Skip to content
Mixroutes
Islamic Cairo
Part of central Cairo around the old walled city

Islamic Cairo

Islamic Cairo, or Medieval Cairo, officially Historic Cairo, refers mostly to the areas of Cairo, Egypt, that were built from the Muslim conquest in 641 CE until the city's modern expansion in the 19th century during Khedive Ismail's rule, namely: the central parts within the old walled city, the historic cemeteries, the area around the Citadel of Cairo, parts of Bulaq, and Old Cairo which dates back to Roman times and includes major Coptic Christian monuments.

Plan a trip to Islamic Cairo→From Port Said
How locals move

Getting around Islamic Cairo the local way

  • Get inAs of 2025 it has only seasonal charter services operated by Smartwings.
  • Get inA cheaper option to get to Sharm by bus is to take a bus, a train, or a minibus to Suez and from the main bus station there, take the 11AM or the 1:20PM bus to Sharm.
  • Get aroundBecause of problems with sexual harassment women travellers are advised only to take the small minibuses and buses which prohibit standing.
  • Get aroundOn minibuses, the fare starts at LE5 and goes up to LE15 depending on the length of the route.
  • Get aroundThere are actually two stations - the main bus station for the city buses, and the minibus station behind it.
  • Get aroundIf you opt for a horse/camel ride, make sure that you haggle hard.
  • Get around(July is the quiet season, when it may be possible to get a 2-hour camel ride for less, albeit when you're with someone who knows the owner of the stables).
  • Go nextAin al-Sukhna is the closest Red Sea resort to Cairo and easily reached on a day trip.

From Wikivoyage: Cairo, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: European Space Agency (CC BY-SA 3.0 igo), Wikimedia Commons.