Sightseeing in Cairo

Cairo was once the Byzantine city of Babylon-the same as in the song “by the rivers of Babylon…"! In 969 AD, the Fatimid rulers captured the reigns of power, to be succeeded by the Mameluks, a slave dynasty. They left an impressive set of buildings in a quarter of Cairo now known as Islamic Cairo. This includes a warren of districts like Al-Muski, Darb al-Ahmar and Gamaliya. The old-world charm here is palpable, and well worth soaking in.

The Hanging Church (El Muallaqah/ St Mary) is a Coptic Church within the old Babylon fortress gets its name from a suspended nave. It has 29 steps leading to its entrance that gave it the name of ’staircase church’. Built in the 3rd or 4th centuries in the Basilican style, it was destroyed in the 9th century and rebuilt in the 11th century. There is an incredible collection of over a hundred icons within this church dating back to the 11th and 13th centuries and the oldest is from the 8th century.

The Egyptian Museum at Cairo is not one you can rush through as part of your sightseeing itinerary but if you are really short on time, here’s a tip: browse through the first section that houses treasures from Tutankhamen’s time, take a quick look at the sixth section that has coins and papyrus and the seventh section that displays sarcophagi and scarabs. There is a hall for the royal mummies in a specially air-conditioned environment within the museum. This section has a separate entrance fee but it is well worth digging into your pockets to make it to this crypt that has eleven Pharaohs and their consorts.

Despite several efforts of the Egyptologists to preserve them the mummies are said to be degenerating. The Museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm on all days except Friday, when it is closed for a few hours. Students get a 50% discount on entry fee, which is USUSD 6 and an additional USUSD 18 if you want to see the Royal Mummy Room.