EVENTS

Public Festivities

New Year's Day (1 January), Coptic Christmas (7 January), Eid al-Adha - the Great Feast (February), First Sunday in Lent (February), Ras as-Sana - Islamic New Year's Day (March), Sinai Liberation Day (25 April), Easter (March/April), Sham an-Nessim - Smell of the Breeze (March/April), May Day (1 May), Moulid an-Nabi - birthday of Mohammed (May/June), Revolution Day (23 July), Feast of the Assumption (15 August), National Day (6 October), Ramadan (Oct/Nov), Eid al-Fitr (Nov/Dec).

Egyptology Lectures
American Research Center
Cairo's American Research Center (ARC) has long hosted Wednesday evening lectures by academics, mostly in the field of Egyptology and Egyptian, Islamic and Coptic history. You may also find slots...

Experimental Theatre Festival
Sep
This festival, now in its 16th edition, sees new experimental theatre troupes taking over downtown venues in Cairo, offering an opportunity for Egypt-based artists to exchange ideas and see new...

The Pyramids at Giza
Daily
The only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still left standing, the three pyramids of Giza, part of the necropolis of Memphis, are a sight which dwarfs even the proudest of modern buildings....

Aida at Giza
Oct
The Pyramids at Giza
What could be more spectacular than a production of Verdi's Aida staged in front of the Giza Pyramid, just outside Cairo? Sometimes annual (but not in 2004) the Cairo Opera House gives...

Moulid of Sayyida Zeinab
Oct
The patron saint of Cairo is Sayyida (or Sayeda) Zeinab, granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed (daughter of Aly Ibn Abu Taleb). Once a year, up to a million faithful gather around the mosque which...

Wonders of Egypt: The Sphinx at Giza
Daily
The Pyramids at Giza
The enigmatic Sphinx has strong claims to being the most famous (and possibly the oldest) surviving structure in the whole of Egypt. The majestic beast is carved from one vast block of limestone....

Ibn Tulun Mosque
Daily
The Ibn Tulan mosque is the one of the oldest in the city, built in 879AD by the son of a Turkish slave who later rose through the ranks of the Baghdad Caliphate to become Governor of Egypt. It has...

Khan el-Khalili Bazaar
Daily
This vast bazaar of over 900 shops, usually referred to simply as "the Khan", dates back to the 14th century. Originally built as a caravansarai in 1382 by the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili, it is...

The Townhouse Gallery
Daily; not Thu
The Townhouse Gallery is a space for independent arts, aimed at promoting contemporary Arab arts both within the region and internationally.

Cairo International Film Festival
Nov - Dec
Cairo's screens once again welcome the Cairo International Film Festival, which has been going strong since its inception in 1976.

Museum of Islamic Art
Daily
This museum is currently closed for renovation. Cairo's Islamic Art Museum is a treasure trove of antiquities dating back to the dawn of Islam in the 7th century AD and continuing through to...

Coptic Christmas
7 Jan
Though the day itself falls in January, Christmas is enjoyed in the traditional Coptic quarter of the Egyptian capital throughout the months of December and January.

Sound and Light Shows at the Pyramids of Giza
Daily
The sound and light shows at the Pyramids of Giza happen every night and bring alive the amazing history of these 5000 year-old monuments to the dead Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt.

Egyptian Museum
Daily
Although an incredible amount of Ancient Egyptian remains appear to have migrated across the world, appropriated on somewhat dubious credentials by the nations who funded the vast sweep of digs in...

Dr Ragab's Pharaonic Village
Daily
The Pharaonic Village on Jacob's Island offers a theme park-style guide to ancient Egypt. Visitors are taken on a motorised barge through a network of canals, or left to wander among the numerous...

Coptic Museum
Daily
More than an archive of Coptic history, the Coptic Museum offers a case study in the formative years of a major religion that grew, intermingled, and sometimes borrowed from that of an ancient...

Islamic Ceramic Museum
Daily
Housed in the Gezira Art Center complex, the Islamic Ceramic Museum displays over 300 objects dating from the 10th to the 19th centuries.

The Gezira Art Center
Daily; not Mon
In addition to housing the Museum of Islamic Ceramics, the Gezira Art Center in Cairo's fashionable Zamalek area includes four galleries for rotating exhibits, a gallery for temporary exhibits, a...

Abdeen Palace Museum
Daily; not Fri
The impressive Abdeen palace complex, now a museum, houses every conceivable means of killing an enemy, as well as plenty of medals.