Cairo Tower

　　Cairo Tower is a freestanding tower in Cairo, Egypt, standing at 187 meters tall. It held the record as the tallest structure in the country and the entire North Africa for 50 years, and is one of Cairo’s landmarks. The tower is located on Gezira Island in the Nile River and is designed to resemble the lotus flower, a symbol of Egypt and the most revered flower in Egyptian culture.

　　The Cairo Tower is a reinforced concrete structure and crowns the "City of a Thousand Minarets." It was founded by the late Egyptian President Nasser and opened to the public on April 1, 1961. Above the entrance is an 8-meter-high and 5-meter-wide bronze eagle, the emblem of the Egyptian Republic. The tower is covered with 2.5 million butter-yellow tiles. Its design mimics the shape of a lotus flower, and on the 14th floor is a rotating restaurant where the Egyptian government often hosts banquets for foreign dignitaries. The restaurant can accommodate 80 people, rotates once every half hour, and allows guests to enjoy panoramic views of Cairo while dining at their fixed seats.

　　To the east of Cairo Tower, the opposite bank of the Nile is connected by three bridges, and to the southwest lies the Giza Pyramid complex. Visitors can also use the tower as a landmark to get their bearings. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Cairo Tower has become a source of pride for the Egyptian people.

　　Cairo Tower Reason to Visit: Egypt’s Tallest Tower Continent: Africa Country/Region: Egypt Province/State: Cairo Governorate City: Cairo