After the modern splendor of Dubai’s New Year’s Eve, we arrived in Cairo and were transported to a completely different world. The drive from the airport to our hotel was perhaps the most surreal journey of my life: crowded, laneless highways, where our driver honked his horn as if his life depended on it, while constantly trying to negotiate some extra tips from us.
Wandering through the narrow streets of Giza, we almost doubted whether we were in the right place. There was no sign of the Jumeira Pyramids View Inn from the outside, but when we reached the 9th floor, our breath was taken away: we found a beautiful, clean hotel with a direct, uninterrupted view of the pyramids from the terrace. The hotel manager, an incredibly kind, multilingual young man, immediately stole our hearts – he immediately asked me for Hungarian language lessons, and in return he became our mentor and guide.
That evening we plunged into the heart of Giza: we rode a tuk-tuk through the chaotic traffic to visit a papyrus museum and a traditional perfume-making family. Our first evening was crowned with the sight of the pyramids bathed in the red light of the sunset and a sumptuous dinner on the terrace.
The next day, accompanied by our guide, we admired the three great pyramids, the surrounding ruins and the mysterious Sphinx up close, listening to the details of history come to life.
The adventure continued in downtown Cairo. Here, the smell of street food and the amazing selection of shops enchanted us. After sunset, the city came to life again: the sidewalks were flooded with vendors, and the locals also came out to shop in the cooler evening air. At the Egyptian Museum, the heroes of my childhood picture books greeted me in the form of statues, and the highlight was undoubtedly Tutankhamun’s golden mask and treasures.
On the last day, we walked along the Nile and went up to the Cairo Tower (Burj al-Qahira). The 187-meter-high, lotus-shaped tower was completed in 1961 and was the tallest building in Africa for a long time. Interestingly, it was built with American support, but in the midst of Cold War tensions, President Nasser made it a symbol of Egyptian pride.
Cairo’s history began not with the pharaohs, but with the Romans, who founded a fortress on the banks of the Nile called Babylon. This strategic point at the head of the river’s delta was ideal for controlling shipping traffic. Later, in the 7th century, the Arab conquerors established their first settlement near this fortress, Fustat, which became the first capital of Islamic Egypt.
The city as we know it today was founded by the Fatimids in 969 and named “Al-Qahira” (The Victorious). This period was the city’s golden age, during which the Al-Azhar mosque and university were built, which remains one of the most important intellectual centers of the Islamic world to this day. Cairo then became a commercial and cultural hub for the Middle East and North Africa.
In the 12th century, the famous general Saladin built the Citadel to protect the city from the Crusaders. Under the Mamluk dynasty, Cairo became one of the largest and richest cities in the world, with beautiful mosques, schools, and bazaars (such as Khan el-Khalili). The city was then nicknamed the “city of a thousand minarets” because of its impressive silhouette.
From the 16th century, Cairo became part of the Ottoman Empire, which brought a certain stagnation, but in the 19th century, the modernization efforts of Muhammad Ali Pasha gave new impetus. His grandson, Ismail Pasha, wanted to create a “Paris on the Nile”: he built European-style boulevards, an opera house and modern public buildings, creating the downtown streetscape that is still visible today.
In the 20th century, Cairo became the center of Arab nationalism and modern Egypt. The city began to grow explosively, and today it has developed into one of the largest megacities in the world, where the narrow alleys of medieval quarters, the elegance of colonial times and modern skyscrapers form a chaotic yet captivating unity.
