Cairo Sights & Travel

Although Iran is an off-the-beaten-path travel destination, given all its restrictions, when the chance of visiting presented itself, we clutched at the opportunity. One of the oldest civilisations in the world, and an aesthetically beautiful one at that, the land once known as Persia is now open to Egyptian visitors without any visa requirements.  A unique aspect to Iran is that one can experience the four seasons within one day; up north you can go skiing, while in the south the weather can be suitable for swimming; however, autumn and spring are the most recommended times to visit.Qatar Airways, Emirates and Turkish Airlines offer round-trip flights to Iran with a stop in Qatar, Dubai or Istanbul, respectively, at 3800LE-4300LE. Tehran: Landing in Tehran, and before leaving the plane, women are expected to cover a portion of their hair in accordance with the local Islamic dress code. However, the general dressing habits for women are relatively normal and not the least bit as conservative as is perceived by mainstream media. The veil, or the covering of the hair, is just a formality and these rules are somewhat lax for foreigners. Upon leaving the airport we discovered that most of the locals understand English, even if they don’t speak it. It’s easy to find a taxi outside the airport, and prices are fixed if you take the airport's service. Getting stuck in Tehran traffic is quite a nightmare, so it’s imperative that you select a hotel with a strategic location in regards to sightseeing. Parsian Esteghlal International Hotel is a good option; located in the Parkway area, its proximity to the highway facilitates easy access to almost everywhere in Tehran. Its level of cleanness, service, and food, were also up to par at the time of our visit. Sadly, Tehran is somewhat of a concrete jungle. Like many major cities in the world, its aesthetic value can leave much to be desired; however, this all changes when the sun rises on the city, unfolding the mountains that stand tall and majestic as a backdrop. The whole scene becomes like one from an abstract painting; the mountain’s coffee hues contrasted against the buildings’ haphazard heights and colours. A must see spot is Saheb Qaranie Palace and Niavaran Cultural/Historic complex. Upon stepping through the gate, a complete transformation takes place, where only outstanding nature prevails. The beautiful landscape, and the open vista, with the mountains as the backdrop once again, creates a different work of art, one that is more harmonious. Within this complex, Niavaran Palace, where the late Shah Mohamed Reda Bahalawy and his family – now buried in Aswan, Egypt – resided, sits grandly. Tehran Bazaar is a nice place to spend an afternoon; walking through its labyrinth, following its twists and turns, it’s a great place to taste local food from the street vendors. The kabab copide – grilled minced meat with local spices like saffron – is a must-try meal, where one portion is 15LE. Most restaurants offer lunch from 12PM till 3PM, then they take a break till 7PM to prepare for dinner service – this is with the exception of fast food restaurants. If you‘re craving international cuisine while in Tehran, Kivano is a fusion restaurant that offers a nice atmosphere and a great variety of Asian food. Located in the ASP complex, on the Kurdistan Highway, the tables are equipped with a grill where one has the option of ordering meat, chicken or fish, and grilling it themselves. A big dinner, with beverages for two, would cost around 170LE. Estaghlal Hotel also houses an upscale Italian restaurant, which offers premium food and excellent service. Esfahan: Nesf Jahan (Half of the World)Located south of Tehran, it was once believed that Esfahan possesses half the beauty of the world and was labelled Nesf Jahan, meaning ‘half of the world’, accordingly. Although it's a five-hour drive from Tehran, you have the option of taking either the bus or a domestic flight from Tehran. The advantage of driving, however, is that you can make stops and visit several different sights along the way.One of the most interesting of these places is the old village of Abyana; a historical sight that maintains its distinctive features and architectural heritage. The houses of the village are beautiful shades of coral and terracotta, their walls made of mud and straw. Taking a walk in the winding narrow alleys of the village, where old women sit in front of their houses, greeting visitors, is like stepping into another era. The locals are friendly, welcoming and appreciative of the little money they make selling their handcrafts, dried local food and other delicacies. Abyana has an air of times gone by and unspoiled beauty. Esfahan city itself, on the other hand, hasn’t been able to preserve its architectural heritage in the same way. Most of the streets are bland and the buildings are quite similar; square, yellow and made up of three or four storeys.  However, Imam Midan remains an architectural jewel that you could spend the whole day in. Walking and browsing its shops, which sell an array of handcrafts, you could easily end up finishing your whole budget for the trip in one day. The midan has more than one historical mosque in its vicinity, but Imam Mosque is the one to choose if crunched for time. No words can give this mosque justice and it must be seen.Roozegar Café, with its choice of cinnamon, cardamom, or saffron tea – as well as its mouth watering chocolate cake and cosy atmosphere – is a great spot to relax after the excitement from shopping and sightseeing simmers down.   Waking up early in Esfahan isn't a hard task since there aren’t a lot of options for nightlife. So make it a point to spend an early morning exploring Sofeh Mountain. The mountain is located south of Esfahan and can be reached within thirty to forty minutes. There is a promenade, which is ideal for a languid walk, but adrenaline junkies can choose to climb the mountain and enjoy a real hiking experience. For lunch, head to the Jolfa area, where the biggest Armenian community in Iran resides. Have a walk in the cobbled stoned alleys and stop by Jolfa Midan, where there are many cafés that offer delicious snacks and hearty coffee.  For dinner, try Shahrazad restaurant, which offers delectable, authentic food that is invigorating and rejuvenating; perfect fuel to replace energies exerted during the day.Iran offers an eclectic and unique travelling experience. With its beautiful landscape, friendly population and rich history, Iran is a wonderfully alternative way to spend your vacation. 

