Sunday, November 23, 2008

Show and Tell: Beautiful Cairo Getaway

Today my Show and Tell with Mel takes you to a wonderful place to relax in this crazy sprawling city of Cairo Egypt.

It's a place called Al Azhar Park, located in the heart of old historic Cairo.

The park is totally covered in lush green gardens, (which are not usually easy to find here, not on such a grand scale anyway), and allows you to experience something other than the usual tourist attractions.

It has a historical component, as most places do here. The park is home to the 12th century Ayyubid wall, constructed by Salah El Din more than 800 years ago.

You can see Cairo in a 360 degree view from anywhere in the park, most days anyway, as the pollution here is thick. You can see the pyramids at Giza Plateau, the Cairo Tower, Khan el Khalili bazaar, the Citidel and much more of Cairo too.

I remember the first time we went there, I was impressed. It's such a large area, 74 acres, and here in Cairo where space is limited, there are no other public places as big and beautiful to visit.

Most days you can find locals and tourists alike, hanging out, picnicing and just kicking back on their blankets. The park has a bunch of cafes and restaraunts where you can relax and enjoy the amazing view.

A must see destination when you're in Cairo.

13 comments:

  1. Ok - you all have to stop! Because of all your faniciful travels my "places to get to before I die" list is getting longer and longer!

    (this one might creep up a few notches though)

    Ooo-- it is beautiful!

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  2. they look fabulous! As Cara says - you must stop posting pictures of Cairo and Egypt!! ;-) It's getting too much for my travel wishlist!!

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  3. Wow ... that is absolutely beautiful! I guess I wouldn't have thought of such a green area in Cairo. But hey, I'm not all that well-traveled ...

    BTW, love your header picture. Hubby and I always do "shoe shots" everywhere. Thanks for commenting on my blog!

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  4. That is just gorgeous, I would love to visit.

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  5. That is incredible. DH has said that he doesn't want to go to Egypt, but maybe your pictures can get him to change his mind!

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  6. It looks so lush and green!
    I need to win the lottery so I can come visit you.

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  7. What beautiful photos. Looks like an amazing park.

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  8. WOW! Egypt is totally on my list of places to see someday. I want to see the Nile. I want to see the pyramids. In the meantime, this
    is as close as I can get.

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  9. That's so neat that you have that is your backyard.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Wow, those are awesome photos!! My kids always ask if we can visit Egypt, and I have to say no (not so safe for us, coming from Israel), but I never imagine that if we went, it would look like that! :)

    Rachel

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