Cairo

Cairo, Arabic Al-Qāhirah (“The Victorious”), city, capital of Egypt, and one of the largest cities in Africa. Cairo has stood for more than 1,000 years on the same site on the banks of the Nile, primarily on the eastern shore, some 500 miles (800 km) downstream from the Aswān High Dam. Located in the northeast of the country, Cairo is the gateway to the Nile delta, where the lower Nile separates into the Rosetta and Damietta branches. Metropolitan Cairo is made up of the Cairo muḥāfazah (governorate), as well as other districts, some of which belong to neighbouring governorates such as Al-Jīzah and Qalūbiyyah. Area governorate, 83 square miles (214 square km). Pop. (2006) governorate, 7,786,640; (2005 est.) urban agglom., 11,128,000.

Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, and houses the largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities in the world. The museum displays an extensive collection spanning from the Predynastic Period to the Greco-Roman Era.The architect of the building was selected through an international competition in 1895, which was the first of its kind, and was won by the French architect, Marcel Dourgnon. The museum was inaugurated in 1902 by Khedive Abbas Helmy II, and has become a historic landmark in downtown Cairo, and home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient masterpieces.

Khan Al-Khalili

Khan El Khalili bazaar was originally built to serve as a mausoleum for the Fatimid royal family and was at that time a part of the Great Eastern Fatimid Palace, which was built in 970 CE. By the 14th century when the first Mamluk sultan ruled the country, the Black Death had ravaged Egypt – nonetheless, it continued to act as a major trade centre, and as a result, several commercial properties were constructed. By 1389 the original Fatimid cemetery had been destroyed in order to make way for a large caravanserai. The original caravanserai can still be seen at Khan El Khalili to this day although most shoppers have little interest in the colourful history of this charismatic bazaar.Instead, most locals are only interested in securing the best possible deals, in a place where haggling is the order of the day.