My first view of Cairo and the Nile River after my flight from Tunisia.

Cairo is one of the world’s largest cities with a population of 23 million.

Being greeted by the goddess Selket at Cairo Airport

And straight to Downtown in New Cairo to explore my new neighborhood. These buildings are new compared to the old!

Tahir (Liberation) Square is the iconic heart of downtown. it’s been the site of major political events and now is the crossroads of major sites. It is also a killer intersection to try and cross in about six different directions!

It was particularly crazy because it was the first evening of Eid Al-Adha and the start of a four day national holiday. Young people were particularly drawn to the downtown, and were very active all night. I can’t imagine if alcohol had been involved!

The next morning I walked about one hour over to Old Cairo.

Al-Muizz Street is considered the largest open air museum of Islamic monuments in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is named after the founder Al-Muizz Li-Din Allah who ruled Egypt from 969-975 AD.

There was a mixture of mausoleums, madrasas, hamman baths, and a hospital. And shops.

The Qalawun Complex was built in 1285 AD.

Hamman Inal bath 1456 AD with coloured glass in the ceiling.

Sulayman Agha Al-Silahdar Mosque

Not all streets are pretty.

Then back down to the Nile and across the bridge to the island of Gezira.

My destination was the Cairo Tower (left)

Past the Zamalek tree

And the pyramids of Giza on the desert edge of the city.

The next morning I’m touching the Great Pyramid that is over 4,500 years old. Unbelievable feeling.

The Pyramids of Giza were a half hour drive from downtown.

The complex has three main pyramids (and three smaller) which are monumental royal tombs, as well as the Great Sphinx.

I had hired a private driver and guide for a full day as we went to other sites as well. After the entry we took a bus to the observation area where I had the obligatory silly photo!

There were also all the camel photos, horse carriages and souvenirs.

The Great Pyramid was built by King Knufu and is the oldest and largest of the three from the 4th-dynasty (2575-2465 BCE)

It has over 2.3 million limestone and granite blocks, with some weighing 15 tons.

The second largest was built by his son, King Khafre. He also built the Great Sphinx.

His pyramid still has the top remnants of the limestone casing which has protected it from losing height.

Originally they were all encased with polished limestone so were reflective and bright.

King Menkaure, son of Khafre, built a smaller pyramid but it has larger and more elaborate temples inside.

There were opportunities to visit some of the interior chambers, but with my claustrophobia, I thought the ‘belly of the beast’ was a hard no.

The Great Sphinx was carved out of the limestone outcrop. It is the largest monolithic statue in the world.

It has the body of a lion and the head of a human.

Next stop was Saqqara, about a 45 minute drive. It is the necropolis of Memphis, which is considered one of the most important cities in ancient Egypt.

The six-tiered Step Pyramid of Djoser was the highlight of the necropolis.

It was built in the 27th century BCE, which makes it the oldest surviving pyramid. It was also the first large stone building in history. Before this only clay bricks had been used in construction.

The burial chamber lies at the bottom of a shaft in the centre of the pyramid at a depth of 28 m.

It was also one I could go into!

Looking way down!

My guide Sam David.

There were also the Tombs of Idut, Unas-Ank and Inefert that date back to 2400-2200 BCE.

The tomb of Idut, probably the daughter of King Teti, had walls decorated with beautiful inscriptions showing different scenes of everyday life, of hunting, fishing, farming and tax payments.

Memphis is basically an open air museum.

The Colossus of Ramesses II is a massive limestone statue.

The Alabaster Sphinx

My hotel in downtown Cairo was a great location for walking most places. It was like many I’ve seen in old cities where a floor or two of an old building has been converted.

But this one also had a very cool lift which required opening and closing the doors.

My balcony overlooked a tiny alley.

Lebanese lunch of hummus and spicy chicken.

And a salad at the airport before my flight south to Aswan.

Hold on! It’s only been the beginning of Egyptian history!