4 Terrific Cairo Hidden Gems in the City’s Busiest Neighbourhoods

Exploring Egyptian history is as captivating as it is, but let’s be honest, it is overwhelming.

From the Pharaonic eras to the Roman and Coptic periods, then Egypt after Islamisation and rolling into the modern Egyptian renaissance of the 19th century and up to the outbreak of the glorious revival in music, art, literature, and cinema in the 20th century, let alone two grand revolutions firing almost a hundred years apart. History is pouring everywhere.

In every corner and under every rock, you cannot help but stumble upon stories that make up this country’s beauty and its people’s warmth. One can simply never get enough of Egypt.

That being said, a trip to Egypt must be carefully planned. There are so many places one can visit, but so many others one should not miss. One way to plan a good trip is to decide on a theme.

For instance, would you like to enjoy some quality beach time? Maybe go snorkelling, diving, or swimming with dolphins? Yes? Then, you would better visit Egypt in spring or autumn and head directly to the east coast. Egypt has some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world, guaranteeing you a unique, unforgettable vacation.

Or maybe you would instead enjoy a vacation with lots of historical sightseeing? Then you should visit Luxor and Aswan in the south. The two famous cities will match your passion for history and amaze you with mesmerising, fascinating, brightly colourful monuments even after thousands of years. Wintertime is perfect for visiting places to enjoy warm, sunny, rarely-cloudy-or-rainy Egypt.

Yet, if you are coming to Cairo, you have made it to the big boss. The capital city is pretty gripping; it might not give you enough time to think about anything else.

Everybody knows, for instance, that visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza is just as indispensable as getting that entry stamp on your passport. Add to that eating mouth-watering local dishes, taking a boat ride in the Nile, and buying antiques from Cairo’s maze-like bazaar, Khan al-Kahlili. These activities are expected of tourists making it to Egypt for the first time.

However, while Cairo has tens of excellent and diverse historical attractions worth visiting, museums are a different matter. In this article, we’re exploring four terrific Cairo hidden gems that you should visit if you make it to the city.

Egypt’s Grand Museums 

In Cairo specifically, there are many museums of all categories, sizes, and architectural designs displaying hundreds of collections of diverse items, figures, monuments, statues, and everything that might cross your mind.

Take, for example, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. It is the first museum ever built in Egypt. It contains over a hundred thousand Pharaonic items from every corner of the country. The palace that hosts these displays is a high-walled, spacious, beautifully designed red building that has stood in the middle of Cairo since its construction in the early 19th century. 

Such a museum used to be the largest and most famous across the country until the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, or the NMEC, grabbed the world’s attention at its grand opening on 6 April 2020 with The Pharaohs’ Golden Parade.

Millions of people from all around the world watched in awe as 22 royal Egyptian mummies of Pharaonic kings and queens were moved from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to their new home in the NMEC in the other part of the city which came to be the new favourite for everyone and currently the largest museum in Egypt with an area of 490,000 square metres.

Just reading the reviews tourists wrote about the museum and seeing the photos they took of its collections is thrilling enough to make me want to pack up and get on the next flight to Cairo.

After the successful opening of the NMEC, Egyptians are currently awaiting in agony and ecstasy the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which oversees the Pyramids of Giza. This vast project has been under construction for many years and promises a different level of showing off the majesty of Egyptian history. 

That being said, the new grand museum should have been opened a couple of years ago, but many pop-ups delayed it, including the coronavirus pandemic. According to the officials, the museum will hopefully open its gates to visitors in the second half of 2022, and probably another magnificent ceremony will accompany that.

On the other hand, similar to how false social stereotypes can get tourists to miss out on connecting at a friendly level with the Egyptians and discovering their kindness, hospitality, and great sense of humour, so do the prominent famous museums and tourist attractions. 

In other words, visiting such highly distinguished sites, though preferable, may sometimes stop tourists from exploring the small, cosy places by taking up most of their trip time.

That is to say, leaving out some room for free walks and strolls around Cairo is a great way to leverage your vacation if you stumble upon some hidden gems that can genuinely make your Egyptian experience even more extraordinarily spectacular and unique.

But we know that your time in Egypt is more or less limited anyway, so we at connollycove.com have you covered and will add extra joy to your journey to the city.

Four Cairo Hidden Gems

Although most of the following museums were recently renewed and are now in perfect condition, and even though they contain collections of valuable items, monuments, and actual masterpieces, not many people visit them. 

Many Egyptians are unfamiliar with the many distinct museums hidden in the busy streets of Cairo. They pass by them every single day without even knowing they exist.

And how, for God’s sake, would they know about them if the only attention those museums got was some short reports aired on satellite channels in the afternoons when everyone is usually at school or work?!

