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Friday, February 10, 2012

Sites Of Cairo

By Ben Pate


The ancient Egyptians are a civilization that fascinates us still today. Cairo, the capital of Egypt, was at the core of civilization. Founded in 969 C.E., it has evolved into a religious and cultural hotspot for Africa and the Middle East. Cairo is the largest city in Egypt and boasts many resort hotels and tourist attractions. A trip to Cairo offers the best of the modern world as well as a peek into life in ancient Egypt. The first step towards planning your Cairo trip is getting your American passport.

Passport Service

Obtaining a passport used to be quite the ordeal, however, now with online passport services, it's a cinch. Anything you need done regarding your passport is just clicks away. A name change, a pasport renewal, a replacement, it's all done online now. No more waiting in lines or waiting for weeks on end for your passport to arrive. Because these services are expedited, as passport is easily obtained in time for any trip, no matter the deadline.

World Heritage Sites

Cairo is famous for being the location of two World Heritage Sites. The first, Coptic Cairo, was once known as Babylon. Babylon has deep roots to very ancient history. It is a site of great significance for religious historians. Babylon is featured in numerous religious texts and cultural stories. Coptic Cairo has five original churches and is the site of the very first mosque in Egypt.

Medieval Sites

The other World Heritage Site in Cairo is known as Islamic Cairo. This is known as the medieval heart of the city of Cairo. This site offers some of the most grandiose and beautiful religious monuments the Egyptian culture has to offer. Some of these monuments include the Al-Hakim Mosque, the Qalawun complex, the Midan Hussein and Sayyidna al-Hussein Mosque. These are some of the most sacred sites in all of Egypt.

Pyramids

Another must see site is the Saqqara Pyramids. This complex contains an ancient necropolis where many important ancient Egyptian figures are buried. Important structures include the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Pyramid of Teti, the Tomb of Ankhmahor, and much more. These are some of the oldest excavated sites in Egypt.

Dahshur

Dahshur is another ancient site featuring a few very large pyramids, such as the famous Bent Pyramid, Red Pyramid of Sneferu (considered to be Egypt's oldest "true" pyramid), and the Black Pyramid. Many consider it to be equal to the pyramids of Giza, and many actually prefer this site simply because it is not as crowded as the Giza site.

Exhibits

The museums in Cairo are home to some of the World's most amazing artifacts and exhibits. The most famous is the Egyptian Antiquities Museum. This museum was built in 1902 and exhibits over 120,000 pieces of ancient Egyptian artifacts. This museum also has specialized sections that offer information about Tutankhamen, old world monuments, and sarcophagi.




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