November/December 2007
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Cairo Destination Guide
Text by Katie Knorovsky Photo by Graham Harrison/Alamy
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Viewing the Giza Pyramids is best in the morning or just before sunset. |
Egypt's capital blends the old with the new.
 renetic Cairo is a city of striking contrasts: sensual belly dancers and ancient relics, medieval bazaars and contemporary art. In the November issue of National Geographic Traveler, Anna Sussman pilots a journey unearthing Cairo's hidden treasures, authentic finds, and sleek new attractions. Before you set out for the Land of the Pharaohs, prime yourself with Traveler's picks for blogs, podcasts, maps, and other essential resources.
Blogs
Podcasts
Newspapers
Magazines
Maps
Books
Movies
Blogs
Living in Egypt
Canadian Maryanne Stroud Gabbani moved to Egypt in the late 1980s with her husband and children and now spends her days guiding horseback trail rides through Egypt. Her reflections zigzag through all aspects of daily life, from molokheya (which she says could be called the Egyptian national dish) to celebrating Christmas Egyptian-style. Plus, she journals her experiences on horseback and chronicles Cairo street scenes with daily photos.
Middle East Diary Cairo-based Hannah Allam, a correspondent for McClatchy newspapers, provides polished commentary on regional news headlines, reviews of intriguing Arab art exhibits, and profiles of community activists.
Omeldonia.com
Tap into the local scene through this Web portal featuring news, celebrity gossip, chat rooms, travel basics, and more.
Cairo Café
Listings of upcoming live music—from rock to flamenco—as well as movie showtimes, new art exhibits, and detailed restaurant descriptions.
Cairolive.com
The "premier Egyptian news and views portal," Cairolive.com launched in 1996 as Exodus Egypt to cater to the Egyptian émigré community worldwide. Editors compile and summarize news from the Egyptian press as well as local viewpoints. Skim through the reader-submitted questions in "Ask Al-Zaieem" for tips to help plan your trip.
Baheyya: Egypt Analysis and Whimsy
An independent-minded Egyptian woman shares commentary on politics and culture as well as musings on literature, art, and issues of social justice. Be warned: Some postings provide a grim (and graphic) look at the Middle East.
Egy Bloggers
A clearinghouse of Egyptian bloggers, sorted by language or topic.
Flickr Cairo Cluster
Let Flickr take you on a tour through Cairo with this diverse collection of photos captured by amateur and professional photographers from around the globe.
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Podcasts
Arabic Lexicon
The Egyptian Tourism Authority's interactive language tool teaches useful Arabic phrases and words to help English-speaking travelers navigate day-to-day situations, from catching a taxi to bartering in the suqs.
ArabicPod
With these intermediate Arabic lessons, you'll master idiomatic expressions, like what to say when someone sneezes, as well as sports terms and how to ask for help.
Fast Facts
• Cairo is known to locals as Umm al-Dunya or "Mother of the World."
• The metro population is over 15 million.
• Average temperature in January is 64°F (18°C), in July, 98°F (37°C). |
The Arabicpodclass
Learn Arabic from host and blogger Mohammad Saleh Kayali. The 20-year-old Syrian college student has created several mini-lessons about Arabic culture and language, covering both conversational skills and formal grammar.
CairoCast
A group of 30 American students enrolled in colloquial Egyptian-Arabic classes at Egypt's American Research Center immerse themselves in Cairo's complexities for two months while studying Arabic. Hear excerpts from their language classes and highlights from their travels.
Cairo Sunrise Over the Nile
Zone out with National Geographic's free downloadable 18-minute atmosphere video clip, and watch Cairo slowly wake up as the sun crests over the Nile.
Spirit of Place
Recorded live at Cairo's Mosque of the Healers, guide Emil Shaker and the mosque's Imam, a sufi master, lead a tour through the Ar-Rifai Mosque. Once inside the Royal Tombs, the Imam sings in Arabic for a moving and spiritual experience.
Arthur Edwards's Royal Podcasts
Armchair-travel through Cairo like royalty as British journalist Arthur Edwards shadows Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, on a trek through the land of the pharaohs to the Egyptian Museum and Al-Azhar Mosque.
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Newspapers
Al-Ahram Weekly
Keep up on current events with the English-language weekly version of the widely read Al-Ahram, Cairo's daily paper, founded in 1875. In addition to local and international news coverage, the publication includes listings of cultural offerings, a travel section that touts nearby getaways, and a regular column by Zahi Hawass, the world-famous Egyptian archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. Check out "Snap Shot" for quirky bits of Cairo lore.
Daily News Egypt
Featuring Egyptian viewpoints on local businesses, politics, culture, and news, this independent newspaper's launch in 2005 made it the first English-language daily in Egypt. Quick links at the top of the homepage give easy access to Cairo restaurants, museums, galleries, hotels, and more.