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The good people of Cairo have never needed an excuse to escape the stresses of the capital. But now with a long eid weekend upon us, we can really let loose. If you’re reading this in the hope of finding somewhere to go, shame on you – you’ve really left it late. Many of Egypt’s coast-side hotels, resorts and camps are fully booked. But as always, Cairo 360 has your back. There are still plenty of options. Sharm El Sheikh Forever popular with sun-worshipping tourists, Sharm El Sheikh will almost certainly be a hotbed of parties, tan-lines and sunburn. Along Naama Bay, the Novotel offers a standard double room for 1400LE (per night) or a family suite for a little more, at 1550LE. Down the coast, Iberotel Lido offers double room at half-board in the range of 100LE. At a cheaper rate, Laguna Vista’s bed and breakfast falls somewhere between 700LE and 750LE. Gouna There’s a few more options around Gouna, with the cheapest being the Captain’s Inn; 600LE-700LE for B&B. If you have some loose change rattling about at home, the Mövenpick’s B&B will set you back double with anything between 1450LE to 1700LE. If you want to celebrate in style with the hotel’s deluxe rooms, you’ll have to fork out 2200LE. Slightly lower down the price scale, Three Corners has standard double rooms at 1400LE and family room suites at 1500LE. Sliding the scale even further is popular hotel, Dawar El Omda. Standard rooms go for just uner 1000LE, while the deluxe rooms go for a little more at 1250LE. Hurghada Gouna’s older, grander neighbour boasts one of the best hotels in Egypt. The Hilton offers a great, all-inclusive package for 1400LE for a double room. Meanwhile, the more modest Pyramisa Blue offers standard double rooms for 720LE-900LE and deluxe rooms for 820LE-960LE – keep in mind that their overlapping rates are owed to that unfair disparity between Egyptian and foreigners. Marsa Alam The western shore of the Red Sea owes much of its popularity and traffic to Marsa Alam – a popularity that has seen the area’s resorts and hotels fully booked for months. There are a couple of options, however, with the Hilton offering double rooms for 1100LE-1500LE. Meanwhile, the Movenpick is more expensive at 1700LE. It also offers its deluxe rooms at 2300LE. Nuweiba Egypt's favourite hippie getaway offers an alternative seaside break. The Mövenpick in nearby Taba is fully booked, but the abundance of beach-based camps means there’s always somewhere else to go. As one of the most popular spots, Maagana Camp offers a half-board service, with beach huts for two people going for around 250LE and their mountain shacks costing a little more at 300LE. There are plenty more camps worth investigating, including : Basata, Ananda, Bakraj3, Soft Beach, Freedom Camp, the Good Life and Edn. Dahab Just down the coast from Nuweiba, Dahab’s popular resort, the Iberotel Dahabeya, offers double rooms at between 850LE and 1050LE. If you fancy exploring the deep seas, La Reine offers double rooms at 250LE and suites at 300LE on B&B basis – this, of course, doesn’t include the costs of diving   North Coast Where do you start with the North Coast? As always, ‘Sahel’ will be part central for Cairo’s rambunctious youths. If that isn’t your scene, the Jaz Almaza is a peaceful getaway in Marsa Matrouh; they charge a reasonable 750LE for a double room. Closer to said rambunctious action, standard rooms are available at Porto Marina for between 800LE and 1100LE Aswan & Luxor Our beloved south may not be the trendiest place to go, but boy is it special. Basma Hotel in Aswan offers rooms for between 520LE and 650 LE, while the Pyramisis Isis charges 400LE-500LE. The Mövenpick charge almost triple at 1200LE, while Anakato offers half-board at 1300LE and full-board at 1500LE. There’s little left in Luxor, but the Sonesta offers double rooms at anything between 1200LE and 2100LE. Happy Eid Cairo!

