Main sights

Tahrir Square Main article: Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square was founded during the mid 19th century with the establishment of modern downtown Cairo. It was first named Ismailia Square, after the 19th-century ruler Khedive Ismail, who commissioned the new downtown district's 'Paris on the Nile' design. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 the square became widely known as Tahrir (Liberation) Square. Several notable buildings surround the square including, the American University in Cairo's downtown campus, the Mogamma governmental administrative Building, the headquarters of the Arab League, the Nile Ritz Carlton Hotel, and the Egyptian Museum. Being at the heart of Cairo, the square witnessed several major protests over the years. However, the most notable event in the square was being the focal point of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution against former president Hosni Mubarak.

Tahrir Square was not renamed after the 1919 Egyptian Revolution but was renamed after the 1952 Revolution by Nasser.

The Egyptian Museum Main article: Egyptian Museum Interior Egyptian Museum. Main entrance of the Egyptian Museum Cairo Cafe Cairo Tower

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, is home to the most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world. It has 136,000 items on display, with many more hundreds of thousands in its basement storerooms.

Khan El-Khalili Main article: Khan El-Khalili

Khan el-Khalili is an ancient bazaar, or marketplace. It dates back to 1382, when Emir Djaharks el-Khalili built a large caravanserai, or khan. A caravanserai is a hotel for traders, and usually the focal point for any surrounding area. The caravanserai remains today.

Old Cairo Main article: Old Cairo

The part of Cairo that contains Coptic Cairo and Fustat, where the Coptic Museum, Babylon Fortress, Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Amr ibn al-'As Mosque, etc. are located.

Cairo Tower Main article: Cairo Tower

The Cairo Tower is a free-standing concrete TV tower in Cairo. It stands in the Zamalek district on Gezira Island in the Nile River, in the city centre. At 187 meters, it is 43 meters higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands some 15 km to the southwest.

Al Qahira Fatimia Mosques Al-Azhar Mosque Main article: Al-Azhar Mosque

Established in 972, Al-Azhar mosque was historically the site of the renowned Al-Azhar University, until the university's move in the late 20th century to a new campus in Nasr City.

Al-Hakim Mosque Jame-al-Anwar, 928 Aqmar Mosque, 1125 Juyushi Mosque, 1085 Lulua Mosque, 1015

Al-Azhar Mosque. Marble paved interior courtyard added during the Fatimid period

Al-Hakim Mosque Jame-ul-Anwar, Cairo (as renovated by Fatimid/Dawoodi Bohra)

Aqmar Mosque, Cairo (as renovated by Fatimid/Dawoodi Bohra)

Juyushi Mosque, Cairo (as renovated by Fatimid/Dawoodi Bohra)

Lulua Mosque, Cairo (as renovated by Fatimid/Dawoodi Bohra)

Imam Hussain mosque

Islamic sites in the old city Imam Husayn Mosque Mosque-Mausoleum Zaynab Sayyidah Ruqayya Mashhad Sayyeda Nafisa Mosque Mohammed Ali Basha Mosque

Imam Husayn Mosque, Cairo

Mosque-Mausoleum Zaynab, Cairo

Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya

Masjid-Mausoleum Nafisa, Cairo

Mohammed Ali Basha Mosque, Cairo