Anyways, here we give you some marvellous Cairene hidden gems you should not miss visiting.

1. The Museum of Egyptian National Railways

What? A museum of train cars? 

Well, yes!

If you travel from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan in the south or to Alexandria in the north by train from Ramses Station, make sure you free up some time before your trip to stop by the first interesting place we have on the list.

Located right inside Ramses Railway Station is the fantastic museum that tells the history of one of the earliest established railways in the world and the first-ever in Africa and the Middle East. Urged by King Foad I of Egypt, the Museum of Egyptian Railways was founded in 1933, and the construction work took only three months to complete.

The current building is relatively large, with two floors that contain hundreds of figures of old Egyptian trains, engine parts, rail tracks, and many other train components that every locomotive mechanic should be familiar with.

In addition, there are many types of train cars, including sleeping, buffet, passenger, and even elite and royal train cars. On the first floor, there are two life-size royal train cars, which King Foud I used to travel on.

There is also a collection of photographs of the old Cairo rail station, tickets, and some conductors’ cross bags!

All the displayed items are associated with labels explaining rail technology and its development over the centuries. The labels also give lots of information about the development of the rail system in Egypt and the different stages of its extension. 

The construction of the Egyptian rail system was a requisite project to facilitate transit between India and the United Kingdom. At the time, ships used to sail from India through the Indian Ocean, enter the Red Sea from the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and then sail north until they reach the tip of the Gulf of Suez. After that, ships would be transported by land to Cairo and then to the port of Alexandria, where they would sail again through the Mediterranean Sea to reach the UK. Just the description of it is weary!

Building a railway from Suez to Alexandria would hugely ease transport and save time and money. That is why the construction work of the Egyptian rail started as early as 1834. Unfortunately, and for some reason, often a political one, the project was interrupted shortly after.

After almost two decades, the project was resumed. The building and development of the Egyptian railways continued during the second half of the 19th century and for most of the 20th century.

In the museum, along with the figures on display, you can see the actual official papers of laws, contracts, agreements, and orders signed by the Khedive back in the mid-1800s that document the resumption of the project.

The museum is in perfect condition, having been recently renovated, but sadly, it is never crowded. Many people are quite oblivious to its existence, even though thousands of them travel by train from that very station every single day.

So, if you are in Cairo and travelling by train, spare only 30 minutes before or after your journey for a never-to-forget visit to the Museum of Egyptian Railways. Just make sure you get there before 2:00 p.m.!

2. The Museum of Muhammad Abdul Wahab

Abdul Wahab is the greatest Egyptian composer of all time. 

It is said that there are four things tourists should do to get directly to the heart of the Egyptian culture: eat Foul and Falafel for breakfast and Koshary for lunch, drink mint tea, see the Pyramids, and watch a match for the Egyptian national team at the final of the Africa Cup of Nations—although they have been runner-ups for the past two competitions, the Egyptian national team did win the cup three times in a row in 2006, 2008, and 2010 and is holding a total of seven titles, surpassing every other African team.

Well, I would add one more thing to this Egypt-exploration checklist: listen to a song by Om Kulthom composed by Muhammad Abdul Wahab. Though you might not make sense of the lyrics if you do not understand Arabic, there is no way you can relish the mellow tones that will run directly through your heart.

Muhammad Abdul Wahab is by far the greatest Egyptian composer of all time. He lived a long, artistically prolific life, pouring his endless talent and extraordinary musical sensations into songs meant to live forever.

Abdul Wahab composed a tremendous number of romantic and patriotic songs. His influence crossed Egypt to the rest of the Arab world not only because of his uniquely remarkable music but also because he composed the national anthems of Tunisia, Libya, and the United Arab Emirates.

Visiting his museum allows one to glimpse Abdu Wahab’s artistic life. It is located on Ramses Street, right beside al-Helal Hospital and only 1.4 km from the Museum of Egyptian National Railways. Abdul Wahab’s Museum is inside the Institute of Arab Music.

The museum is pretty small, with only two internally connected halls. You can tour it in under 30 minutes if you stop to read every single label and stare at the collections, and less than that if you just glance.

Among the displayed items are several of Abdul Wahab’s musical instruments, which he used to compose his famous songs. You can see his oud—a middle Eastern plucked string pear-shaped instrument—in perfect condition, as well as his distinct keyboard and sound recorder.

In addition, many of Abdul Wahab’s items, including his desk, diaries, music notes and song lyrics in his handwriting, national ID, diplomatic passport, and even the suit he wore in his first movie, ‘The White Rose’, of 1933, are present, along with many medals and ribbons.

The museum is quite distinct and worth a visit. The entry fee is pretty cheap, and photography is allowed for free. You can visit the Museum of Muhammad Abdul Wahab from Sunday to Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.; however, you might want to check for any difference due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

3. The Egyptian Geological Museum 

Moon rocks in Cairo? You must be kidding!

