Tourism to Cairo has dwindled since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. But locals see the new Grand Egyptian Museum as a chance to reintroduce the world to Egypt\u2019s bustling capital.<\/p>\n
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Founded in 969AD, modern Cairo may seem young in comparison to the 4,500-year-old pyramids just across the Nile. But the city has seen its own share of history in its lifetime, including occupations by the Ottomans and British and revolutions that changed the course of the country.<\/p>\n
Cairo and the region\u2019s history \u2013 new and ancient \u2013 will soon be on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum<\/a>, the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation. Located just 2km from the Great Pyramids, the museum (set to open at the end of 2020) has locals excited to experience more of their own history and share the treasures of the ancient Egyptian civilisation with new visitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Cairo\u2019s highly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open this year (Credit: MOHAMED EL-SHAHED\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI know that I will be able to see some amazing masterpieces for the first time in my life, as many have previously been kept in storage and now will be displayed at the new museum,\u201d said Sayed Abed Al Razek, a local guide for Osiris Tours<\/a> in Cairo. \u201cLocals like myself are also really looking forward to the opening as it will increase tourism, which in turn will aid the Egyptian economy.\u201d<\/p>\n You may also be interested in:<\/strong> Abed Al Razek and other locals see the museum opening as a chance to reintroduce the world to Cairo, a city that has seen tourism dwindle since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution<\/a> that caused the removal of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak. Beyond the museum itself, residents are eager to share why visitors should come back to Egypt\u2019s sprawling capital and why they love living there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why do people love it?<\/strong><\/p>\n With more than 20 million people living in the metro area, Cairo has \u201can energetic pulse\u201d, according to Lauren K Clark, an American writer who has lived in Cairo since 2010. She attributes the city\u2019s energy to the varied cultures, social classes and natural environment found here, explaining that each part of the city has its own vibe and culture where these facets shine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Cairo is Africa\u2019s most populous city, with more than 20 million people living in the metro area (Credit: Emad Aljumah\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cYou have the modern, upbeat, club side. You have the rural, green, lush pastures side. You have the side where you feel like you are in the ancient times,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the fascinating thing is that Cairo has managed to sustain all these different entities. This is the magic and wonder of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Australian expat Dana Hooshmand, who blogs at Discover Discomfort<\/a>, agrees that the city has a uniquely exciting buzz. \u201cYou walk out the door in Cairo and are greeted suddenly with 1,000 vehicles weaving through each other like ants, the sound of hundreds of horns honking, people weaving through the traffic selling bread snacks from baskets on their heads, and donkey carts piloted by the Zabbaleen<\/em> [garbage collectors] hauling trash,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s overwhelming, but you can’t help but feel alive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The food scene here has seen a renaissance since 2011, with a glut of new restaurants. \u201cSome are inspired by global tastes, while others hearken back to their traditional roots,\u201d said Abed Al Razek. He pleads that no-one leaves Egypt without trying \u201cat least a few bowls\u201d of koshary<\/em>, Egypt\u2019s hearty national dish that combines spiced lentils, savoury rice, chickpeas, fried onions and macaroni, topped with a vinegary tomato sauce.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Koshari is both Egypt\u2019s national dish and a hugely popular street food (Credit: Thomas Bertson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Clark also suggests visitors travel to Maadi, a southern suburb of Cairo, to check out Road 9, a street lined with restaurants serving everything from sushi to Egyptian street food. \u201cI call this street \u2018The street of culinary dreams\u2019, because it is truly that,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s it like living here?<\/strong><\/p>\n Residents say that anyone moving to Cairo should be prepared for the bustle of a big city. Although new infrastructure and development projects are widespread and can cause some delays getting around, there\u2019s no shortage of ways to navigate the metropolis.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI love, love, love the accessibility to transportation. I love that I can stick my hand out to get a taxi, or take the bus, a tuk-tuk, train or Uber,\u201d Clark said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Getting around is affordable too; monthly transportation costs are on average 250% lower than they are in London, according to price comparison site Expatistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The bustling, sprawling metropolis of Cairo was founded in 969AD on the banks of the River Nile (Credit: Anton Aleksenko)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Residents also recommend taking a laid-back attitude toward life in Cairo, as things might not always go according to plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you go in with one way of thinking, like a fixed schedule or particular structure of organisation, you will be very disappointed,\u201d said Clark. \u201cCairo teaches you to just go with the flow and to savour the lessons learned along the way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking Egyptian Arabic can help newcomers navigate. \u201cCairo is cosmopolitan, and you can get by on English,\u201d said Hooshmand. \u201cBut you’ll have a lot more fun if you know Arabic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As famous as the ancient past here is \u2013 including the Al-Azhar Mosque that dates to 972AD\u00a0and the Coptic part of the city where Roman towers still stand and churches host early Christian art \u2013 locals also want to be known for what they are bringing to the present. \u201cThe people of Cairo, and Egypt as a whole,are putting positive and healthy images of Egypt into the world,\u201d said Clark. \u201cThey are competing, elevating, and want to show their ability to bounce back and reclaim a more vigilant presence on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Coptic Cairo is a maze of historic churches and buildings that date as far back as the 6th Century BC (Credit: Joel Carillet\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As part of this, the new government has embarked on an ambitious plan to rebuild the capital<\/a> 45km east of Cairo in an area currently called the New Administrative Capital. The plan includes creating a \u201csmart city\u201d with cashless transportation payments and abundant parks and greenery covering an eventual 700 sq km, but funding shortages have caused numerous delays in progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n What else do I need to know?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n There have been additional challenges since the 2011 uprising, particularly within the economy. Inflation exploded following the revolution: in 2010, a US dollar was worth 5.7 Egyptian pounds, but by 2018, it was worth 17.8 Egyptian pounds. Things have improved slightly since then, with 1 US dollar now worth around 16 Egyptian pounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe economy is doing better now,\u201d said Abed Al Razek. \u201cEspecially with tourism coming back to Egypt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite the economic progress, harassment of women remains a problem in Cairo. A 2013 UN study<\/a> reported that 99.3% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of harassment. \u201cEgypt was already the worst place in the Middle East for harassment, and it still is,\u201d said Hooshmand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The awe-inspiring Giza pyramids are located across the Nile River from Cairo (Credit: ugurhan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Women in the city are fighting back, however. Local women\u2019s rights activists have created resources like the HarassMap<\/a> \u2013 an interactive map that lets women report incidents as well as when someone intervened to help \u2013 to end the stigma around reporting and bringing more accountability to harassers.\u00a0<\/p>\n While residents are honest about the current challenges facing the community, Hooshmand says Egyptians are vocal about problems because they believe the country can change.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey think the future can be bright,\u201d Hooshmand said. \u201cAnd provided [there are] systemic changes, Egypt can maybe reach even greater heights than it ever did in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n Living In<\/a> is a series from BBC Travel that discovers what it\u2019s like to reside in some of the world\u2019s top destinations.<\/em><\/p>\n Join more than three million BBC Travel fans by liking us on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/a>, or follow us on\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n If you liked this story,\u00a0<\/em>sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter<\/a>\u00a0called “The Essential List”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n![\"Cairo’s](\"https:\/\/ychef.files.bbci.co.uk\/976x549\/p07zy3d5.jpg\" "\\"Cairo’s")
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