cultnat – cairo

a relatively unknown, and often overlooked destination by egyptians and tourists alike, is cultnat, the center for documentation of cultural and natural heritage. it is located in the new office park, smart village, on the outskirts of cairo, just before the toll booths on the desert road to alexandria. cultnat operates under the auspices of the biblioteca alexandrina, the new library of alexandria, and is supported by the egyptian government, as well as privately raised funds. it is, as the name suggests, a center whose remit is to document everything about the cultural heritage of egypt, from architecture, art, music, to indiginous flora and fauna. the center often publishes documents and cd’s that show the results of tireless research by its staff and collaborators. the most impressive product is the culturama, an innovative first of its kind interactive 9 screen projection screen where the viewer can travel through egypt’s history and cultural heritage – until you’ve experienced it, any description cannot fully communicate the experience. i highly recommend for anyone interested in egyptian culture, egyptian or expat alike, to visit the center. you will need to contact them to schedule a visit. the website is also a wealth of knowledge.

gayer anderson house – cairo

sure there are other spots on the tourist itinerary for cairo, but this gem of a house, the gayer anderson house, is a must see.  007 thought it was worth a visit, part of the movie “the spy who loved me” was filmed in the house. it is located next to another favorite monument of mine in cairo, the ibu tulun mosque. the house, actually, it is 2 houses joined by a bridge, is a rare example of 16th century domestic architecture of cairo, and one of the best preserved. major gayer anderson, who was later given the title pasha by egypt’s ruler, king farouk, was allowed to live in the house in the early 20th century before he had to leave egypt with an illness. the house is also known as “beit el kritliyya” or house of the cretan woman – after a woman from crete who owned the house prior to gayer anderson. the house is now a museum, and contains all of gayer anderson’s furniture, carpets and collectibles. especially interesting is the roof from where you can see the exterior wall of ibn tulun mosque and its unique spiraling minaret – i believe there is only one other such example in samarra, iraq. the mosque was constructed in late 9th century and is the oldest and largest mosque in area in cairo.  don’t miss climbing to the top of the minaret on the exterior stairs for some breathtaking views of cairo. wrap up your visit with a stop at khan tulun, a shop of egyptian arts and crafts. if you’re really in a rush, you can complete this tour in under 90 minutes.