Not sure where to travel this year? We've
got you covered.
Welcome to MojoTravels and today we're
counting down our reasons why 2020 is a
year to visit Cairo are you a fan of our
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we're looking at some of the most
compelling arguments for moving this
culturally and historically rich
destination to the top of your bucket
list it's safe again because of Egypt's
serious political upheaval over the past
decade in particular this formerly
popular destination became the subject
of many a travel advisory
but things have thankfully stabilized
some regions of Egypt do continue to be
the subject of travel advisories
particularly the Sinai Peninsula and the
Libyan border but Cairo is back to
business as usual and the same goes for
the surrounding historical sites in fact
because the economy has been hurting
over the last decade as a result of the
political instability and civil unrest
major cities and Cairo in particular are
going out of their way to make tourists
feel safe and welcome again local
business owners are similarly grateful
so you can expect not just safety but
warm hospitality during your stay it's
very affordable the silver lining for
tourists specifically in Egypt's
troubled recent history is the low value
of the Egyptian pound a visitor's budget
goes further than ever and while that
might be somewhat opportunistic every
foreign dollar spent helps to strengthen
the nation's economy hastening its
recovery tourism has historically been a
major driver of the country's economy
employing approximately twelve percent
of the workforce and roughly the same
percentage of GDP as of early 2020 one
u.s. dollar converts to fifteen point
eight Egyptian pounds and based on the
local cost of living to can eat in a
mid-range three-course meal for under 20
bucks the Nile if you're a surname a
river chances are that one of three
would come to mind the Amazon the
Mississippi or the Nile this massive
waterway is the longest in Africa
and rivals the Amazon for the world
title and when you know it this iconic
body of water weaves through the very
heart of Egypt's capital city though it
can be appreciated from dry land there's
just something that feels very
monumental about actually getting out on
this legendary River one-hour boat tours
are relatively affordable and most will
have historical context provided by your
tour guide if you're planning on
traveling to other cities beyond Cairo
you could even sign up for a cruise and
see the country from the vantage point
of the river iconic attractions Egypt is
home to some of the most iconic historic
structures in the known world and
thankfully many of them are just a
stone's throw away from Cairo within the
city itself
Elessar mosque is arguably the major
attraction but it's far from the only
one while visiting the city you'll
definitely want to check out the mosque
of Muhammad Ali set in the ancient
fortifications known as a citadel and
the sultan hassan mosque which is a
wonderful example of Mamluk architecture
arguably one of the strongest arguments
for visiting cairo however is that it's
the ideal home base for a trip to the
iconic pyramids of giza the great
pyramid is as its name would suggest the
largest and most famous but the pyramids
of man Corps and Khafre not to mention
the iconic sphinx are all equally
impressive in their own right coptic
cairo while the relics of ancient egypt
are undeniably the star attractions on a
trip to Cairo an important but often
overlooked chapter of the city's lengthy
history can be discovered by visiting
Christian and Jewish religious sites
which are primarily found in coptic
cairo though none of the following
structures are as instantly recognizable
as the pyramids of giza they do make for
a stunning reminder of Egypt's storied
past the hanging church is one of the
oldest and most important churches in
Egypt and is a must visit along with the
Church of st. Sergius and Bacchus which
dates back to the 4th century ben ezra
synagogue is also worth a visit as are
the monasteries of wadi el Natron if you
have the time to add a day trip history
everywhere
Egypt is such a historically rich
destination the
looking to engage even further with the
country's past can easily find
themselves feeling overwhelmed there's
just so much to take in but for the
ultimate crash course in the area's
history and culture the new grand
Egyptian Museum is the answer after
eight years of construction this 5.2
million square foot museum is finally
opening its doors in 2020 it's a 1
billion dollar project and its size and
splendor would have made the ferrars of
old proud it's home to approximately
50,000 Egyptian artifacts including all
5000 of the known items from King Tut's
legendary tomb and while the GM will
provide unparalleled educational
opportunities for people visiting Cairo
one can still discover the city's past
by simply exploring its storied streets
and appreciating the architecture it's
surprisingly easy to navigate though the
hustle and bustle of Cairo's busy
streets can be a little overwhelming at
first the city is actually quite well
organized when it comes to
transportation once you get your
bearings you soon find yourselves
getting from A to B with relative ease
the metro system is a great way to
escape the busy streets and consisting
of three lines it covers a substantial
portion of the city especially those
areas that visitors are most likely to
want to visit with fares maxing out at
about 40 cents it's also quite
inexpensive people often feel weary
about getting into taxis in a foreign
city but the Cairo cabs are reasonably
well regulated though flat fees are an
option any legitimate cab will have a
meter for something less efficient but
undeniably novel consider hopping on the
river bus market Suk's and bazaars if
you like to shop and you're comfortable
haggling you're going to have a whole
lot of fun in Cairo markets which are
known as Suk's are a common sight that
can be found all across the city these
commercial centres are every bit as much
a part of Cairo's identity as its food
and iconic sights soil as beckii are
located the in gardens with which it
shares a name is a used book destination
of your dreams with over 100 stalls
where colette el Balah is a place to go
for clothing shoes bags and fabrics and
while every market has its own unique
offerings and quirks
hon LK levy is the bazaar that every
traveler must visit one of the oldest
such bazaars in all the Middle East it
dates back to 1382
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