The Middle East Times
Content for its now-defunct daily print newspaper was formerly controlled by the Egyptian Ministry of Information. In 2003, the publication went exclusively online (and uncensored). Now you can skim through stories online that were originally censored.
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Magazines
Egypt Today
This popular monthly current affairs magazine is Egypt's oldest English-language publication of its kind (since 1979) and helps locals and travelers alike navigate Middle Eastern culture, from investigative features and social commentary to restaurant and theater reviews.
Enigma
A glossy lifestyle magazine for the jetsetters of the Arab world, Enigma's articles showcase trendy vacations and edgy fashion for its well-heeled readers. Irreverent columnists challenge traditionally conservative Egypt with a modern outlook on society.
AUC Today
The alumni magazine for the American University in Cairo mixes campus news and alumni profiles with compelling features, such as striking photo essays on Cairo.
Business Monthly Magazine
Published by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt since 1985, this is the magazine for English speakers doing business in Egypt. Articles track market and corporate news with monthly features on finance and the "executive life."
Business Today
Egypt's only independent business magazine offers business advice, topical analyses, and market news to a mix of Egyptian and expatriate readers.
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Maps
National Geographic MapMachine
Log on to National Geographic's MapMachine to get a road map, a satellite view, or a whole slew of theme maps revealing the region's trends in weather, natural disasters, natural resources, population density, and more.
Sacred Destinations: Cairo
This zoom-able satellite map of Cairo gives a bird's-eye view of major sights and surrounding areas.
Cairo Street Map
This enlarged map of Cairo has clearly marked street names.
Map of Greater Cairo
Greater Cairo is broken down into four enlargeable chunks with tourist-friendly descriptions of each area.
Cairo Metro Map
Print a copy of the map to the Cairo Metro, the first and only subway system in the Middle East and Africa.
Map of Larger Cairo
An overview of greater Cairo's major sights. Click on the attractions for photos and descriptions highlighting each site's historical context.
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Books
Midaq Alley, by Naguib Mahfouz (1947)
This superb slice-of-life tale from Egyptian Nobel laureate Mahfouz is set in the seedy back alleys of 1940s Cairo, where the lives of an eccentric cast of characters intertwine, including a coffeehouse owner, an orphan drawn into prostitution, and a man who earns his livelihood disfiguring people to help them become more successful beggars.
The Yacoubian Building: A Novel, by Alaa Al Aswany (2002)
A vision of faded art deco glory, the Yacoubian Building is home to a fascinating group of modern Cairenes living in downtown's smog. The bestselling novel's taboo-breaking sexual frankness, religious extremism, and political corruption caused immediate scandal in the Arab world upon publication.
A Café on the Nile, by Bartle Bull (1998)
Bull artfully chronicles an old-fashioned adventure of espionage and valiant acts starting at Cataract Café on a barge in Cairo and journeying on safari in pre-World War II eastern Africa.
The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World, by Lucette Lagnado (2007)
Lagnado evokes the cosmopolitan glamour of mid-century Cairo as she remembers it when she was a young Egyptian Jewish girl whose father consorted with British officers and Egyptian royalty at French cafés instead of spending time at home with his family. Forced to flee their beloved homeland in 1963 during the Nasser regime, Lagnado's family escapes to Paris and ultimately winds up in Brooklyn—armed with 26 suitcases filled with trinkets from their former lavish lifestyle.
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Movies
Death on the Nile (1978)
When Linnet Ridgeway, a rich heiress, is murdered on the Nile aboard the S.S. Karnak, Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot must solve the mystery before the ship reaches port. Agatha Christie wrote this classic whodunit while staying in Cairo's Victorian-era Old Cataract Hotel.
Sphinx (1981)
Archaeologist Erica Baron (Lesley-Anne Down) finally arrives in Cairo for a long-planned trip to search for the lost tomb of an Egyptian king. She witnesses the murder of a local expert and suddenly discovers she has become the target of assassins. With Cairo and the Valley of the Kings as a majestic backdrop, Baron finds herself smack dab in the center of a thrilling adventure.
Prince of Egypt (1998)
DreamWorks interprets the biblical story of Moses leading God's people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land in this animated musical. Opening with Moses and Ramses (the future Pharaoh) racing each other playfully through the streets of Cairo on chariots, the animations present a gorgeous, albeit idealized, sense of ancient Egypt.
The English Patient (1996)
The star-crossed affair between a Hungarian explorer and a married English woman plays out against lush Cairo settings (though not actually filmed in Cairo)—the legendary Shepheard's Hotel, the twisty alleyways of a suq—in Anthony Minghella's swoony adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel.
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