Cairo Holidays

Cairo is the cosmopolitan, vibrant bustling capital of Egypt and cultural, business and political centre of the Middle East.   Cairo is an amazing city full of life and movement and it is that way almost 24 hours a day with the constant noisy honking of horns and hum of traffic.  Sometimes called the Triumphant City, Cairo is one of the world's largest urban areas and offers everything any visitor who wants an unforgettable, astonishing and simply enjoyable holiday in Egypt could desire. 

The Great Pyramids of Giza are on edge of the city, but there are also ancient temples, tombs and monuments including the Egyptian Antiquities Museum within or nearby the city itself.  Cairo offers an incredible selection of shopping, leisure and nightlife, ranging  from the famous Khan el-Khalili souk (largely unchanged since the 14th century) to modern air-conditioned malls displaying the latest fashions, spices, perfumes, gold, silver, carpets, brass and leatherwork, glass and ceramics.

There’s another side to Cairo apart from the world-class attractions of the pyramids, museums and Islamic treasures.  There are boulevards of flame trees and splashes of sunlight glinting off brass lamps as well as the Nile as it continues to flows sedately through the fashionable suburbs and luxury hotels as well as the crowded souks and masses of humanity.  Cairo is not just a highlight of a holiday in Egypt, it’s a genuinely world class, once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.

Cairo Hotels

The Iberotel Cairo Hotel & Casino is located in Heliopolis, an elegant business and residential district in Cairo.  The hotel is only five minutes from Cairo International Airport and ten minutes from the Cairo International Convention Centre and Fair Grounds.  This hotel reflects the urban, cosmopolitan and bustling business character of Cairo and provides a sophisticated and stylish environment in the throbbing heart of Egypt and the Middle East. Iberotel Cairo Hotel & Casino celebrates individuality with a wide range of accommodation choices from well appointed rooms and suites with exquisite views to the Executive Club floor which is ideal for business travellers, short breaks or family holidays. Hotel facilities are excellent and extensive with seven restaurants and bars and a very elegant casino as well as heated swimming pools, volleyball court, a jogging track and a fully equipped Health Club. If your trip to Cairo is for business, the hotel provides space to host conferences, seminars and meetings of all sizes with the facilities of a Business Centre including full secretarial support and the latest technical equipment.

Cairo’s Living History

You only need to look at the  skyline of Cairo to realise that many of the city’s  ancient sites and attractions are still very much are part of the city's fabric rather than only tourist exhibits. Cairo has been attracting tourists for thousands of years, drawn mainly to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx  that hold the same fascination today as they did in ancient times.  You don’t even need to visit these startling and impressive sites to get a feel for Cairo’s ancient Pharaonic heritage. The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities contains one of the most impressive collections of artefacts and remains anywhere in the world.

Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

With over 100,000 artefacts in 107 halls, the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities  located in Mariette Pasha Street, Tahrir Square) can take days to explore properly.  Inside are treasures from ancient Egypt including priceless artefacts, gold and jewel encrusted objects taken from ancient royal tombs as well as more workaday items that nonetheless reveal a great deal about ordinary life in the Pharaonic period.   Among the Museum’s most popular attractions are the statue of Khafre (Chephren) and the Tutankhamun Gallery where exquisite treasures from the tomb of the Boy King are displayed, including his famous solid gold death mask. The Royal Mummy Room contains the mummies of some of the most powerful Pharaohs in Egypt dating from the 18th to the 20th Dynasties.

The Pyramids of Giza

About 11 miles (18km) south west of Cairo is arguably the most famous and certainly among the oldest tourist attractions in the world.  The Great Pyramid at Giza and the mysterious Sphinx are the only surviving examples of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  They continue to fascinate and intrigue with much speculation as to their origin and purpose. It’s thought that the Pyramid was built over the course of 20 years as a tomb for the 4th Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek).  For over 3,800 years, it remained the tallest man-made structure in the world. 

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is one of three in the Giza Necropolis, but is by far the oldest and largest example of its kind anywhere in the world. The Pyramid is the centrepiece of a complex of buildings that includes two mortuary temples, three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives and small tombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles. Originally the Great Pyramid was covered by pristine white casing stones that formed a smooth, shining, outer surface and what can see today is just the underlying core structure. 
Various theories still rage about how such a huge edifice was constructed (using straight ramps, spiral ramps and scaffolding that grew with the building) but most hypotheses assume that huge stones were quarried  from all over the kingdom (as far south as Aswan) and dragged and lifted somehow into place.  However it was done, it was a truly impressive feat of engineering and social organisation.

The Sphinx

The Sphinx, known as the Abu al-Hol (Father of Terror), stands in front of the Great Pyramid and is thought to be older than the pyramids themselves. This monumental statue, the first truly colossal royal sculpture in Egypt, has also inspired a wealth of speculation about its meaning and its purpose. There are numerous sphinxes, throughout Egypt usually with the head of a king or with a ram’s head that are associated with the god Amun.  None are as large or as impressive as the Great Sphinx. 

