Cairo's West Bank

Early maps show little but the Giza Pyramids on the west bank of the Nile at Cairo. The Mohandiseen, Agouza and Doqqi areas were developed as middle class residential areas mostly during the 1960's and 70's to support these new Egyptian professionals. Most of the appeal in the area, other than Giza, are good restaurants, shopping and a few cultural centers and museums. The museums include the Agricultural Museum (off Sharia Wizarat al-Ziraa in Doqqi) and the Mahmoud Khalil Museum (on Sharia al-Giza between Doqqi and Giza), which has a fine collection of art.  The Cairo Circus is here, but only open in the summer.  There are also a few houseboats left which in the 1930 formed a floating neighborhood, and drew some tourist crowds.  Most anywhere one wishes to go in these areas are best reached by cabs.

Giza

Giza is more then the Pyrmids and the Sphinx, and more even then the other pharaonic monuments around them. Cairo University, which is Egypt's largest university, is here.  Also the Cairo Zoo, though this is not a recommended attraction due to its condition.  Taking Sharia al-Haram, or Pyramids Rd, which starts just south of Midan Giza (one usually hires a cab for this), the road winds a little over 6 miles out to the Giza plateau where the Sphinx and great Giza pyramids reside.  The road is notorious for its nightclubs and casinos, but there are probably better entertainment in town.  Prior to reaching the Pyramids, there is a cutoff at the Maryutia Canal that leads to the village of Kerdassa, where a number of items sold to tourists in the Bazaars are made.  If this is of interest, follow the road  to the village which is slightly over 3 miles away.  Otherwise, There is also the Wissa Wassef Art Center on the road, which specializes in tapestries, batiks, and ceramics, but also has a small museum.

The Giza Plateau

There are actually two ways to enter the Giza Plateau, via the village of Nazlet as-Samaan or the Pyramids Road.  For this adventure, we take the Ryramids Road.  Actually, the layout for the main attractions are not so very complicated, and from hills around one may see the entire layout of the area.  The road first comes to the Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu), with its three minor pyramids to the east, where it branches to either side.  The right (western) branch runs up to the northeast corner of the Pyramid of Chephren (Khafre) where it again branches right for that Pyramid, continuing past it to the Pyramid of Mycerinus (Menkaure), or left for the Sphinx and Cheops' pavillion.