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In recent decades, Cairo may have ceded its title to Beirut as the region's publishing powerhouse, but books bought and sold still thrive in the capital. A visit to the Azbakiya booksellers in Ataba Market affords a continuous glimpse of Cairo's highly literate, literary past.  Just off the north-east entrance of Attaba Metro station, the next best thing to a dusty archive for used-book lovers in Cairo sprawls across narrow rows of some 132 bookstalls. The white nooks crowned by bronze-like spades resemble temporary tents in a regal caravan or a festive outdoor bazaar, each with its own character and bookseller to match. In one, the son of a bookseller flips through a picture book surrounded wall-to-wall with pink children’s books, and in another, a man dressed in a galabeya recites verses from the Quran. And still in another, a man in tight skinnies sits in front of his laptop with his speakers blasting pop and a rainbow marquee above him that reads ‘books’ in Arabic. But no matter which seller you choose, the bookstalls are replete with old and new sets of encyclopaedias, religious guides, software manuals and cheap thrillers, as well as classic tomes like John Milton’s Paradise Lost and college textbooks like the fat edition of the medical cornerstone Nelson’s Textbook to Paediatrics. Primarily, the bookstalls at Azbakiya are popular with doctors, engineers, and students in search for specific texts that cost up to 10 times less than at a chain bookshop or online. For the last eight years, Eslam Fathi has been managing five bookstalls at Azbakiya and says that business is surprisingly good; and despite the age of the Internet - with its e-books and credit-card pay sites that pose a threat to the bookselling profession -  Egyptians fall behind the trend, he says. Call them Luddites or profiteers, there’s an undeniable gratification from plying the bind of a book against one’s palms and delving into a story and flipping page after page until its completion. And still for others, the appeal of secondhand bookshops is comparable to antique shops. Books as props, books as décor. A host of cafés and coffee shops in Cairo display random, antiquated texts for that added homey touch.  With the occasional Greek, French, or German cover appearing, the titles at Azbakiya are mainly in Arabic or English. The stalls themselves are generally unkempt, and the books, for the most part poorly organized. But isn't that part of the fun? Customers are forced to explore the heaps of paperbacks and hardbacks with some that date back as far as the cosmopolitan era. Shifting through the texts could take hours. Luckily, the stalls are open 10AM to 10PM daily excluding Fridays. But beware. While originals are also available at low prices, some books are cheap copies stamped out, barely legible and masked by seemingly authentic covers. So judge not by the cover, and open up and take a gander. Employing our keen bartering skills, we managed to haggle down to 40LE with Carl Jung’s Four Archetypes and 20LE for T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom - both original copies in good condition. The corridors that cut through Azbakiya are peaceful relative to the bustling alleys of the greater market area and are worth the visit. Aside from books, old magazines, and vintage film posters, prints and postcards are also sold and make better souvenirs and gifts than a camel key chain or a lousy sphinx and pyramid tee.   

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The latest addiction to strike the Egyptian youth is actually quite a healthy one. Every weekend, Cairo sees a flock of people racing off to Ras Sudr instead of, the otherwise typical, Sahel or Gouna to take up kite surfing. The sport has become tremendously popular as of late and with over 200 days of strong wind per year, Ras Sudr on the west coast of Sinai has established itself as the ideal place to go to satisfy those kite surfing cravings. The area has a few hotels where you can sleep over during your weekend, since you of course you will need to be well rested after a day in the water and energised for the upcoming one ahead.  Kiteloop is a mere two hour drive away from Cairo’s city centre and is pretty easy to find. Just head out to Ras Sudr and you will find the gigantic Kiteloop sign to your right. The best way to describe Kiteloop is probably by ‘Nuweiba meets luxury’. The resort is set up in a camp style, which means there is a main hut where you can chill out during the evenings and have your meals, and there are huts available for accommodation. You can choose one of the beach side huts, but the word 'hut' is perhaps an understatement because they are decked out with air conditioning and LCD screens. The beds are extremely comfortable and after a day in the water there is nothing better than taking a fresh shower in the spacious, neat bathroom. The rate per night is between 250LE and 690LE depending on the size and your choice of full/half-board. Every room is also decked out with a couple of La-Z-boy like chairs. Unlike the average living room ones though, these can be taken out to the beach, or if you prefer, set them up on the little lawn in front of your hut.  On the beach there are several umbrellas and chairs where you can catch some sun during the day if you are not too keen on water sports or if you are unlucky enough to be there on a windless weekend. In the circumstance of a windless weekend there is entertainment on the main hut’s side that comes in the form of Tia and Beano – the resident dogs. Don’t be surprised to find them swimming along with you in the sea. The main hut where the meals are served is spacious and has various electricity points in case you want to work on your laptop (lame). There is an extensive menu with various Egyptian favourites such as shakshouka and sahlab. You can also start your day off with a foul and tehina breakfast, as well as other options such as the Spanish omelette. For dinner there are plenty of meat dishes and pastas; we especially enjoyed the grilled chicken and the shish tawouk. For dessert you can indulge in a crepe or American style pancakes.  All the dishes are between 10LE and 65LE. Of course, the main attraction at Kiteloop is naturally the kite surfing. The camp works with skilled Level 2 IKO certified instructors. Whether you are a newbie or need some freshening up to do, you are in good hands here. Lessons start at 1200LE.  The centre can provide you with everything necessary for the kite surfing experience ranging from wetsuits, to boards and kites. You can rent equipment from the centre (300LE for half-day and 520LE for full-day), so if you are still in the try-out phase there is no reason to immediately go ahead and buy anything. It is not difficult to understand why kite surfing is so popular and people get so addicted to it. You basically race over the water with the wind lifting you up every once in a while, making for great jumps and huge adrenaline rushes. However, it is also considered to be an extreme sport so a careful, educated approach is very important. Even if you are not into kite surfing this is a great place just for a weekend out of town. The food is great, the huts are comfortable and most importantly, the atmosphere is inviting. When taking up kite surfing this is absolutely the place you should go to in Ras Sudr. For more information on rates and prices, check out the Kiteloop website.