It is closely related to Khafre’s (Chephren)  Valley Temple, which itself had four colossal sphinx statues each more than 26 feet long and it’s thought that workers shaped the stone into the lion and gave it the face of their King over 4,500 years ago. Supporting that possible theory is the fact that Khafre's name is mentioned on the Dream Stele which sits between the paws of the Sphinx.   However, no one is completely sure that the face on the Sphinx is the face of Khafre and others have argued that Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, may have also had the Great Sphinx built. 

The Sphinx is carved from the limestone bedrock of what geologists call the Muqqatam Formation. And it’s possible that it may have been an “afterthought” after quarrying around the original knoll on which it stands  revealed  that the rock was too poor quality for construction of the Pyramids, so what was left of the stub of the knoll after the blocks had been removed was turned into the Sphinx. It’s equally possible that the Sphinx may have been planned from the start for this location.

When Napoleon arrived in Egypt in 1798, the Sphinx was buried in sand up to its neck and many attempts to excavate the Sphinx gave up in frustration.  Between 1925 and 1936, French engineer Emile Baraize excavated the Sphinx on behalf of the Antiquities Service, and the great beast was fully exposed to the elements for the first time since its construction.   In fact, had it not been for the sand, the soft sandstone of the Sphinx would have disappeared long ago and the statue is crumbling today because of wind, humidity and the pollution from Cairo. Much of the work on the Great Sphinx and the monuments at Giza today therefore is not aimed at further exploration or excavation, but the preservation of these great wonders of Egypt.

Shopping and Leisure in Cairo

Cairo provides great culture, including art galleries and concert halls as you’d expect from one of the largest cities in the world. Above all though, Cairo offers an incredible selection of shopping, leisure and nightlife activities. Shopping ranges from the famous Khan el-Khalili Souk which had remained largely unchanged since the 14th century, to modern air-conditioned malls displaying the latest fashions.  Cairo is the place where you’ll find anything that is produced in the Middle East and beyond.  Particularly good buys are spices, perfumes, gold, silver, carpets, brass and copperware, leatherwork, glass, ceramics and mashrabiya – beautiful embroidery that has traditionally played a central role in the life of Palestinians with a rich variety of styles, patterns, and designs.

One of the pleasures of shipping in Cairo is to get lost in the bazaars and Souks and take in the sights, smells and sounds of life in all its chaos and glory. You can shop for carpets, camels, shoes, books and veils or whatever else takes your fancy.  For souvenirs most tourists head to Khan Al-Khalili one of the world's oldest marketplaces.  If you like haggling, this is the place for you!   Another place that gets good reviews for souvenir shopping is the Khan Misr Touloun also located in medieval Cairo, just in front of the Mosque Ibn Touloun.

Even if you aren't seriously considering buying a 'ship of the desert' a trip to the Camel Bazaar (Souk al-Gamal) held every Friday beyond Sharia Sudan in the west of the city is worth the effort just for the experience.  Wekalet al-Balah is best for fabrics, especially magnificent and luxurious Egyptian cotton and the Tent makers' Bazaar is famed for its appliqué-work.  Mohammed Ali Street is the place to go for musical instruments, and for the belly-dancing fan then Mahmoud Abd El Ghaffar in the Khan Al-Khalili is the pace for dance costumes.

Cairo is and always has been a shopper’s paradise. Not only can you buy pretty much anything, but you can watch most of it getting made too. For those less attracted by the idea of haggling, Cairo has all the mainstream malls and international brand names and retail outlets you’d expect to see in any world-class city. You could also try Zamalek, a small residential island in the Nile with several western-style markets which may be less intimidating for an out-of-towner.  The leafy streets of Garden City are also just minutes away from where most tourists stay and are a lovely change from the dusty downtown city buzz.  On the other side of the Nile, Mohandaseen is mostly a residential district, but it has some nice places to grab some local delicacies.
 

Cairo at Night

Cairo is even livelier at night than it is during the day.  They may be famous for their ability to barter, exchange, haggle and socialise but the Cairenes have always known how to enjoy themselves too!  Shopping, socialising and drinking coffee are all activities of the day.  As the sun goes down the people come out to begin the serious business of eating, drinking and dancing.   Cairo’s nightlife goes on for as long as you can stand the pace and even though most places wind down around 3.00 or 4.00 in the morning, you will still find some that are open 24 hours. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days for big nights out.

Although Egypt is a Muslim country and many Cairenes can enjoy themselves all night long by only drinking soft drinks, alcohol is not difficult to come by for those who want it. Some Muslims are more devout than others, but if you are with Egyptian friends or acquaintances and they decline your offer of a drink, they’re not being rude and you should be sensitive to their religious beliefs.  A large selection of international beers, wines and cocktails is freely available in the bars and restaurants of most of Cairo’s hotels and many will also stage lavish cabarets and live shows that mean you don’t need to go outside the confines of the hotel to get a flavour of the city.  Some, Like the Iberotel Cairo Hotel & Casino will also provide the sophisticated ambiance of a lavish casino for night time entertainment.

If you want a true flavour of Cairo nightlife outside the sanitised luxury  of the many excellent hotels, try  the ‘ baladi’  bars, often called 'cafeterias' to disguise the fact that they are selling alcohol, in the Sharia Alfy area around the Medan Orabi.  They are perfectly safe, although they are a little basic and women on their own might feel uncomfortable in what is essentially an all male environment.