Best 6 Landmarks of European Cairo

Away from the honking horns and the congested main streets of Cairo, many neighborhoods such as Heliopolis, Zamalek, Maadi and, of course, Downtown, are home to some of the most beautiful buildings and villas, that look very elegant as well as European. If you ever wondered or pondered that, then you are perfectly correct.

It all began with the rule of Khedive Ismail. In 1867, four years after he began ruling Egypt, he visited Haussmann’s 'new' Paris which left him in utter awe and persistence to build a similar city along the banks of the Nile, which was later referred to as "Paris along the Nile," or Khedive’s Cairo.

In order to realize his dream, Cairo witnessed an influx of European architects starting the 1870s. Even though Ismail’s rule only lasted till 1879, the European scheme of architecture lived on until the 1940s.

Below are some of the most iconic building, structures and neighborhoods in Greater Cairo, from that era whose grandeur has continued to shimmer.

Designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1892 (yes, the same architect who designed the Eiffel Tower), the Imbaba Bridge is considered to be an iconic structure of grave importance. Situated between Boulaq Abolela and Rod El Farag, the Imbaba Bridge is the only railroad link crossing the Nile to southern Egypt, known as Upper Egypt.

While the first iteration of the bridge was built in the 1890s, the currently standing bridge was built between 1912 and 1924.

For anyone who has walked down the lively streets of modern day Heliopolis, it would be hard to believe that when Édouard Louis Joseph, later known as Baron Empain, bought the 25 kilometers piece of land, it was a desert.

Belgian engineer and entrepreneur, Édouard Empair first came to Egypt in 1904 to save one of his railway projects. Despite losing the contract to Britain, he stayed nonetheless. In 1906, he established Cairo Electric Railways and Heliopolis Oases Company in partnership with Boghos Nubar Pasha, which was later known as Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development.

Baron Empair intended for Heliopolis to be a city of luxury and leisure, and while much of its fanciness has been replaced with modern residential building, what is left of its original architecture stands witness to the Baron’s luxurious city.

Among the famous buildings of Heliopolis is …

You may have seen the remarkable building on the news, only now it is best known as Qasr Al-Ittihadiyya, or Federation Palace.

Designed by Belgian architect Ernest Jaspar, and developed by the Heliopolis Oases Company, the hotel was dubbed Africa’s most luxurious hotel in 1910. Stepping into this piece of art once engulfed its visitors in a rich variety of styles, from Persian to Islamic to European.

In 1960, the hotel shut down and was utilized by the government to enclose offices of different government departments. Afterward, in the 1980s, it became an Egyptian presidential palace.

Located in the most iconic Egyptian square of our modern time, Tahrir Square, Omar Makram is one of the most famous mosques of Cairo. Contrary to what most people may believe, it was designed by the Italian architect, Mario Rossi.

Rossi, who came to Egypt in the early 1920s, was quite zealous about studying Islamic architecture, and a lot of his work’s genius is manifested in mosques across Cairo and Alexandria, most notably Abou-El-Abbas Mosque in Alexandria.

At the same time while Baron Empair was brewing the thought of his new luxury city, another fancy district in Cairo was in the making.

Commissioned by the three owners of the Nile Land and Agricultural Company in 1905, French agricultural engineer Jose Lamba designed the hexagon shaped khedivate district, Garden City.

Garden City occupies one of Cairo’s most beautiful spots along the Nile just a few steps away from Tahrir Square which was known at the time as Isamilia Square. Before 1905, it was solely occupied by the royal domains Al-Qasr Al-Aaly, or the High Palace, which was built for Khedive Ismail’s mother, and two more sarayas which belonged to Viceroy Ibrahim Pasha.

Gezirah Palace was one of many estates that Khedive Ismail commissioned to be built for the sake of showing off an elegant Cairo.

Designed by the German architect Carl von Diebitsch in 1868, it is said that Khedive Ismail demanded the establishment of a palace for the purpose of entertaining visiting international famous figures during the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.

After being passed from one owner to the other, the palace is now run and managed as Cairo Marriott Hotel.

This is barely a glimpse into the beauty of European architecture that spans Cairo. Next time you come across a building you like, look it up and you may encounter a story worth sharing.