Egypt – it’s all Pharaohs and Pyramids right? Wrong!
More and more backpackers are making the pilgrimage to the Middle East, as the region becomes increasingly safe to explore. And with with thousands of years of history, mind-blowing desert scenery and great water sports, Egypt has become a real backpacking hot spot.
Most people start at the capital Cairo. Known for being hot, noisy, and overcrowded with cars, many tourists will make a beeline for the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, and then move on. But a Cairo holiday has much more to offer, from cool Shisha cafes to a ‘living’ cemetery.
So why not experience a different side of the city? Here’s our pick of some alternative things to do in Cairo:
1) Eat Pigeon
Yep, you read that right – pigeon is an Egyptian speciality, and makes a surprisingly tasty (and dirt cheap) meal. Locals eat it roasted and stuffed with peppery rice, or served with a broth, pitta bread and salad. Tuck in at Farhaat, an atmospheric cluster of tables bordering Khan el-Khalili market.
2) Or…Eat Koshari
If you can’t quite bring yourself to nibble on a pigeon, try the tastiest (and probably safest) veggie street food around. Koshari is a delicious dish made of macaroni, rice, noodles, lentils and onion, topped with a spicy tomato sauce and crumbled fried onions. A huge carton costs around 50p, and you can buy it from hundreds of street carts in the city.
3) Drink Sahlab and Smoke Shisha
Shisha cafes are a staple of Cairo life, and were made for kicking back on a warm afternoon. Locals can be found idly chatting and smoking flavoured Shisha pipes in cafes all over the city. If you don’t fancy puffing on a pipe, try some fresh mint tea, thick Turkish-style coffee, or Sahlab, an Egyptian drink made from milk, sugar, rosewater and pistachios.
4) The City of the Dead
One of the world’s largest necropolises, the ‘City of the Dead’ is a huge graveyard of stone tombs and mausoleums, housing Emirs and Sultans and dating back to the fifteenth century. In the nineteenth century, small houses were built for the living to ‘watch over’ the dead (a tradition dating back to Pharoanic times). But when modern Cairo became too crowded, the city’s poor flocked to the area to live in these dwellings. Today some 50,000 people live in the tombs, and around a million more are cramped into tenement houses where the tombs once stood. With children playing hide and seek behind tombstones, this is a surreal but truly memorable trip. The best way to explore is to go with a tour guide – you can arrange a cheap local tour from your Cairo hostel.
5) Scale the Walls
For the best view of Cairo, climb the old city walls, built during the age of the Crusades (1176-1200). Head to ‘Old Cairo’, an area filled with Coptic churches and parts of the old city wall, and find the southern gate, Bab Zuwayla. For a small fee, you can climb up to the top of two minarets, witnessing breathtaking views of the city along the way. Hundreds of mosques, domes, and minarets sprawl below your feet, but this a pretty shaky climb, so don’t attempt if you’re afraid of heights!
6) Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre
Architect Wissa Wassef founded this art centre to teach young children to weave tapestries. The centre is housed in an amazing Nubian style domed building, but what’s inside is even better. The weavers are adults now, and use large looms to create huge wool tapestries. The tapestries are so large, the weavers can never see the entire work until it is finished, and the designs are completely improvised. Watching the weavers at work is a truly inspiring experience, and they also have some original pottery for sale.
7) National Military Museum
The Citadel is one of the top tourist attractions in Cairo, but few make it to the interesting museums included in the admission fee. This hidden gem sounds a little dull, but it’s not all about guns – the museum tells the story of the Egyptian army since the Pharaonic times, so you can learn all about the different dynasties that ruled Cairo, whilst looking at some scary looking weapons, paintings of famous battles and a huge collection of uniforms. You can even step into life size mock-ups of famous battle scenes! The building itself was originally a palace during the reign of Mohamed Ali, the founder of the Royal family that ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1952.
8 ) Cairo International Film Festival
From the 10th-22nd November, Cairo hosts its 33rd (!) International Film Festival. Held at the Cairo Opera House, this unique festival has attracted stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Matt Dillon, John Malkovich and Catherine Deneuve in the past. Showing a more diverse and intelligent programme of films than your usual celeb-fest, there’s a special category for Arabic Cinema, and a symposium on Environmental Issues. With a focus on Indian and Algerian cinema this year, the festival is unmissable for film fans.
9) Saqqara
Don’t fancy dodging the souvenir touts and crowds of tourists at Giza? Then check out some alternative, but no less impressive pyramids at Saqqara, just a short taxi ride from Cairo. Here you’ll find the earliest ‘Step’ pyramid, and the pyramid of Unas, surrounded by a causeway of decorated private tombs.
10) Islamic Cairo
Wandering through the Islamic quarter of Cairo feels like stepping back in time – the narrow streets of ancient mosques, medieval forts and market stalls seem a world away from the modern city. Remember to dress appropriately when wandering around, especially if you intend to visit the mosques. Just cover up your legs and shoulders, make sure little skin is on show, and wear comfortable shoes that can easily be slipped off.
Start at the Ibn Tulun Mosque – it’s the oldest mosque in Egypt and is surprisingly off the beaten track. The ninth-century classical Islamic architecture and huge central dome are awe-inspiring, and it costs under £2 to enter.
The Islamic Museum on El Qala’a Street is also worth a look – our favourites are the beautifully decorated Islamic arts and crafts, and illuminated pages of the Koran, dating from the ninth century.
For something a little more mystical than belly-dancing, head to the Al-Ghuri Mosque on Wednesday and Saturday nights. At around 8pm, the Al-Tannoura troupe of Sufi Whirling Dervish dancers spin themselves into a trance to the hypnotic sounds of a nine-piece orchestra. You can also see them at the Citadel in Cairo. Get there early to guarantee a seat!
Got any of your own tips for things to do in Cairo? Let us know below!
Images – thanks to vagabondblogger, sweet mustache, eviljohnius and tamra hays and Rick Collier on Flickr
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