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Published: November 28th 2016
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Me & my colleague Robi went to Orascom Telecom headquarter to attend a workshop on Jun’2006. After a lengthy flight via Dubai we reached Cairo International airport and went to stay at
Cairo Marriott Hotel (Saray El Gezira street, Zamalek) for couple of nights during our trip to Egypt. It was an amazing place and perfect for sightseeing. The staffs were friendly and efficient. We didn’t use all of the facilities, however ate in the restaurant and I would recommend it to anyone. A little on the pricey side but it is a 5star hotel, however the food was 1st class. If I find myself in Cairo again I will stay here.
First few days we were entirely busy in the workshop and sometimes went out to check out the city’s special attractions like Abou el-Sid, Khan El-Khalili, Al-Hussein Mosque, Fayruz, etc
Abou el-Sid restaurant is located in 26 July St. It is one of the best restaurant that serve Egyptian food that is delicious and very good quality. You should try Melokheya, Sharkaseya and any of the tawagen. Price is reasonable. Also it serves alcohol (Vodka with Sugarcane juice was my favorite). I loved the atmosphere and the
Arabic oldies songs.
Khan El-Khalili is often dismissed as a tacky tourist trap but we really enjoyed it.
The shop keepers have to be the smoothest talkers around ("I don't know what you want but I have what you're looking for" was my favorite) and there wasn't the hassle that we'd been warned about. We managed to wander around without being annoyed too much. It shouldn't be missed if you're looking for an experience of Cairo at its best.
The
Al-Hussein Mosque is a mosque built in 1154. The mosque is located near the Khan El-Khalili bazaar. It is considered to be one of the holiest Islamic sites in Egypt.
The mosque was built on the cemetery of the Fatimid caliphs, though this was not known until the site's archaeological excavation. It is named for Muhammad's grandson, Husayn ibn Ali. Dawoodi Bohra and other Sunni Muslims believe that Husayn's head is buried on the grounds of the mosque. The complex includes a mausoleum, which dates back to the mosque's original construction in 1154.
The currently standing building was constructed in the 19th century, and was influenced by Gothic Revival architecture. Today, the mosque houses some
items considered sacred by Muslims, such as the oldest complete manuscript of the Quran.
Fayruz Lebanese Raustaurant (InterContinental Cairo Citystars, Omar Ibn El Khattab St., Heliopolis, Cairo); This place is really special. I tried a lot of plates from the menu and i really liked each one of it! Also the belly dancer is a plus!!
Once we are done with our workshop very next day we went to explore the great Pyramid, Sphinx and Museum of Cairo. We hired a vehicle and all time tour guide to move along the histories of Misr.
The Great
Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.
Based on a mark in an interior chamber naming the work gang and a reference to fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb over a 10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BC. Initially
at 146.5 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years. Originally, the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the underlying core structure. Some of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base. There have been varying scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid's construction techniques. Most accepted construction hypotheses are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place.
There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called Queen's Chamber and King's Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure. The main part of the Giza complex is a setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honour of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding the pyramid
for nobles.
The Great
Sphinx of Giza (English: The Terrifying One; literally: Father of Dread), commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza or just the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining (or couchant) sphinx, a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head. Facing directly West to East, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx is generally believed to represent the Pharaoh Khafre.
Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of blocks. It measures 238 feet (73 m) long from paw to tail, 66.3 ft (20.21 m) high from the base to top of the head, and 62.6 feet (19 m) wide at its rear haunches. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC).
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or
Museum of Cairo, located in Cairo Tahrir Square, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities.
A must see!! A few hours does not do this place justice! Plan at least half day if you want to take your time and soak it in! With over 120,000 artifacts, the museum houses an unbelievable exhibit depicting ancient Egypt’s glorious reign. Mummies, sarcophagi, pottery, jewellery and of course King Tutankhamen’s treasures, it’s all there. The boy-king’s death-mask – discovered in its tomb – is made of solid gold and it has been described as the most beautiful object ever made.
Before leaving Cairo we took a day long trip to
Alexandria that is a Mediterranean port city in Egypt. During the Hellenistic period, it was home to a lighthouse ranking among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as well as a storied library. Today the library is reincarnated in the disc-shaped, ultramodern Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The city also has Greco-Roman landmarks, old-world cafes and sandy beaches. Its 15th-century seafront Citadel of Qaitbay is now a museum.
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