13 Best Sights in Cairo, Egypt

The last remaining southern gate of Fatimid Cairo was built in 1092 and is named after members of the Fatimid army who hailed from a North African Berber tribe called the Zuwayla. The gate features a pair of minaret-topped semicircular towers. The lobed-arch decoration on the inner flanks of the towers in the entrance were used earlier in North African architecture and were introduced here following the Fatimid conquest of Egypt. They are seen in later Fatimid and Mamluk buildings.

The street level here has risen dramatically—what you see as you pass through the massive doorway would have been at eye level for a traveler entering the city on a camel. According to the architectural historian K.A.C. Creswell, the loggia between the two towers on the wall's exterior once housed an orchestra that announced royal comings and goings. The views from the towers themselves are some of the best in Cairo.

Bab Zuweila wasn't always such a lighthearted spot, however. Public executions once took place here. Indeed, the conquering Turks hanged the last independent Mamluk sultan, Tuman bay II, from this gate in 1517. The unlucky man's agony was prolonged because the rope broke three times. Finally, fed up, the Ottomans had him beheaded.

Beside the Nile near 26th of July Street, Aisha Fahmy Palace is an embodiment of early 20th-century architectural splendor. Designed by Italian architect Antonio Lasciac, it was built in 1907 for Egyptian aristocrat Ali Fahmy, King Farouk's army chief. He left the estate to his daughter, Aisha, and she lived there with her husband, prominent actor and director Youssef Wahbi.

The two-story palace underwent a restoration that lasted more than a decade, and now, in addition to housing the Japanese embassy on the second floor, it serves as a cultural center, with art exhibitions throughout the year. Visitors are welcome to stop by for a look at its Rococo-style interior, featuring silk-clad walls, frescoes, and stained glass; just call ahead to be sure the palace is open. The gardens are also quite serene despite the bustle of neighboring 26th of July Street.

A small passage to the left as you enter al-Hakim Mosque leads to a stairway up to the roof, where you can access the so-called Gate of Conquests, one of three still remaining in the walls of Fatimid Cairo. It was built by Badr al-Jamali in 1087 under the command of Fatimid Caliph al-Muntasir Billah. Although it was never put to the test, it was designed to protect al-Qahira from the Seljuk Turks who held Syria at the time and were threatening Egypt. This northern gate opens onto busy al-Muizz Street, which eventually leads to Bab Zuweila, the only surviving southern gate of Fatimid Cairo.

One of the few remaining examples of Islamic military architecture, the impressive Gate of Victory features exceptional craftsmanship and two 65-foot (20-meter) square towers. It was built during the same time and by the same hands as its sister gate, Bab al-Futuh, and wandering along the wall between the two is an interesting experience. An army could defend the city without ever having to leave this wall, which once had 60 gates—connected by tunnels with slit windows—as well as rooms and storehouses built into its girth. On one of this gate’s towers is the inscription "Tour Corbin," a memento of the Napoleonic occupation, during which all the gates were renamed after French army officers. (“Tour Junot" and "Tour Perrault" are also carved into Bab al-Futuh.)

A Tartar (Mongol) who was brought to Egypt as a slave, al-Mansur Qalawun became one of the early Mamluk rulers of Egypt. He began building this complex, noteworthy for its workmanship and diverse styles, in 1284. In its heyday, the bimaristan (hospital) that Qalawun established here was famous, with a staff that included musicians and storytellers, as well as surgeons capable of performing delicate eye surgeries. The madrasa and mausoleum showcase the complex's impressive street facade. A 194-foot (59-meter) minaret has horseshoe-shaped arched recesses and a corniced overhang, a device used since pharaonic times. The entrance's semicircular arch was the first of its kind in Egypt. Beyond the entrance is a long, tall corridor with the madrasa to the left and the tomb to the right.

The gem of the complex, however, is the mausoleum—the burial place of Qalawun and his son al-Nasir Muhammad. The chamber is dark, cool, and mammoth, and in its center is a wooden grille that encloses the tombs. There is much here to suggest that Qalawun was deeply influenced by what he saw on his exploits in Palestine. The plan of the mausoleum is similar to that of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem; it contains an octagon fit within a square. The stained glass and tall proportions have a Gothic quality that are reminiscent of Crusader churches that he saw in the Levant.

The Babylon Fortress—which now encompasses the Coptic museum, six Coptic churches, and a convent—did not always stand at its current location. The Roman emperor Trajan had it moved here when access to a steady water supply became an issue. At that time, the Nile ran by Old Cairo; it has since changed its course northward by almost 1,300 feet (400 meters). It is also sometimes called Qasr al-Shama'e (Candles Palace) because its towers were illuminated with candles at the beginning of every month.

