Highlights The museum’s precious artifacts include: statues of King Khafre seated, a scribe sitting cross-legged, and King Rahotep and his queen from the Old Kingdom; polychrome wooden soldier figures and offerings-bearers from the Middle Kingdom; as well as figures of Thutmose III, Ramses II, and Akhenaten from the New Kingdom. The...
Introduction: Located south of Johannesburg, Gold Reef City is a theme park built on the site of a former gold mine and is one of Johannesburg’s most famous tourist attractions. The park authentically recreates the architecture of the Gold Reef City during the gold rush era from the late 18th century to the early 19th century, featuring buildings that reflect the prosperity of the time such as banks, post offices, police stations, restaurants, and bars...
Introduction: Founded in the 10th century, Cairo is one of the oldest Islamic cities in the world. It boasts many ancient and renowned mosques, Islamic schools, markets, and fountains, making it an important center of the Islamic world. Cairo reached its peak in the 14th century. The Islamic Old City of Cairo is located in...
Introduction: Pompey's Pillar (also known as the Serapeum Column) is the emblem of Alexandria. Driving away from the seaside boulevard—lined with high-rises, bright and neat—and heading southwest into the old city, you follow the rumbling tram as it slowly crawls along the stone-paved road. Soon, you arrive at a high wall; passing through the gate, you’ll find...
Introduction The Saqqara Pyramids are located in the desert about 30 kilometers south of Cairo, on the edge of the Nile Valley oasis in the western river valley. They consist of multiple pyramids. The most famous among them is the Step Pyramid, which served as the tomb of King Djoser of the Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt, built around 2700 BC. This pyramid is the oldest surviving pyramid in Egypt...
Introduction Khan el-Khalili Market is located in the heart of Cairo (the Old City), consisting of thousands of individual small shops spread across dozens of narrow alleys. Many of these shops date back to the 14th century. The market features narrow streets lined with tightly packed stalls, primarily selling gold and silver jewelry, copperware, stone carvings, leather goods...
Introduction: Pharaoh's Village is located on a small island in the Nile River within Cairo, covering an area of about 200 acres. It was established in 1984 through fundraising by Dr. Hassan Ragab, Egypt’s first ambassador to China, after he rediscovered the thousand-year-lost art of papyrus papermaking. The village grows a large number of papyrus plants and features workshops that produce papyrus paper and paintings using traditional methods…
It’s hard to imagine that the vibrant Cairo Opera House was once completely destroyed in a devastating fire in 1971. Today, from Verdi’s Aida and the eclectic styles of Egyptian diva Um Kulthoum, to Orff’s Carmina Burana and live pop concerts by local bands, the Cairo Opera House shines like a…
The Nile River is like a gift from heaven to Cairo, enabling the city’s development to showcase the interplay of ancient tradition and modern civilization on both banks. Flowing gently through the heart of Cairo, the river is flanked by Gezira Island in the middle, with Zamalek Island being part of the northern area surrounding Gezira...
Located in the old quarter of Cairo, also known as the Cairo Cemetery, Cairo’s City of the Dead is the world’s most unusual and astonishing cemetery. It truly lives up to its name as a city of the dead — desolate and lifeless. What makes it the world’s most peculiar cemetery is not only that the dead are buried here…
Introduction: The obelisk is another masterpiece of ancient Egypt and, apart from the pyramids, one of the most distinctive symbols of ancient Egyptian civilization. Shaped like a square column with a pointed top that tapers from bottom to top, its peak resembles the tip of a pyramid. Often covered in gold, copper, or an alloy of the two, when the morning sun shines on its tip, it gleams like a dazzling sun...
Introduction: The charm of South Africa’s northern Pilanesberg Game Reserve lies in its proximity to “Sun City,” the most famous integrated entertainment destination in Africa, just a stone’s throw away. On one side, crowds bustle, laughter flows like a river, and the vibrancy of the city overflows; on the other side, rolling savannahs stretch across the hills, where animals—such as elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and gazelles—live wild among the grass and beneath the trees...
Introduction: The seat of the South African government and the presidential office, this is a majestic granite building designed by Sir Herbert Baker. The building is situated on a hill in Pretoria that overlooks the entire city. In front of the building lies a neat and beautiful garden adorned with various monuments and statues. Behind the building, there is a vast expanse of bushland...
As one of Egypt’s most sacred shrines, the Hussein Mosque is located next to the famous Khan el-Khalili bazaar in Cairo. During the foundation excavation in 1900, the site of a Fatimid Caliph cemetery was discovered underground. It serves as a dedicated holy place where celebrities and even the Egyptian president come to pray on special occasions. In the year...
Al-Hakim Mosque is located in the Islamic Cairo district of Egypt’s capital, Cairo, and is one of the country’s most significant Islamic religious structures. It sits on the eastern side of Muizz Street in the old city, just south of Bab Al-Futuh. Its name originates from the Fatimid …
As one of the three major mosques in Cairo Citadel, the Mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad may pale in comparison when standing next to the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, yet it remains the sole surviving masterpiece of Mamluk architecture. This structure, built in 1335, is actually the oldest building within the citadel, originally constructed in 1176...
When in Cairo, you absolutely cannot miss this medieval defensive structure—majestic Citadel of Saladin—which is listed as one of the world's famous heritage sites. With its massive gates, towering towers, and high walls, it showcases the typical features of early medieval fortresses. As one of Cairo’s top attractions, the Citadel of Saladin may be the most renowned non-pharaonic monument in the Egyptian…
The Al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt is located in the Old City of Cairo. It was first built on April 2, 970 AD, and after two years of construction, the first prayer service was held on the 17th day of Ramadan in 972 AD. The mosque was named “Al-Azhar” in honor of…
After just a few steps of climbing, you can reach one of the most exquisite churches in the Middle East—the Hanging Church. Also known as the Church of the Virgin Mary, locally called El-Muallaqa, which means “suspended,” it was built between the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Church of the Virgin Mary is called the Hanging Church because it was constructed...
Cairo Tower is a freestanding tower in Cairo, Egypt, standing 187 meters tall. It held the record as the tallest structure in the country and all of North Africa for 50 years and is one of Cairo’s iconic landmarks. Situated on Gezira Island in the Nile River, the tower is designed in the shape of the lotus flower, a symbol of Egypt and one of the most revered…