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The charms of Cairo
Cairo isn`t a gentle city. Home to more than 16 million Egyptians, Arabs, Africans and sundry other international hangers-on, the `Mother of the World` is an all-out assault on the senses. Some days the most unambitious stroll around town can leave you with the same sort of feeling you might get after a sadistically vigorous massage: tender, unsteady on your feet and stinkingly sweaty, but also strangely satisfied. Chaotic, noisy, polluted, totally unpredictable and seething with humanity, the s
Cairo isn't a gentle city. Home to more than 16 million Egyptians, Arabs, Africans and sundry other international hangers-on, the 'Mother of the World' is an all-out assault on the senses. Some days the most unambitious stroll around town can leave you with the same sort of feeling you might get after a sadistically vigorous massage: tender, unsteady on your feet and stinkingly sweaty, but also strangely satisfied. Chaotic, noisy, polluted, totally unpredictable and seething with humanity, the sheer intensity of the city seduces some people but turns others off. In any event it's quite unlike any other place on earth. Life is what this city is about and, to paraphrase a cliché, only a person who's tired of life itself could fail to see the charm of Cairo.
The city doesn't have the resources for graceful boulevards and cobbled squares and the kind of dolled-up, prettified buildings that cry out to be photographed and stuck in an album. Historic buildings are buried in age-old quarters of the city that have yet to be tamed and made tourist-friendly in the way that they have in places such as Istanbul or Jerusalem. The high population density and lack of room to move throws up startling juxtapositions: mud-brick houses and towering modern office buildings, flashy cars and donkey-drawn carts. Cairenes see nothing strange in this. They aren't driven by the Western obsession to update and upgrade, possibly because they live in such close proximity to millennia of history (the Pyramids are visible from the upper storeys of buildings all over the city). The resulting pervasive sense of timelessness is one of the city's great charms.
Warning In 1997 Egypt was struck by some particularly horrific terrorist violence that resulted in 67 deaths, 57 of them tourists. There have been no attacks since then and tourists are returning in greater numbers than ever. Security remains at an all-time high, and while this is no guarantee of safety from future terrorist acts, Cairo, and Egypt in general, are currently no more dangerous than any other major European city. Area: 214 sq km (82.6 sq mi) Population: 16.5 million Country: Arab Republic of Egypt People: Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers 99%; Greek, Nubian, Armenian, Sudanese, other European (primarily Italian and French) Main language: Egyptian Arabic Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2 hours (daylight saving time observed late April-30 September) Telephone Area Code: 02 Egypt Country Code: 20
Orientation Finding your way about Cairo's vast sprawl is not as difficult as it may seem. Midan Tahrir is at the centre. Northeast of Tahrir and centred on Sharia Talaat Harb is Downtown, a bustling commercial district. The city's main train station at Midan Ramses marks Downtown's northernmost extent. Heading east, Downtown ends at Midan Ataba and the old but still kicking medieval heart of the city known as Islamic Cairo takes over.
Bordering Downtown to the west is the Nile River, which is obstructed by two sizeable islands. The more central of these, connected directly to Downtown by three bridges, is Gezira, home to the Cairo Tower and the Opera House complex. The west bank of the Nile is less historical and much more residential. The primary districts are Mohandiseen, Agouza, Doqqi and Giza, all of which are light on charm and heavy on concrete. Giza covers by far the largest area of the four, stretching some 20km (12.4mi) west on either side of the long, straight road that ends at the foot of the Pyramids.
Bureau Report
The city doesn't have the resources for graceful boulevards and cobbled squares and the kind of dolled-up, prettified buildings that cry out to be photographed and stuck in an album. Historic buildings are buried in age-old quarters of the city that have yet to be tamed and made tourist-friendly in the way that they have in places such as Istanbul or Jerusalem. The high population density and lack of room to move throws up startling juxtapositions: mud-brick houses and towering modern office buildings, flashy cars and donkey-drawn carts. Cairenes see nothing strange in this. They aren't driven by the Western obsession to update and upgrade, possibly because they live in such close proximity to millennia of history (the Pyramids are visible from the upper storeys of buildings all over the city). The resulting pervasive sense of timelessness is one of the city's great charms.
Warning In 1997 Egypt was struck by some particularly horrific terrorist violence that resulted in 67 deaths, 57 of them tourists. There have been no attacks since then and tourists are returning in greater numbers than ever. Security remains at an all-time high, and while this is no guarantee of safety from future terrorist acts, Cairo, and Egypt in general, are currently no more dangerous than any other major European city. Area: 214 sq km (82.6 sq mi) Population: 16.5 million Country: Arab Republic of Egypt People: Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers 99%; Greek, Nubian, Armenian, Sudanese, other European (primarily Italian and French) Main language: Egyptian Arabic Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2 hours (daylight saving time observed late April-30 September) Telephone Area Code: 02 Egypt Country Code: 20
Orientation Finding your way about Cairo's vast sprawl is not as difficult as it may seem. Midan Tahrir is at the centre. Northeast of Tahrir and centred on Sharia Talaat Harb is Downtown, a bustling commercial district. The city's main train station at Midan Ramses marks Downtown's northernmost extent. Heading east, Downtown ends at Midan Ataba and the old but still kicking medieval heart of the city known as Islamic Cairo takes over.
Bordering Downtown to the west is the Nile River, which is obstructed by two sizeable islands. The more central of these, connected directly to Downtown by three bridges, is Gezira, home to the Cairo Tower and the Opera House complex. The west bank of the Nile is less historical and much more residential. The primary districts are Mohandiseen, Agouza, Doqqi and Giza, all of which are light on charm and heavy on concrete. Giza covers by far the largest area of the four, stretching some 20km (12.4mi) west on either side of the long, straight road that ends at the foot of the Pyramids.
Bureau Report