This medieval landmark was the last great Mamluk architectural work before the Ottomans occupied Egypt. Built by Sultan al-Ghuri, who constructed Wikalat al-Ghuri three years later, al-Ghuriya stands on either side of al-Muizz street where it crosses al-Azhar street. The surrounding area was the site of the silk bazaar visible in David Robert's famous 1839 etching Bazaar of the Silk Mercers, Cairo.

On the right side of the street (facing al-Azhar street) is the madrasa, and opposite it stands the mausoleum. Note the unusual design of the minaret—it’s a square base topped by five chimney pots. The mausoleum was rebuilt several times during al-Ghuri's reign. After spending a reported 100,000 dinars on the complex, al-Ghuri was not buried there. He died outside Aleppo, and his body was never found. The bodies of a son, a concubine (both victims of a plague), a daughter, and Tuman bay II (his successor) are interred in the vault.

Public bathhouses were popular back in the day, with more than 80 hammams operating by the end of the 19th century. Commissioned and built in 1456 during the Mamluk period, this one is the only remaining part of a complex that once consisted of a commercial center, a fountain, and two hammams. Located in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area it’s one of the few well-preserved monuments of its type.

Though its facade is deceptively regular, this building marks a turning point in Cairo's architectural and political history. The last descendant of Salah al-Din to rule Egypt, al-Salih Najm al-Din al-Ayyub died in 1249 defending the country against the Crusader attack led by Louis IX of France. His madrasa was used by judges to hear cases and issue judgments; punishments were carried out in the street in front of it, in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area, which was the city center for centuries. This madrasa was not only the first in Cairo to have a liwan (a vaulted area) for more than one legal school, but it was also the first to have a tomb attached—two traits that became standard features of Mamluk madrasas. Note the minaret's cap, which is shaped like a mabkhara (an incense burner), and its keel-arch recess with shell-like ornamentation.

Considered the greatest Mamluk sultan, al-Nasir ruled on three different occasions between 1293 and 1340 for a total of 42 years, and during his reign, Egypt gained control of the lucrative maritime trade routes that connected England with China. Al-Nasir built more than 30 mosques, the aqueduct from the Nile to the Citadel, and a canal from Cairo to Alexandria. Eight of his sons ruled Egypt in the 21 years following his death. Qalawun's complex has slight Gothic influences, but this, his son's madrasa (built in 1304), contains distinct, Gothic elements. In fact, the entrance was literally lifted from a crusader church in Acre. The minaret, with its delicate stucco-work, is one of the city's finest.

The first of the Circassian Mamluk sultans, Barquq (whose name means "the plum") rescued the country from the ravages of the Black Death and related famine and political unrest. His complex, established between 1384–1386, includes a school where all four sects of Islam were embraced, a mosque, a Sufi khanqah (shrine), and a mausoleum where his father and a number of his wives and sons are buried. It also houses secondary school classrooms, Sufi classrooms, and sleeping quarters with various amenities for the students.

The domed minaret that adorns the entrance facade sets the complex apart. Capitals in the columns attached to the facade's wall feature a stylized ram's head. Inside, the school’s four iwans (halls), marble mihrab (niche), wooden pulpit, and Qur’an chair are all impressive. Cursive text on the walls depict Qur’an verses, the name of the founder, and the date of construction. The cruciform interior is spacious and austere, and the qibla (the direction of Mecca) wall is decorated in marble dado.

At the southern end of Rodah Island, al-Miqyas (The Nilometer) was used from pharaonic times until the completion of the Aswan Dam in the late 1950s to measure the height of flood waters using carved measuring marks. Needless to say, this was something that the populace followed with great interest—and, if the waters were abundant, with great celebration.

Built in 861 on the site of an earlier Nilometer, the present structure is considered the oldest extant Islamic building, though the conical dome is a 1895 restoration. Inside, Qur’an verses that speak of water, vegetation, and prosperity are carved onto the walls. Nearby is a small museum for Umm Kulthum (a famous Egyptian singer-songwriter and actress) that showcases some of her personal effects, including her iconic wardrobes.

This 17th-century, Ottoman monument is impressive for its ornate façade, tiled interior, and location at a fork on Islamic Cairo's main street. Katkhuda is a Persian word meaning "master of the house," and the powerful gentleman who endowed this building was a patron of the arts and architecture, as befitted his position. Before running water was available to most of Cairo's inhabitants, it was customary for wealthy patrons to build a sabil (a public fountain) that provided people with potable water. Often attached to a sabil was a kuttab (a basic school) for teaching children the Qur'an and other subjects.