Cairo is an ancient city that witnessed a lot of historical events in the history of Egypt and the whole Arab world. It encompasses several neighborhoods that vary in social and historical levels, as well as its population.
The Capital city includes a lot of remarkable historical neighborhoods, such as:
Heliopolis Neighborhood
It is one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Cairo. It was founded by the Belgian Baron “Empain”, owner of Banque de Bruxelles, and Nubar Pasha in 1905 over an area of 5,952 feddans.
Developments of Heliopolis neighborhood
By 1910, a lot of real estate projects were built along with launching the first metro line (Cairo tram), and Heliopolis Palace Hotel, the first hotel established according to international standards, were opened.
Distinctive places in Heliopolis
- Baron Palace: It is now a great touristic site after renovation.
- Al Sebaq Street: It is a long wide street that contains apartments and buildings on both sides of the street. These apartments and buildings were built on the beautiful Belgian French designs, and some of which were built on Islamic style as well. Moreover, Abdel Halim Hafez movie “The Empty Pillow” was filmed there.
- Korba Street: one of the most famous streets in Heliopolis, where there are a lot of elegant restaurants and cafes.
- Al Orouba Street: one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Egypt where residents of high social classes live in. Also, residents of this street live in white elegant villas, with flowers in their balconies and windows.
- Cairo International Airport
- Almaza Air Base
- Heliopolis Library
Maadi Neighborhood
Maadi is one of the most luxurious neighborhoods in Cairo. The neighborhood has its unique urban design with its iconic streets named in numbers, like street 9. The neighborhood has many services and landmarks including hospitals, schools and companies.
Moreover, it was a passage way or a road in which ancient Egyptians, Romans or Arabs used to travel from Red Sea to Suez desert, as they used to move the ships to Bablyon Fortress or Fustat, either for military or trade purposes. Therefore, it was called Maadi (Plural of Meadia or the passageway).
Development of Maadi
This neighborhood was built 150 years ago by the British invasion to be a place of residence for the British army, due to its exceptional location in front of the calm desert and mountains that protect it from dust in windy seasons.
As time passes by and until now, it became a spectacular neighborhood that is known by its quietness, clean streets and green parks.
Maadi Distinctive Location
Maadi overlooks the Nile River, and being just kilometers away from Tahrir Square. Also, there are four roads connecting between Maadi and Cairo, which are:
- Corniche Maadi
- Autostrad Maadi
- Agricultural Road
- The Ring Road.
Division of Maadi neighborhood:
Maadi neighborhood consists of seven main areas, such as:
- Old Maadi
- New Maadi
- Arab Maadi
- Zahraa El Maadi
- Thakanat Al Maadi
- Hadayek Maadi
- Tora
A lot of prestigious residents live in these neighborhoods due to their elegance, heritage and culture.