Photo: John Wallace
Mother of all cities
Brian Whitaker
“One cannot find the comforts of an English breakfast at Cairo,” John Carne, Letters from the East, 1830.
Fascinating, yes, addictive, perhaps, but it’s hard to fall truly in love with Cairo. This is the biggest and probably the dirtiest city in Africa - 175 square miles of noise, sweat, bustle, chaos, pollution, poverty, corruption, mis-government and decay broken by occasional pockets of overblown greenery and obscene opulence. The waters of the Nile, once the city’s lifeblood, seem oddly out of place today: a ribbon of coolness and calm in the midst of hubbub.
Cocooned in their air-conditioned buses, tourists are shepherded by the thousand to the pyramids, the Egyptian museum and the souks of Khan el-Khalili, greeted everywhere by smiling guides and souvenir sellers who endlessly repeat the phrase: “You are welcome”. Indeed, you are welcome (as is your money), but this is not Cairo as the Cairenes mostly know it. To discover the city properly, you have to break out of the cocoon - which can be a shock for the unprepared. Take a deep breath of those traffic fumes, close your ears to the car horns and the touts … and walk. Take it slowly, have patience, just look around and Cairo will reward you.
Best view
Cairo Tower
Aka Borg al-Qahira, this 613-ft concrete erection in Zamalek became the subject of an Islamist fatwa in 1990, on the grounds that it might 'excite women'. There’s an observation deck and revolving restaurant at the top. Choose a day when air pollution is low, or you’ll see next to nothing.
Entrance is to the north of the tower in Sharia el-Borg; open: winter, 8am-11pm daily, summer, 9 am-1am daily
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Best thing to do for free
Where to watch the world go by
Nighttime hangout
The Greek Club
Don’t expect to smash plates or dance the night away here. This is the spiritual home of Egypt’s liberal intelligentsia; a place where dissidents, writers, artists and western NGO workers put the world to rights over a feta salad and a bottle of ouzo.
First floor, above Groppi's tea-room, Talaat Harb Square, entrance on Sharia Bassiouni; Tel: +20 2 575 0822
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Cultural highlight
Cafes
The sort where they’ve never heard of cappuccino. Rickety stools and tables, bitter-sweet tea, sawdust on the floor, a haze of smoke, a flickering TV … and, of course, the customers. Savour while you can.
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Bring back
Leave there
Papyrus 'art'
Papyrus 'art' is ghastly stuff, as are the model pyramids. Remember, your friends don’t need to be shown what a pyramid looks like.
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Time for love
Tahrir Bridge
Tahrir Bridge at nightfall, or quieter spots along the river. Cultural note: displays of romantic affection in public are frowned upon. It is considered normal, however, for male friends to hold hands (unless they happen to be gay).
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Best-kept secret (till now)
Modern Cairo
Egypt has 5,000 years of history but as far as the tourism industry is concerned, it all stopped several hundred years ago - which means that the average visitor misses a lot. The antidote to this is
www.egy.com/ - a website which documents the 19th- and 20th-century history of Cairo through modern landmarks that stare you in the face but are seldom pointed out by guides or guidebooks.
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The thing to eat
Koshari
A no-frills bowl of lentils, rice, macaroni and fried onions doused in a piquant sauce. Stuff yourself silly for next to nothing. If you’re still peckish after that, finish off with Umm Ali - a delicious and deadly pudding, with a million calories to the mouthful.
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Green space
Best ride
Camels
OK, they gurgle and fart, but camels are lovely creatures. Honest. You’ll find them everywhere at the pyramids; in fact, their owners are so persistent you can’t possibly avoid them. Take a short spin or a day-long ride through the desert to Saqqara. Hold tight when it stands up or sits down.
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Keep the kids happy
Don't bring the kids
Send them to stay with auntie in Margate. There’s very little to keep them occupied in Cairo, at least until they reach the mid teens.
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Escape the crowds
The film to see before I go
... and the novel to read
The Yacoubian Building, by Alaa al-Aswany (American University in Cairo Press)
A real-life apartment block in downtown Cairo becomes a parable of Egypt’s decline. Aswani portrays a cruel society in which his characters are both villains and victims, exploiting of others and exploited themselves.
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Where to eat (budget)
Gomhouriya
Unsuitable for vegetarians and squeamish carnivores, Gomhouriya is THE place to eat pigeons. Cheap but spartan. Sample this favourite Egyptian delicacy in what al-Ahram’s restaurant reviewer described as a “Cold War ambiance”.
42 Falaki Street, near Bab el-Luc
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Where to eat (moderate)
Felfela
Wholesome home-cooking style, popular with Egyptians and tourists alike. Knick-knacks around the walls and ceiling provide lots of visual interest, but avoid tables near the caged birds. Waiter! There’s a feather in my soup.
15 Hoda Sharawi Street, downtown Cairo; Tel: +20 2 392 2833
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Where to eat (posh)
Abou el Sid
Oriental atmosphere, with a good range of Egyptian dishes. Go early or book ahead, because it can get full. The hubble-bubble pipes have their own menu, including capuccino flavour.
157, 26th July Street, Zamalek (but actually off the main road in a side street behind Maison Thomas); +20 2 735 9640
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Where to stay (budget)
Windsor Hotel
Never mind the dull food; if it’s colonial atmosphere you want, the Windsor has no equal. This former club for British officers is a living, working museum-piece.
19 Alfi Street (near Cinema Diana); Tel: 02 5915810, 5915277; www.windsorcairo.com/
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Where to stay (moderate)
Om Kolthoum
Named after Egypt’s greatest singer and built on the site of her former home, the hotel has a reconstruction of her living room - complete with old-style gramophone - just off the foyer. All bedrooms have a brass plate on the door with the title of one of her songs. Rooms at the front overlook a tranquil branch of the Nile and its houseboats; those at the back have large, sunny balconies.
Zamalek (near 15th May bridge); Tel: 02 736 8444
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Where to stay (posh)
Cairo Marriott & Omar Khayyam Casino
Sheer luxury in six acres of grounds. But if this is the sort of pampering you want, shouldn’t you be going to Capri instead of Cairo?
Saray El Gezira Street, Zamalek; Tel: +20 2 7358888;
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Find out what's on
Get there from the airport
Airport transfer: Air-conditioned buses
There are a number of very reasonable buses travelling the 13 miles from Terminal One to the key districts of Cairo, but the 362, 356 and 799, all of which are air-conditioned, will make for a significantly more comfortable journey. Taxis are also an option, but look out for the official Cairo cabs (they are black), and be sure to haggle.
www.cairo-airport.com
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