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Pyramids of Giza -

The world-famous Giza Pyramids complex is situated on the edge of Greater Cairo, on the Giza Plateau. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Pyramids rank among the greatest and most impressive historical structures found anywhere.

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Great Pyramid and Sphinx -

Guarding these mortuary ancient temples—of which the Great Pyramid of Giza (pictured) is the largest—is the iconic lion-bodied and pharaoh-faced Sphinx.

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Khufu ship -

The reconstructed ceremonial solar barge made for King Khufu from Lebanon cedar more than 4,500 years ago used to be sited in a museum directly below the Great Pyramid. It's recently been transferred to the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is due to open in late 2021 near the Pyramids.

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Grand Egyptian Museum -

The brand new state-of-the-art Grand Egyptian Museum is the biggest museum in the world devoted to exhibiting the antiquities of a single civilization. The star attraction will be the first exhibition of the full tomb collection of King Tutankhamun, numbering some 5,000 artifacts in total, including, of course, King Tut's dazzling gold death mask.

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The Egyptian Museum -

Though the Tutankhamun treasures will no longer be housed in Cairo's Egyptian Museum, there's still plenty of good reasons to visit this world-class facility, which is set to remain open although a final decision is still to be made on what collections stay here and which will be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Pictured is the colossal limestone statue of King Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiye, currently on display at the Egyptian Museum.

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Ancient bling -

A don't-miss exhibit at the Egyptian Museum is the Egyptian jewelry collection. The ancient bling includes this exquisite bracelet with the Eye of Horus, handcrafted around 943-922 BCE.

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Al-Azhar Mosque -

Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque is one of the city's earliest surviving mosques, completed in 972 CE.

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Second-oldest university -

The Al-Azhar Mosque is the finest building of Cairo's Fatimid era, a fact that can be truly appreciated by visiting the interior, which houses the second-oldest continuously run university in the world after Al Karaouine in Idrisid Fes, Morocco.

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Coptic Cairo -

Coptic Cairo is a historic neighborhood of the city that served as a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt both before and during the Islamic era. The area  encompasses a collection of fascinating visitor attractions including the Babylon Fortress (pictured) constructed on a site where the Roman Emperor Trajan first built a stronghold along the Nile.

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Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus -

Within the fortress' enclosures is the 4th-century Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus. Local lore suggests that it was in the church crypt (pictured) where Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus sheltered during King Herod's massacre of male babies.

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Coptic Museum -

Anyone with a particular interest in the history of Cairo's Coptic community should spend some time browsing the Coptic Museum, which contains the world's largest collection of Coptic antiquities.

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Hanging Church -

The Hanging Church is the most famous Coptic church in Cairo. It's named for its location above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress where the nave is suspended over a narrow passage.

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National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations -

The fantastic National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations (NMEC) is where to absorb the entire story of Egypt's human history under one roof.

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Royal Mummies Gallery -

In April 2021, the NMEC took delivery of 22 royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to the NMEC in Fustat, a district of Old Cairo. The transfer of these ancient relics became known as the Pharaoh's Golden Parade. Ramses II and III, Hatshepsut, Amenhotep I, and Seti I and II are among those displayed in the Royal Mummies Gallery.

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Civilizations under one roof -

The NMEC chronicles the Predynastic and Ancient Egyptian periods, and continues across the Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and contemporary modern time.

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Khan el-Khalili -

Cairo's celebrated maze-like souk (bazaar), Khan el-Khalili, squeezes in a bewildering number of tiny artisan shops built into the sides of stone buildings and selling anything from handcrafted lampshades and carefully mixed perfumes to locally woven textiles and hand-stitched sandals.

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How bazaar! -

Be a little more adventurous by diverting off Khan el-Khalili's main arteries to witness metal workers, silversmiths, and weavers honing their craft in dimly-lit workshops.

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El Fishawi -

After haggling for and securing your souvenir, relax over strong, syrupy Arabic coffee or light and fragrant mint tea at El Fishawi, Khan el-Khalili's famous old street café.

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Talaat Harb Square -

Lingering in Cairo's Talaat Harb Square gives you some idea of the city's late 19th-century veneer, when the destination was often referred to as the "Paris of the East." The Belle Époque atmosphere is heightened by some authentic cafés and period boutiques.

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Museum of Islamic Art -

Cairo's Museum of Islamic Art holds arguably the most important collections of Middle Eastern artistry in the world. Its assemblage of rare woodwork and plaster artifacts, as well as metal, ceramic, glass, crystal, and textile objects of all periods is simply unequaled. Pictured is a brass candleholder, inlaid with silver, dating from 1282 CE and embellished with scenes of hunting and feasting.

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Cairo Citadel -

Head up to Cairo's Citadel district and explore the Mohammad Ali Mosque, the area's most famous monument. Its slender minarets are a well-known city landmark.

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Gawhara Terrace -

The Citadel's Gawhara Terrace offers fine panoramic views of the city, an extraordinary canvas that takes in the Al Sultan Hassan (left) and Al Rifai Mosques.

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Al Sultan Hassan Mosque -

It's worth investigating the monumental Al Sultan Hassan further for its Mamluk architecture (the architectural style under the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517)), which is regarded as among the finest in the world.

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Bab Zuweila -

Islamic Cairo can be appreciated in all its architectural splendor by climbing to the top of Bab Zuweila, an 11th-century city gate surmounted by twin minarets.

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Ibn Tulun Mosque -

More superb views of the Egyptian capital can be admired from the upper platform of the Ibn Tulun Mosque, built between 876 and 879 CE.

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Cairo Tower -

For a sweeping modern perspective of the Cairo skyline, nip to the top of the 187-meter-high (614 ft) Cairo Tower. Completed in 1961, the tower looms over the Nile Island District of Zamalek.

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Roda Island Nilometer -

Anchored on the Nile, Roda island is the location of one of Cairo's more obscure visitor attractions, a nilometer. Built in 861 CE, it's an octagonal marble column held in place by a wooden beam housed in a submerged stone structure called a stilling well. It was calibrated to measure the ebb and flow of the Nile River and predict the annual flood heights.

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Manial Palace -

While on Roda, take a look inside the Manial Palace and Museum. Commissioned by wealthy Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik (1875–1955), this sumptuous residence is crammed full of rare and valuable European and Islamic decorative art and furnishings.

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Saqqara -

A rewarding excursion option out of Cairo is a visit to Saqqara, located 30 km (19 mi) south of the city. Saqqara contains numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step pyramid of Djoser (pictured).

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Dahshur -

Your Saqqara outing can also take in Dahshur, a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile. Dahshur is also known for its timeworn pyramids, among them the Red Pyramid (pictured) and the Bent Pyramid, a unique example of early pyramid development in Egypt. Saqqara and Dahshur are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Al Faiyum -

Definitely worth leaving town for is the Al Faiyum depression, 112 km (69 mi) south of Cairo. The Al Faiyum valley contains the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wadi Al-Hittan, where you can view the 40-million-year-old Basilosaurus and Dorodontus (pre-historic whales) skeletons lying in the sand like petrified snakes.

Sources: (BBC) (Guinness World Records) (Live Science) (Sacred Destinations) (NMEC) 

See also: How whales help to combat climate change

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