Some of you know that I'm from Egypt. However, something I don't mention as much is that my hometown is the country's capital, Cairo. It is home to numerous historical landmarks that, of course, most famously include the Sphinx and pyramids of Giza. (I'm tagging @Rival because I'm assuming that she might like the history and landmarks that I will highlight in this thread.)
In this thread, I will take you through a tour of some of them, including ancient Egyptian, medieval Islamic, Ottoman, Coptic, and British ones. It is no exaggeration to say that this city is a living, breathing piece of history spanning a few millennia. Modern Cairo has its origins in 641 CE, but its roots date further back to Memphis, an ancient Egyptian capital. The remains of Memphis are situated near modern-day Cairo and are a tourist attraction:
Getting further into Cairo, one of course encounters the Giza pyramid complex. You can see it during a normal day of commute through Giza. I can think of few things that capture the title of the Bangles' Walk Like an Egyptian better than catching a glimpse of these ancient marvels while casually going shopping or commuting to work.
Proceeding in chronological order, another monument is in Old Cairo: the Hanging Church. It was built in the third century CE and, like all other sites in this post, remains a major landmark of Cairo to this day:
Fast-forward around eight centuries and Saladin builds the Cairo Citadel circa 1176 CE. Near it is the Muhammad Ali Mosque, built between 1830 and 1848:
The Cairo Citadel isn't without associated landmarks: the Cairo Citadel Aqueduct, built around 1311 CE, is a landmark that is more subtle yet almost as old as the citadel itself:
Then comes Qasr El Nil Bridge, a vital hotspot for Cairene traffic. Adorning the bridge on both approaches are four huge bronze statues from the late 19th century:
Qasr El Nil Bridge - Wikipedia
About a two minutes' walking distance from these statues is Downtown Cairo, home to numerous English-styled and Ottoman-era buildings from the period of British colonization starting in 1882 until the last British forces withdrew from Egypt in 1956. The buildings mark the area as one of Cairo's most historically significant regions. These are three out of many other examples:
Finally (for this post, at least), moving on to the early 20th century, there's the Hindu-themed Baron Empain Palace, founded by its Belgian namesake:
I made sure to link to articles about each site because detailing the history of each in one post would probably make it overly lengthy. These are only a sample of the historical sites in Cairo, so hopefully that gives you an idea of how much history this city has (including, of course, the unforgettable milestone of being my birthplace!).
In this thread, I will take you through a tour of some of them, including ancient Egyptian, medieval Islamic, Ottoman, Coptic, and British ones. It is no exaggeration to say that this city is a living, breathing piece of history spanning a few millennia. Modern Cairo has its origins in 641 CE, but its roots date further back to Memphis, an ancient Egyptian capital. The remains of Memphis are situated near modern-day Cairo and are a tourist attraction:
Getting further into Cairo, one of course encounters the Giza pyramid complex. You can see it during a normal day of commute through Giza. I can think of few things that capture the title of the Bangles' Walk Like an Egyptian better than catching a glimpse of these ancient marvels while casually going shopping or commuting to work.
Proceeding in chronological order, another monument is in Old Cairo: the Hanging Church. It was built in the third century CE and, like all other sites in this post, remains a major landmark of Cairo to this day:
Fast-forward around eight centuries and Saladin builds the Cairo Citadel circa 1176 CE. Near it is the Muhammad Ali Mosque, built between 1830 and 1848:
The Cairo Citadel isn't without associated landmarks: the Cairo Citadel Aqueduct, built around 1311 CE, is a landmark that is more subtle yet almost as old as the citadel itself:
Then comes Qasr El Nil Bridge, a vital hotspot for Cairene traffic. Adorning the bridge on both approaches are four huge bronze statues from the late 19th century:
Qasr El Nil Bridge - Wikipedia
About a two minutes' walking distance from these statues is Downtown Cairo, home to numerous English-styled and Ottoman-era buildings from the period of British colonization starting in 1882 until the last British forces withdrew from Egypt in 1956. The buildings mark the area as one of Cairo's most historically significant regions. These are three out of many other examples:
Finally (for this post, at least
), moving on to the early 20th century, there's the Hindu-themed Baron Empain Palace, founded by its Belgian namesake:
I made sure to link to articles about each site because detailing the history of each in one post would probably make it overly lengthy. These are only a sample of the historical sites in Cairo, so hopefully that gives you an idea of how much history this city has (including, of course, the unforgettable milestone of being my birthplace!).
