Editor’s note: while Sam’s visit to Cairo was more than a decade ago, other more recent travelers have said similar things about the city. Crowded and chaotic, but full of incredible history and culture, Cairo is a place that fascinates. And the newly opened new home of the Egyptian Museum beckons; as well. For more of Sam’s adventures, click here to visit his index page.

When I was living in Jerusalem, a place that I planned to visit was Cairo, Egypt. After all, seeing the pyramids should be on everyone’s bucket list. When I talked to a few people who had been there, I seemed to hear the same thing over and over: “Cairo is disgusting, but you have to go.” When I inquired as to why I should go if it is gross, I was told to just go and find out. Intrigued, I took the five hour bus ride from Jerusalem to Israel’s southern border city, Eilat, went to the Egyptian consulate, got my visa, and walked across the border, then hopped another five hour minibus to Cairo and found myself in an incredibly bustling city. Cairo is chaotic, and given that I was there in January 2011, a week before the Egyptian revolution, I experienced it at its greatest chaos.

To the accusations that Cairo was gross, I saw what they meant. Cairo has to be the most polluted city that I have been to; I remember thinking it was evening in the middle of the day because the smog was so thick that I could not see the sun. The Nile River, which cuts through the middle of the city, was horribly polluted and I saw people just dumping their garbage in it (I even saw a police officer throw garbage into the river). Cairo may also be the most impoverished city that I have been to. There were many beggars, people with amputated legs just crawling on the pavement who did not have wheelchairs, and at one point I passed the legendary City of the Dead, an ancient cemetery with 2.5 million tombs and, by some estimates, millions of homeless living alongside the dead. I also happened to be in Cairo at a fascinating time, as I was there during the first days of the Arab Spring that would end then-President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year-rule. However, beyond the rough edges to the Arab world’s largest city and the third largest city in Africa, I saw exactly what people meant when they said it is a place that you must visit.

Of course, there are the pyramids, and I will talk about those in a different article. But also, Cairo is a city with tremendous cultural and historical significance for many cultures. I stayed in two different neighborhoods during my time in Cairo. I spent a couple days staying in Tahrir Square, the heart of the city and the square that would become just days later the focal point for the protests against the government. This area is a good place to be if you want to be in the midst of Cairo’s chaos. I crossed a street here and my whole life flashed before my eyes as cars do not stop for traffic lights or pedestrians. The other neighborhood that I stayed in was Maadi, an upscale suburb that has nice cafes, western restaurants, is fairly safe, and is a popular place among expats. From both of these places there are subway and train stations connecting you with the rest of the city; however, I had one embarrassing moment. I did not realize that some of the train cars are segregated for women’s only cars to prevent sexual harassment by men (something that I unfortunately saw much of in my time in Egypt), and found myself in a women’s car until a local politely told me that I was in the wrong place.

A great place to start your touring of Cairo is the Citadel, which was built as a fort by Saladin in the 12th century when he conquered Egypt. For 700 years, the Citadel became a palace for the ruler of Egypt, overlooking the city from atop a hill. Today, the Citadel hosts the Egyptian National Military Museum, which talks about the history of Egypt’s various wars. As a staunch Zionist, this was a fascinating place for me and also a great exercise in biting my tongue, as Israel was vilified throughout the museum and there were many historical inaccuracies. For instance, much of the museum was dedicated to Egypt’s “victory” over Israel in the 6th of October War (what Israelis call the Yom Kippur War). The museum very accurately showed the first few days of the war and then conveniently omitted the following couple weeks, and it gave Hosni Mubarak credit for winning the war when he was not president at the time. At the Citadel are the historic 19th century Mohammed Ali Mosque, the 14th century Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque, and views of the 14th century Sultan Hassan Mosque.

To view more historic mosques, head to the area of town known as Islamic Cairo. Here, there are countless mosques, but a few that you must visit. Al-Azhar Mosque and University was founded in 972 CE and is the second oldest university in the world. It is considered to be the premier academic institution on Islam in the world, where historical giants like Saladin and the Jewish philosopher Maimonides lectured. Perhaps the religiously most significant mosque in Cairo could be the Al Hussein Mosque next door to Al-Azhar. This mosque, built in the 12th century, is a Sunni mosque; however, it holds tremendous significance for Shiites as the head of Hussein, the martyred grandson of Muhammad, who is seen as the founder of what would become Shiite Islam, was relocated here from Palestine to prevent its capture by the Crusaders. However, if you visit one mosque in Cairo, make it the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, which is Egypt’s oldest mosque, dating all the way back to 642 CE. This mosque is large, beautiful, and incredibly significant given that it was one of the first major mosques in all of Islam.

Cairo also has other sites of religious value beyond those of Islam, which is why you need to devote at least half a day to visiting Coptic Cairo. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest form of Christianity in the Middle East and North Africa, with over 10 million adherents and making up approximately 10% of Egypt’s population. It is perhaps the oldest form of Christianity in the world, as it was founded by Mark the Evangelist in Egypt in 42 CE. The church also has its own pope. There is a district in Cairo that has numerous beautiful Coptic churches, including the Hanging Church, which dates back to the 3rd century. The church gets its name because it hangs over the Babylon Fortress, a Roman fortification. Inside, there is a vaulted wooden nave and over a hundred shrines. One interesting feature is 13 pillars inside the church, representing Jesus and his twelve disciples, with one column painted black to mark the treacherous Judas. Swing by the 5th century St. Barbara Church as well to see another beautiful example of historic Coptic Orthodox churches. In Coptic Cairo is also the home of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. It was built in the 10th century and rebuilt after a fire in the early 19th century. The interior of the church has a large dome with a mosaic of Jesus atop and many other works of art. However, the best part of the church might be the well-landscaped cemetery outside it with unique and ornate mausoleums, tombs, and chapels in it. Spend time wandering this cemetery and be sure to see the mud chapel.

As a Jew, a highlight of Coptic Cairo for me was the 9th century Ben Ezra Synagogue. Though small, this synagogue holds massive historic significance for Jews. It was the synagogue of the greatest philosopher in Jewish history, Maimonides, but became especially important in the late 19th century with the discovery of its genizah. A genizah is a storeroom for sacred books and documents that are not to be thrown out. The Cairo Genizah had approximately 400,000 documents dating back to the 9th century that were recovered and studied from it, including actual papers from Maimonides himself. Much of what we know about the development of Jewish liturgy comes from these documents and so this synagogue is truly one of the most consequential in terms of educating us about Jewish history.

In taking a break from the religious attractions, visit the sprawling Khan el-Khalili, a bazaar that is over 600 years old. Like many Middle Eastern bazaars, you can find all sorts of shops to find treasures, as well as street food vendors, including numerous selling roasted pigeon. The pinnacle of my visit to the souk was visiting the El Fishawy Café, Cairo’s oldest café which originates in the 1700s by a man named El-Fishawy who served coffee to people in the souk. Aside from coffee and tea, El-Fishawy has become one of the world’s most famous hookah cafes, filled with locals who will happily sit, smoke, and talk with you, even if there is a language barrier. This little café was the most relaxed I felt in one of the craziest cities that I have been to, and where I got to see the hospitality of the Egyptian people.

While people go to Egypt for the pyramids and ancient temples, Cairo has so much more to it that is worth visiting. Yes, the city is madness, crowded, impoverished, and filthy, but it is fascinating, exciting, and in a way, a romantic experience of a well preserved and proud culture. When visiting Cairo, there will be parts that make you cringe, but those will be outweighed by the memories that will last a lifetime.

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