Discovering the vibrant energy of Cairo: a non-stop city
If New York is the city that never sleeps, Cairo is the city that never even blinks. It really is a marvel to witness: people, cars, tuk-tuks, and bikes weaving through streets that are as busy in the early hours of the morning as they are in the middle of the day.
I have been incredibly lucky to experience a side of Cairo that most tourists never get to see. My husband’s family are from Hadaek al-Qubbah in the north of the city. Its name translates to Qubbah Gardens, and it was once a palatial garden district. The greenery is long gone, replaced by dusty roads and apartment buildings. Eerie villas-relics from another time are still dotted around: a window into the past. The present is busy. The narrow streets are alive with laughter and chatter.
When I first stayed at my husband’s apartment, I remember thinking that the sound from the street below, even in the early hours of the morning, could only be compared to being next door to a school playground during lunchtime. Life doesn’t stop. Sitting on the balcony, watching the road beneath me, I was in awe of the people below.
There’s no need for ‘Getir’ or ‘Deliveroo’ in Hadaek al-Quibbah- you just lower a basket from the balcony to the street underneath, and it will be filled with whatever you desire: medicines, food, water, cosmetics-even ice cream. It’s an area where modern and traditional coexist: village women sit selling eggs as their forebearers would have in generations gone by, while motorbikes and tuk-tuks whizz past within an inch of their nose (a tuk-tuk, in case you were wondering, is a rickshaw-popularised in Thailand, and now used around the world).
Cairo tuk-tuks are in a league of their own; accessorized with neon lights and signs and almost always blasting Egyptian rap music, they are becoming as common a sight in certain areas of the city as bikes are in Amsterdam. If you want a bit of excitement, I would recommend taking a ride on a tuk-tuk… but be prepared to hold on tight!
There is another side to Cairo though. It is home to shopping malls that would not be out of place in Dubai. The first shopping center I visited in the city was the City Stars mall in Heliopolis.
Boasting a cinema, over 750 shops, and a food court, it was by far the most impressive mall I had ever been to when I first went in 2013. Returning in 2023, it is clear that the mall is not what it once was. Egypt is in the midst of an economic crisis, with inflation rates reaching 40.4% in the month of our visit (August 2023.)
This could be the reason for City Stars decline, or it could be that the well-heeled of Cairo are now more likely to visit one of the newer complexes that have sprung up over the last few years. A good medium for people who want to see ‘real’ Egypt, but who don’t have Egyptian family members to introduce them to areas such as Hadeak al-Qubbah, is Masr Gedida. It is bustling but accessible, and by that I mean you can cross the road with only a 50% chance of being hit by a car (I jest, of course!)
Joking aside, Masr Gedida hosts a wide variety of shops and restaurants and is a place where you can find everything from koshary (a delicious mix of rice, lentils, chickpeas and pasta drizzled in salsa and topped with fried onions which is widely considered to be Egypt’s national dish) to sushi!
On my last visit to Cairo-in no small part because the searing heat meant air-con was as essential as water-we decided to stay at a hotel rather than with my husband’s family. Our hotel of choice was the Al Masr Hotel, a military-run complex in Nasr City.
The communal areas were opulent with decor more suited to a presidential palace than a hotel- indeed, we were told that President Sisi himself has a private apartment there. With 5 restaurants, a spa, a cinema, and even a bowling alley, its beauty in the light of day was only outshone by how exquisite it looked at night when spotlights delicately lit up its beautiful gardens.
The hotel is truly an island of calm in the middle of this stormy sea of a city. Cairo is my favorite place in the world, however, the temperature soared as high as 42°C during our stay, so it was a relief to enter the tranquility of the hotel grounds after a hectic day navigating the city. Relaxing on the hotel balcony at night and hearing the sound of car horns beeping in the distance really gave me a sense of how vast the capital is and just how many souls rely on it to make their livings.
Officially 22,183,000 people live in the Cairo metro area, but if anything, I’d say that is an understatement. Driving over the 6th of October bridge and looking down at the streets below to a wall of red tail lights, you can’t help but feel like a drop in the ocean.
