Cairo and its neighbourhoods: Heluan, Giza, Sakkara

Cairo - country capital, the largest city not only Egypt, but also all Africa, is based in 969 year. The population of the Big Cairo increased sweeping rates after the Second World War (from 2 million in 1947 to 7  million in 1976 and 8,8  million in 1986). The present population of Cairo exceeds 10 million persons, switching on nearby 2  million visitors from terrains fitting to to a city. As a whole at Cairo bunks nearby 20 % of the population of Egypt.

Cairo   it is had a little to the north of that place, where more 3  thousand years B.C. there was memphis - capital drevneegipetskogo kingdoms. Quarters of a city were drew through mainly along right shores of Nile , and also have occupied nilskie islands Geziras and the Stems bridged by bridges with other part of a city. island Gezira - one of the most beautiful and green regions of the capital, liked vacation spot kairtsev. Here the prestigious sport clubs much of them are had designed only for rich foreigners. For last 40 years it began to be erected buildings on sweepingly and the left shore of Nile.

Cairo - a huge, various megacity. The quarters which have been had along Nile, are erected buildings on mainly by high-rise buildings. Here there are the best shops , hotels , restaurants. On the right I protect Nile one of the most comfortable hotels of Cairo - Hilton is had. Builted in 1958, it as well as the hotel had nearby Sheraton, is the most prestigious hotel of capital.

the Center of modern Cairo - square At-Tahrir on which the cores state and public organisations of Egypt, and also headquarters of League of the Arabian states are had. On the same square in a massive building of a neoclassical building the Egyptian museum - one of the most well-known museums in the world takes places. It has been based in 1858 by the French Egyptologist O.Marietom. In its walls the richest meetings of monuments of art and crop of Ancient Egypt, including treasure of a tomb of pharaon Tutanhamona are collected. Now the collection numbers more 100  thousand exhibits.

Two streets which are not passed by anybody depart From square At-Tahrir, be it in Cairo though day or two. It streets Talaab Harb and Kasr-an-Nil - trading-business arteries of modern Egyptian capital. Along them shops, small cafes, offices of banks, the companies, air agencies, cinemas were upbuilt.

Old Cairo today - okrainnyj capital region. It is had on the east I protect Nile. Old quarters were saved almost immutable since Middle Ages epoch, with labyrinth packings of curve small streets and the shabby apartment houses deprived of elementary conveniences. On boundary line of Old Cairo there are ruins of the Roman strong hold erected during an epoch of the emperor of Trajan. Two towers of this strong hold wearing in an antiquity the name Babylon were saved. Closely to towers walls of the Greek monastery rise, and is direct at an apex of one of towers St. George's small church in which, under the legend, chains of the Christian sacred are stored was sheltered. Here, monastery walls, have a place where the city of Fustat which has given rise to modern Cairo has been mortgaged by the Arabian conqueror of Egypt Amrom Ibn the al-expert. The unique monument of that epoch which have reached up to now, mosque Amra Ibn of the al-expert erected in 641-642 years on that place where the conqueror has set up for the first time the green banner during a siege of Babylon is. The mosque was some times overhauled (last time in 1798). In it it is possible to see some rows raznostilnyh columns which have been transported here from ancient, in the core of coptic temples. One of them, under the legend, has been sent Amru by prophet Mohammed from Mecca.

In an old part of a city there are noisy markets, assemblage of small shops and craft workshops where produce not only subjects of daily house use, but also souvenirs for foreign tourists.

Copts (monofizity) - the Egyptians shriving Christianity (an aggregate number - about 2 million persons, the majority bunks at Egypt). In Cairo there are numerous monuments of coptic crop. So, in region Kasr ash-Shamaa it is possible to see Suspension church (ale-muallaka), erected in IV century over southern gate of the Babylonian strong hold in honour of blest Virgin Maria. In this church unique wall painting of XIV century was saved. In other church - St. Mark (Abu-Sefi ") there is a unique collection of coptic art - more than 170 icons with reproductions Shabby and the New testament. Coptic churches St. Sergija and St. Barbarians have strict contours of the byzantian basilicas. The richest collection in the world of coptic art (the manuscript, an icon, gobelins) the Coptic museum based in 1908 has.

Cairo - the important centre of Muslim divinity. In a city is more than 300 mosques. Most known of them - mosque Amra (642), Ibn Tulun (878), Al-Azhar (970). As Islam prohibits to represent human faces and any other alive beings, creative energy of the Egyptian artists has poured out in powerful development of architecture and an applied art, in particular unusually expressive Arabian ornament, equal to which is not present in the world. For this reason so the architecture of mosques which are not similar one to other is emotional.

Mosque Ibn of Tulun - one of the oldest Cairo mosques, builted in IX century, is had in Gamalije - the densely populated region of the poor stretched to the West from the Citadel dominating over a city. For the first time in Muslim architecture powerful columns, and the arches which have given to a mosque ease and lightness are used not. Mosque Ibn of Tulun is laconic - there are no small unnecessary ornaments, the colonnade ornament is strict and geometrichen. Nothing distracts here the person from its thoughts.

the Citadel (the medieval strong hold) is builted in XII century at bottom of mount Mukattam. Together with the mosque of Mohammed Ali having a round dome and four acute minarets erected in it, the Citadel is the original card of Cairo.

Near to the Citadel other well-known mosque - sultata Hasana (it is builted later 500 years after emersion of mosque Ibn Tulana) towers. For the phylum it is a mosque-medrese (dome altitude - 18  m, diameter - 21 . Its southern minaret the highest in Cairo. The architecture of a minaret is masterly.

Near to a mosque Museum gejera of the Anderson named so in honour of the English major, collecting specimens of traditional Arabian furniture and life subjects is had. The museum is placed in the dwelling of a rich merchant builted in 1631. Inside the dwelling represents the labyrinth packing from narrow ladders, the smart transitions, unexpectedly found doors hidden in cabinets or covered with carpets. In small dark rooms always cool. Windows are covered by wood shutters and a skilful thread lattices, and thread drawing always different, any does not repeat other. The museum gives the chance to present visually as lived rich kairtsy in the last centuries.

Northward from the Citadel it is had the City dead - the biggest in the world a necropolis which most ancient burial places refer to to XV century. Near to the Citadel there is also Muslim university Al-Azhar which prepares the maximum sunnitskoe clergy. Nearby there is a cathedral mosque of Cairo Seidna an ale-husejn. In this mosque builted in the end of XIX century, the entry nemusulmanam is prohibited. Behind mosque Seidna the ale-husejn begins the well-known Cairo market the Khan an ale-halili. On this colossal picturesque torzhishche items of aboriginal handicraftsmen are presented. On the Khan an ale-halili it is possible to purchase everything, that the soul of the tourist, except spirits and beer will wish.