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Now derelict, this once beautiful building is worth a look for its beautiful architecture, baroque and classical archways. Built in 1896 by designer Antonio Lasciac from imported Italian marbles and stone. This once beautiful palace and gardens are a reminder of the 'Glory days of Cairo'. The building was nationalized by President Nasser, and eventually transformed into Al Nassareya Boys School, which quickly destroyed the beautiful building.
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The museum is in a pink neoclassical building on the northern edge of Midan Tahrir. It's the product of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, established by the Egyptian government in 1835, to try to curb the looting of antiquities sites and artefacts. It opened in 1858 with a collection assembled by Auguste Mariette Pasha, the French archaeologist employed by Isma'il Pasha. After residing in an annex of the Bulaq palace in Giza from 1880, the museum moved in 1900 to its present location. It's a glorious ramshackle treasure-house that evokes Dylan Thomas' famous line about "The museum which should have been in a museum!" While many of the treasures have since been moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, this is still a rich collection and well worth seeing.
A fantastic way to spend an afternoon with the kids. The Cairo Puppet Theatre puts on a variety of shows including myths, fairy tales and fun children's stories.
Collections are showcased on the lower floors in the Silver Museum, the Arms Museum, the Royal Family Museum, and the Presidential Gifts Museum, and the Historical Documents Museum was added in 2006. The palace, designed in the 1800s by a French architect, is worth seeing including the fountain courtyard.
El Fatah
Completed in the early 1990s, this beautiful mosque is worth taking a look at.