Misr el-Qadima, the Coptic Quarter : Situated on the east – and right – bank of the Nile at the southern tip of Roda Island lies the oldest inhabited section on this side of the river and home today to the Coptic population. It is possible to get there by underground (train to Helwan as far as Mari Girgis), or by riverboat leaving opposite the television station to the north of Tahrir Square.

Descending the few steps leading to Misr el-Qadima and entering the encircling walls dating from Roman Babylon, the visitor enters another world, one of silence and contemplation. The narrow streets lead to the Convent of St George, the churches of St Sergius and St Barbara and, close to the Christian cemetery, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, recently restored thanks to the determined efforts of the Jewish community.

The churches – apart from the more modern Church of St George and “Hanging Church” – are scarcely distinguishable from neighbouring houses sharing the same stone, the same architecture and the same absence of external religious imagery.

Cries of the street sellers : Visitors may not realise it but the cries of the street sellers encapsulate the poetry and humour of the Egyptian people. The following are examples: boasting of the grapes’ sweetness, the seller cries, “Drowsing through the climbing vine, bees hint at the promise of sun-kissed wine!” Somewhat prone to exaggeration, sugar cane sellers shout, “Seven-metre cane, oh sugar cane”, when sugar cane never reaches more than five metres in length. “An empty bean pot means you’ve missed the lot”, the ful (brown bean stew) seller quite sensibly points out when keen to sell off the contents of his stew pot as quickly as possible.

On the right, the Qalaun Mausoleum, built between 1284 and 1293, comprises a madrasa (mosque and school), hospital and tomb. Inside, the tranquil silence which persists today seems intensified by the stained-glass windows.

Khan el-Khalili : The bazaar is the domain of shopkeepers and tourists. Jewellery, items made from copper, marquetry boxes, imitations of pharaonic objects, semi-precious stones, rugs, blown-glass dishes and other souvenirs are bought and sold in the shops grouped by trades along the narrow streets. It is a place to meander, bargain and lose one’s way…but not miss out on a cup of regular or karkade at the bazaar’s famous Café Fishawy. Just a few years ago, Naguib Mahfouz himself used to come and sit beneath the huge, ageing and discoloured mirrors of the café.

City of the Dead : The City of the Dead, without question one of the world’s largest necropolises, covers several square kilometres at the foot of Moqattam cliff. It contains the plain stone tombs of ordinary people and grandiose mausoleums which are the resting places of emirs and sultans, some dating from the fifteenth century. The living inhabit small, two or three-roomed houses built during the nineteenth century for the purpose of watching over the dead in accordance with a ritual dating back to the pharaohs. When finding accommodation in Cairo became a challenge, the poorest people headed for these “villas” which had the great advantage of offering space and quiet.

Anyone keen on Mameluk architecture will want to visit the two mausoleums of Qaitbay and Barkuk in the northern part of the necropolis (El-Khalifa).

The Islands of Gezira and Roda : A lush, green oasis sheltered from the manic pace of the rest of the capital, the island of Gezira in the middle of the Nile is home to the residential quarter of Zamalek as well as to sports clubs, the new opera house and the Cairo Tower which at 185 m tall dominates the city. Site of numerous embassies and chosen for its tranquillity by many foreign residents, Zamalek seems to live at its own pace. When tired of traffic jams and crowds in the popular quarters, the visitor can come here to stroll peacefully along shady streets bordered by villas with an old-fashioned charm. The island of Roda shelters the Manyal Palace, former residence of the son of the Khedive Tewfiq, Mohamed Ali, and today transformed into a museum. Nestling on the banks of the Nile and protected by a rampart made to look like fortifications, the former royal residence is surrounded by a magnificent garden full of rich vegetation.

West Bank : Administratively separate from the east bank – on crossing the Nile, the visitor leaves Cairo and enters the governorship of Giza – the west bank of the Nile also has a distinctive population and appearance. Modern and straight avenues stretch away for kilometre after kilometre. Here and there a park planted with lumbering eucalyptus, small village square or beautiful restored villa reminds the visitor that a certain level of the middle class built residences here in what was the heart of the countryside just a few decades ago.