ANCIENT HISTORY PROVES FERTILE GROUND FOR
CREATIVE CULTURE IN THIS NILE-SIDE CITY
When the billion-dollar Grand Egyptian Museum opens in Giza
in 2020, Egypt’s oldest treasures will gleam within a brand new
frame. In the soaring, modernist atrium, you’ll be face-to-face
with the monumental Colossus of Ramses II, a 3,200-year-old
statue lost to the sands for millennia. Wander the adjacent
galleries to find everything from a gilded chariot to King Tut’s
jeweled sandals, both newly restored to a high shine. All told,
100,000 artifacts create a history-making elegy for one of the
world’s great civilizations, and the museum’s blend of archaic
and innovative is a fitting tribute to Cairo itself.
Cairo’s streets also invite a kind of creative time travel,
thanks to an eclectic cityscape of ancient pyramids, Ottoman
mosques, Art Deco facades, Coptic churches, and modern
skyscrapers. You can start the day browsing hand-woven
kaftans at a sprawling market, and pause for coffee in an 18th-
century café before checking out contemporary art galleries
and colorful street murals simmering with creative energy.
Skip across the Nile to the Giza Plateau to lock eyes with the
Great Sphinx, then, visit the city’s first food hall for new takes
on Egyptian street food.
Even in the realm of the Old Kingdom, new discoveries
keep Egypt fresh, and the charismatic capital rewards
inquisitive travelers with a vibrant history, diverse culture,
and young energy.
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SUMMER 2019 27 FLYWASHINGTON.COM