Hotels aren’t the only oasis of calm in Cairo- for a city situated in the Sahara desert, there are a remarkable number of luscious green parks. My favorite park in Cairo is Merryland Park. Rollerskating teens whirl around outside the entrance, and inside you can rent bikes, indulge in a coffee, and for the kids there is soft play. The icing on the cake here, though, is a scenic corner where you can buy a canvas, sit on large cushions, and paint.
Whilst painting in the muggy August evening, I took a breath and realized just how lucky I was to be there. I’ve been to many cities, including London and Paris, but there is something special about Cairo, especially at night. Driving to Korba-a shopping district in Masr Gedida-I was so in awe of where I was: a tiny dot amongst millions perhaps, but the city has a way of making you feel like you are right in the center of the world. I took a photo of the palm trees which were framing the busy road we were travelling on but nothing I could capture did the scene justice: you really do have to see it with your own eyes.
The reason for Cairo’s surprising abundance of greenery is the Nile River. The longest river in the world, it is also the lifeblood of the communities it travels through, creating fertile agricultural land everywhere it flows. Even in the center of the bustling metropolis that is 21st-century Cairo, the luscious green of the Nile riverbank stands out, juxtaposed against the grey buildings and insanely busy roads it borders.
Cairo is a city of contrast. It is a modern city, full of all you would expect from a modern capital: fast food restaurants, skyscrapers, and shopping malls, but the relics of Egypt’s past are everywhere too. The most famous, of course, are the Pyramids of Giza. I’ve heard many tourists remark how surprised they were that instead of being isolated in the middle of miles of desert as they’d anticipated, you can find the Pyramids not too far away from a KFC restaurant.
This clash of worlds-ancient and modern-really exemplifies how remarkable the pyramids are. They have stood tall and knowing, for over 4,500 years. To put the timeline into perspective, the Queen who was arguably Ancient Egypt’s most famous, Cleopatra, actually lived nearer to the modern day than when the Great Pyramid of Khufu was built.
With a history as glittering as Egypt’s, it is not surprising that Cairo shouts about its ancient past as loudly as it can. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation opened in 2021 and is home to over 50,000 artifacts and mummies including those of Queen Tiye and Ramesses II. The building itself is very impressive and overlooks spectacular views of the city. The pavement outside glitters white in the sun-perhaps an ode to when the Pyramids themselves were covered in white limestone.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will open in early 2024, meaning there will be three museums showcasing Cairo’s antediluvian treasures (the third being the oldest-the original Egyptian museum in Tahir Square). What I particularly enjoyed about my visit to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, is that its treasures of Egypt’s past weren’t limited to Ancient Egypt.
There were displays of relatively modern Egyptian history too-including Islamic and Coptic displays, and a collection of portraits of the last royal dynasty to rule Egypt-the Muhammed Ali dynasty. Another poignant reminder of Egypt’s past is the burial place of President Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981.
The Unknown Soldier Memorial was actually built before Sadat’s untimely demise, on his orders as a commemoration to those who died in the 1973 October War with Israel. Ironically perhaps, it became his own resting place just 6 years after it was built.
Cairo’s history is as tumultuous as it is great, and reminders of it are everywhere. This contrast, between unparalleled greatness, and bitter turmoil perhaps tells the story of Egypt more accurately than anything you can learn from textbooks about the reign of Tutankhamun or Cleopatra. Cairo’s history seems embedded in the character of its people too.
One thing that has struck me about Egyptians is how happy they are. Regardless of circumstances, they always seem so full of joy and truly alive. The traffic in Cairo is a good demonstration of the Egyptian character. Sometimes, it feels like it will be impossible to get through, but a glance at the drivers shows that they remain calm, have faith that everything will be OK, and methodically move forward.
And that is exactly what the Egyptian people have done through all of the recent political and economic turmoil. I think it is exactly this character that gives the city its most impressive trait of all-its soul. And it’s the soul of Cairo that I will always admire. Simply put, it is the soul of Cairo that makes me feel so alive when I am there, and it is this feeling that means I will never tire of visiting.
Cairo: the city that never blinks and, if you visit, you won’t want to miss a second either.
