20 CultureShock! Egypt
To Egyptians, Cairo is Egypt (Misr), the Mother of the World,
and ‘the victorious’.
The site of Egypt’s capital (though not the name) can
be traced back over 6,000 years. Around 4225 BC, on the
western bank of the Nile a few miles north of present-day
Cairo, East Delta people built the first capital of a united
Egypt. Today, the oldest reminders of ancient Cairo are found
in Old Cairo.
Getting oriented to the maze of Cairo is not as difficult as
it seems at first glance. First, get yourself a good map and
orient yourself to the major sections of the city. Start at the
centre— Tahrir Square ( Midan Tahrir)—and work your way
out moving clockwise.Online Maps
A good place for free, online maps is at the TourEgypt site:
http://www.touregypt.net/maps.htm.
I have found these maps to be clear and most print well. In fact,
the TourEgypt site (http://www.touregypt.net), developed and
maintained by Jimmy Dunn at InterOz, is the absolute best site
to visit fi rst for most kinds of information about Egypt from hotel
reviews to feature articles about antiquities.The beautiful city of Cairo by night.