Cairo Guide
Chaotic, crowded and dusty, Egypt's biblical streets still ooze charm. Charismatic locals will drive a hard bargain but always with a smile on their face, and the pyramids really are worth the hype.
The immense Giza Pyramids guarded by the Sphinx seem to dwarf everything, but be sure to let the mummies and Tutankhamen's tomb intrigue you in the Egyptian Museum. Traders at busy Khan el-Khalili's stalls have bartered for centuries, and the tranquil Coptic Quarter's churches date back even further.
Enter the new home of the mammoth Pharaoh Ramses II statue, moved in August 2006 from congested Downtown to the pyramids because of pollution damage. Watch out for the new Grand Egyptian Museum being built here, due to house King Tutankhamen's tomb and other treasures.
Find chunky hand-blown Muski glass and delicate perfume bottles throughout Khan-el-Khalili, brass and copperware in Souk an-Nahassin and filigree gold and silver on Souk es-Sagha. Try out traditional musical instruments on Muhammad Ali Street near Attaba Square, and hunt down both rare and new in Soor Al Azbakeya book market. Buy cool Egyptian cottons at branches of Mobaco.
Cruise along the Nile in a felucca at sunset. Locals love to sit outside their favourite ahwa (tea house), watch the world go by and smoke a sheesha. Al-Azhar Park, the city's green lungs, is popular at weekends for walks and picnics, and the Moorish Andalusian Gardens are a favourite for residents of the upmarket island of Gezira.
Get swept up by classical Arabic music and whirling dervishes in Cairo. The contemporary Cairo Opera House hosts the National Arabic Music Ensemble, as well as its opera, ballet and symphony orchestra. Twice-weekly whirling Sufi dances are held at the Al-Ghouri Complex and sometimes the Citadel.
Downtown, sample local dishes like hearty koshary made from rice, lentils and onions and ful medames – bean stew. Pick up ta'amiya (falafel) around Khan-el-Khalili or go for upmarket European and Middle Eastern cuisine in Zamalek. Lounge by the Nile with a fruity sheesha, on the Corniche.
Forget the Sound and Light Show at Giza. Instead, hang back behind the pyramids at chucking out time and enjoy relative solitude long after the tour buses and touts have disappeared, when the sun is starting to dip.
