Map of Greater Cairo

What we normally call Cairo is in fact two city parts with each their own governor. The city on the east bank of the Nile is Cairo, while all of Cairo on the west bank is called Giza so the whole city should correctly be called "Greater Cairo". Giza is in fact so large that it even includes Baharia Oasis which you find 320 kilometres (200 miles) deep into the Western Desert.

Clickable Map of Greater Cairo. What we call Cairo is in fact consists of two village families, the Qurna villages from the Nile and to the desert on the north side of the road and the Bairat villages on the south. Behind the green agriculture land the Western desert starts and on top of the first mountain of the desert you can see a natural pyramid form. This is where the scorpion and snake goddess Meretseger lives and in front of the desert mountain all the temples and behind in one of the first valleys the legendary Valley of the Kings.






Northwest of Cairo. From the area of the Giza Pyramids (just south of this map section) one can follow the desert road (quite green today) to Alexandria, or to the new October City and from there out into the Western Desert. Mohandeseen is a more up-scale neighborhood in Giza, most built in the early fifties. Kardasa is an village area outside the centre of the city, and Qalyub a smaller city on the border of the Nile Delta.








Southwest While Mohandeseen is a more up-scale neighborhood, Dokki is more the equal of the downtown area on the east side of the Nile. Historical villaes by the Nile, the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum, the important Agricultural Museum, Cairo Zoo, as modern coffee shops. As on Zamalek, many embassies are located in the area. The centre of Giza is the Giza Square, and the Pyramids streets goes towards, - yes, the great pyramids of Giza. Kardasa is a more local area north on this map section






Northeast. Cairo International Airport is located in the Northeast section as the business and conference area of Heliopolis. Shubra is one of the largest districts in the city, and heavy populated. As Shubra, the al-Marg district is heavy populated. Ain Shams University is one of the best universities in Egypt, and not to far from Ain Shams one finds Matariya where once the wisdom of ancient Yunu (named On in the Bible, and also Heliopolis) formed a fundament for the Western culture. Masr el-Gedida (new Cairo) has been known as a uptown area of the city, where (new) Heliopolis got many buildings and villas by european architects. Abbasia is located between Heliopolis and downtown Cairo.






Southeast. In the middle of the Nile lies the island of Rhoda which also got the ancient Nilometer (to measure the Nile flood). On the east bank the part of Cairo called Old Cairo is found, famous for it's ancient christian history and a large Roman fortress where the Hanging Church is built between two towers. Just north of these churches and the Coptic Museum, is the first mosque built in the city along with the foundation of what we know today as Cairo, or rather al-Qahirah. South of Old Cairo is Maadi which got it's history of expats, and are today an expanding building area. Muqattam is the name of a hill range above the city of the dead. North is Medinet Nasr (Nasr City), a suburb with a modern pyramid inremembrance of President Sadat who was killed here in 1981, and just below the Rabah mosque where the MB demonstrated after Mursi was removed. Al-Kamis area is growing up with new city areas. Down town Cairo is a never-ending story in itself... and in the centre of down town is Tahrir Square, today most known for the uprising against President Mubarak, and demand for a democratic society.