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How did a community of over 75,000 Jews vanish from Egypt? After the founding of Israel in 1948 the situation for Jews in the region became impossible and Jews in Egypt were to be forever declared Zionists and enemies of the state as a result of the Suez crisis in 1956. The Jews' assets were confiscated and they were expelled, while it is believed that around 25,000 left voluntarily. Others were held in prisons such as Abu Zaabal and Tora for a period of up to three years on account of the 1967 war. All of these events led to the eventual and absolute disappearance of a community rich in culture and heritage. Ben Ezra is quite easily accessible from anywhere in Cairo, with the Metro being the most convenient. From the Marc Girgis station, take a left and you’ll find an underground tunnel that leads to a number of heritage sites including Ben Ezra. The synagogue may appear to be quite ordinary but the history behind it is on the contrary, quite extraordinary. Ben Ezra is often referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue; Geniza being Hebrew for ‘storage room’ and in the 19th century, sacred Hebrew manuscripts were found stored there. The collection, widely known as the ’Cairo Geniza‘, gave significant insight into how the Jewish community dealt with past Islamic leaders, as well as several interpretations of the Torah. The manuscripts were eventually shipped to Cambridge, England where scholars from around the world seek them. Located directly behind the hanging church, Ben Ezra Synagogue was originally a church built in the 8th century, named El Shamieen Church. Local legend says that the shores delivered Moses to the exact place where the Ben Ezra Synagogue stands today. Adding to the historical significance of the sight, legend also has it that a copy of the Old Testament written by Ezra the Prophet (Al Azir) himself is located inside this mystical place. In order to pay annual taxes to the Muslim rulers of Egypt in 882 AD, the Copts were forced to sell the church to the Jews. Abraham Ben Ezra paid 20,000 dinars for the structure during the reign of Ahmed Ibn Tulun. The synagogue has been through much renovation and restoration over the years; the current building dates back to 1892 and is a faithful reconstruction of the building that had previously collapsed. It was during this most recent reconstruction the famous ‘Cairo Geniza’ manuscripts were discovered. A Basilica design, the building has a distinct rectangular shape and is made up of two floors: the first is designated to men while the second to women. The first floor is divided into three main parts, most important of which is an octagonal centre with the Bima – a stage for Torah recitation. The detailing of star, octagon and rectangular shapes around the synagogue gives off a sense of the Ottoman period and the synagogue’s design is similar to architecture of that time. Geometric shapes and patterns define the aesthetics. Serenity and beauty can be felt and viewed all around the interior of this one-of-a-kind architectural wonder. You can picture all the families who once came here to worship as they sat on the wooden benches, placed on either side of the synagogue. The benches seem to be extremely fragile though, so be very cautious while sitting on them. Adding to the legendary setting is a seemingly bottomless well, situated behind the synagogue; many believe this is the site where the basket that the Prophet Moses was placed in by his mother was allegedly found. Although the area is fenced, you can get a glimpse of this well through the iron railings. Unfortunately, there is no proper sign explaining its significance. There is so much more that could be done with this site. As a historical site, the Ben Ezra Synagogue has as much history and culture engrained into it as any other tourist attraction in Egypt. Unfortunately, though, it’s poorly managed, neglected, and will probably forever live in the shadow of Egypt’s Pharaonic and Islamic history.

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