11. TalaatHarb Street | early years of 19th century
The architecture on Talaatharb Street is a reminder of the multi colonial past. The French influence on Egyptian architecture is very evident in its building’s elegant ornamentations and façade design – Paris along the Nile. The big avenues decorated with bronze statues, lined with lively cafes and government ministry buildings teleports one to a typical European street.
12. Baron Empain Palace | 1911
Build in the early 20th century in Heliopolis, Baron Empain palace was designed by a French architect, Alexandre Marcel. Inspired from the Largest Hindu temple in the world, Angkor wat, the palace is designed in Reinforced concrete. The craftsmanship is so precise that This Indian-inspired temple mansion can trick your eyes in to believing that it’s a temple and not a mansion from the outside.
13. Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church| 1930
Saint mark Coptic orthodox church is one of the finest examples of Coptic architecture. It Is the largest cathedral of Africa and middle east. The external façade is plain and discreet, quite contracting to its richly ornated interiors. This striking difference in its interior and exterior can deceive you with a false impression if you don’t explore the church inside out.
14. The Tomb of Saad Zaghloul| 1936
With a perfect balance of contemporary art-deco elements along with reinvented Egyptian features and motifs, the tomb is designed in neo-pharaonic style. As you enter the main hall from the east side, the interior aura of the tomb is bright with 12 large clerestory windows. The intrinsic door handle in form of snakes and lotus shaped motifs are a treat to an architect’s eye seeking beauty.
15. Cairo Tower | 1961
Designed to depict the most important flower of the Egyptian culture, lotus – Cairo tower is 187 meters tall, making it the tallest building in Cairo and an important engineering marvel of Egypt other than the great pyramids of Giza. The façade is made from concrete in open lattice work and the base and the main staircase are carved out of polished pink Aswan granite – a richer and finer local Egyptian material.
