Hello, dear readers! Today we'll have a fresh start announcing the 10th most appealing city in the Middle East. As stated in the last article, the main purpose of the top is to emphasize the modern development, considering how much the latest technology and concepts have spread over the selected cities. The 10th place, in my opinion, is highly deserved by Cairo, the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa.
With a population of 6.76 million
spread over 453 square kilometers, Cairo is by far the
largest city in Egypt. With an additional 10 million inhabitants just
outside the city, Cairo resides at the centre of the largest metropolitan area in Africa and the Arab World as well as the tenth-largest urban area in the world. The economy of Cairo was ranked first in the Middle East and 43rd globally by Foreign Policy's 2010 Global Cities Index.
Cairo is located in northern Egypt, known as Lower Egypt, 165 kilometres south of the Mediterranean Sea and 120 kilometres west of the Gulf of Suez and Suez Canal. The city is along the Nile River, immediately south of the point where the river leaves its desert-bound valley and branches into the low-lying Nile Delta region. There is a desert climate, often with high humidity due to the effects of the river valley.
Nicknamed "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life. Cairo was founded by the Fatimid dynasty in 969 AD. For thousands of years, Cairo has been at the confluence of many distinct civilizations, such as Greeks, Babylonians, Romans and Muslims, leaving their imprints on a cultural mixture that turned Cairo into one of the world's greatest cosmopolitan cities.
Even if Cairo's architectural masterpieces are not belonging to the modern times, the ancient heritage of the city is of paramount importance, undoubtedly worth displaying in any article about Egypt.
What makes Cairo a second-to-none attractions for history-lovers is the Giza Necropolis, an archaeological site on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, some 25 km southwest of the city. This complex of ancient monuments includes the three pyramid complexes known as the Great Pyramids, the massive sculpture known as the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial complex.
Also, the wide range of interesting buildings from XXth century might be the instant appeal that Cairo has over international tourists:
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or Museum of Cairo, established in 1902, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms.
The Al-Rifa'i Mosque was constructed in two phases over the period between 1869 and 1912, when it was finally completed. The original architect was Husayn Fahmi Pasha al-Mi'ma, who died during the first phase of construction. The work was later supervised by the Hungarian architect Max Herz, head of the Committee for the Conservation of Arab Monuments in Cairo.
The Cairo Tower is a free-standing concrete tower. At 187 m , it has been the tallest structure in Egypt and North Africa about 50 years. It was the tallest structure in Africa for 10 years, until 1971 when it was surpassed by Hillbrow Tower in South Africa.
Built from 1956 to 1961, the tower was designed by the Egyptian architect Naoum Chebib. Its partially open lattice-work design is intended to evoke a pharaonic lotus plant, an iconic symbol of Ancient Egypt. The tower is crowned by a circular observation deck and a rotating restaurant with a view over greater Cairo. The tower went under a restoration project during May 2009 - April 2011.
St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is located in the Abbassia District in Cairo, Egypt. It is the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope. It was built during the time when Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria was Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church and inaugurated by Pope Cyril in 1968. The Cathedral represents the rapid development of Coptic architecture, the famous Coptic civil engineer Michel Bakhoum contributed in its structural design. It has a capacity for 5,000 worshipers.
President Mubarak inaugurated the new Cairo Opera House of the Egyptian
National Cultural Centres on 10 October 1988, 17 years after the Royal
Opera House had been destroyed by fire. The National Cultural Centre was
built with the help of JICA, the Japan International Co-operation
Agency and stands as a prominent feature for the Japanese-Egyptian
co-operation and the friendship between these two nations.
Outstanding projects go further, as it seems that the Egyptians are eager to invest in modernizing their capital:
Started in 2008, the Stone Towers, the concept of Zaha Hadid Architects, will surely raise Cairo up in the top of modern cities worldwide. Providing office and retail facilities to a rapidly expanding Cairo, the
unique 525,000sqm Stone Towers development also includes a five-star
business hotel with serviced apartments, retail with food and beverage
facilities and sunken landscaped gardens and plaza called the 'Delta'.
Similar to this one, Cairo Expo City is a project of great significance for Cairo, a city which is undergoing revitalisationis under construction. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects together with multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy
Buro Happold, Cairo Expo City will be located between the city centre
and Cairo's airport, the design being particularly appreciated from
above. The undulating forms of the Cairo Expo City design were inspired
by the natural topography of the Nile valley.
So... Would you choose Cairo for an upcoming holiday?
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Opera_House
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Mark%27s_Coptic_Orthodox_Cathedral,_Cairo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Rifa%27i_Mosque
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