cairo has a unique atmosphere: both exciting and relaxed.
The city pulses with life while the Nile flows on to the sea.
Places of Interest
The Great Pyramids: "One of the
Seven Wonders of the World, King Cheops' pyramid was built c. 2650
BC "" it is impossible to get tired of the Pyramids."
Amelia B. Edwards. 1877
Saqqara: The royal burial-ground during
the Old Kingdom (2705-2155 BC). There are so many periods represented
that Saqqara could almost be a book, in whose pages the story of
Egyptian Civilization through the Pharaonic Greek and Roman periods
is told. Discoveries are still being made today.
Memphis: One of the oldest cities
on earth, legendary Memphis was the capital of ancient Egypt throughout
the Old Kingdom.
The Mastabas of Mereruka, Ti and Path-Hotep:
Carved and painted tombs vividly illustrate everyday life more than
5,000 years ago.
The Sphinx: "Sacred symbol of
the union of the strongest physical with the highest intellectual
Power on earth,"
Harriet Martineau on the Sphinx 1848
The Solar Barque of King Cheop: a
cedar-wood craft built to take the Pharaoh through the underworld.
The Step Pyramid: The first proper
pyramid, built for King Zoser in the 27th-century BC by the architect
Imhotep
The Egyptian Museum: One of the world's
most famous museums. The magnificent collection of antiques includes
mummies, Sarcophagi and the fabulous treasures from Tutankhamun's
tomb.
Source: Egypt Tourism Official Website
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