There are less famous places to visit around Cairo, some of which we are trying to list in this article. However, other incredibly unpopular but fascinating places make great trips. But again, almost nobody knows about them. One example is the Geological Museum in Maadi.

No, you do not need to be a geology nerd to enjoy a visit to this buried treasure, but you will surely learn a lot about the Earth if you go there. You only need to hop into an Uber and head directly to the Maadi neighbourhood in Cairo, precisely the Geological Museum. Despite the museum being unpopular with people as a place to visit, many of them ironically know it stands there but rather use it as a reference to describe directions!

Anyway, once you get in there, you must be prepared to travel some million years back in time. Once you step inside, you will be welcomed by a giant skeleton of a dinosaur bowing in respect for those who are paying him and his brothers a visit.

For example, several dinosaur skeletons are kept in glass boxes at the entrance. These were initially found in Fayyoum, a city near the eastern desert of Egypt. The museum contains many fossils and rocks of all sizes, kinds, colours, origins, and names that were either found in Egypt or given as gifts to the museum by Egyptian and foreign geologists.

Interestingly, there is a small section of the museum dedicated to space. Part of it explains the layers of the Earth and those of other planets. In a glass box, there are parts of the asteroid that hit the Earth and fell in the Egyptian eastern desert around 5000 years ago. It was not until 2010 that Google Earth discovered the asteroid.

One will come across a strangely-looking box beside that, which makes this museum rather terrific. In that box is a small dark rock kept in what seems like an acrylic ball, along with a small example of the old Egyptian flag and a note. The note, which was signed by Richard Nixon (himself), the 37th American president, reads:

‘This flag of your nation was carried to the moon aboard Spacecraft America during the Apollo 17 mission, December 7-19, 1972. Presented to the Arab Republic of Egypt from the people of the United States of America.

The small dark rock is a moonstone gifted to Egypt by the United States in the 1970s. Though such a thing was, as far as I know, not publicly announced, the real story comes as follows.

During the Apollo 17 mission, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt started an initiative to spread peace and harmony among the world’s people. During his moonwalk, Cernan picked up a moon rock, which was later broken down into fragments and gifted to all the world’s countries and all the American states. These rocks were called goodwill moon rocks. In addition, all countries’ flags were taken to the moon during that mission.

Isn’t that amazing?

The Geological Museum only has a slightly big hall divided by display cabinets into three sections, leaving narrow corridors between them for walking. Though it might look a bit old and seems to have not been renovated in quite a long time, the collections are in excellent condition.

The museum is open Sunday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The entry fee is relatively cheap, and photography is allowed for free. So, if you are in Cairo, stop by and hop into the time machine of the Egyptian Geological Museum.

4. The Zoological Museum

What? Mummified animals?

The Giza Zoo opened in 1891 and was the first zoo in the Middle East, covering a total area of 323,749 m². Though it might not be in excellent condition nowadays, surprisingly, it is very popular with people, especially families who love to spend weekends, Eids, and public holidays in the park. The big green open area and cheap tickets provide access to recreation, relaxation, and some well-earned quality time.

In spite of that, there is a fantastic hidden gem inside the zoo—the Zoological Museum —but, again, many people are unaware it exists.

The museum, which opened in 1914 and underwent several renovations, the last of which was in 2015, after being closed for almost 18 years, is over a century old. Maybe that is why many people know about it.

The Zoological Museum, which comprises three floors, has a unique architectural design of just one long, relatively wide pathway. This pathway allows visitors to view all the displayed items until they reach the exit door. 

Each floor is categorised differently by the species it displays. Right in the middle of the first floor is a giant skeleton of a giraffe and many other animals. Around the cabinets, there are tens of mummified mammals. The second floor has a great collection of reptiles, and the third displays birds and butterflies of all colours and sizes.

There are also figures and items related to the history of the Giza Zoo and photographs that document the royal visits to the park. 

Almost all items have informative labels written both in Arabic and English. On the walls, significant texts elaborate on the animals on every floor.

Those innumerable, diverse, beautiful mummified animals might require a couple of hours to explore, for you will not help but gaze at their beauty. The museum is open all week except Tuesday—the zoo takes Tuesday off—from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Photography is allowed for free. 

And the list goes on and on…

There are many ways to experience Egypt, but the best will show you what this country, its culture, and its people are like. In addition to the glorious, dazzling, famous tourist attractions, going for the hidden gems can make your trip even more delightful.

Among the ten hidden gems in Cairo, we chose four for you to visit and explore. The first is the Museum of Egyptian National Railways, which only needs 30 minutes before your train ride to impress you with a fantastic display of rail items that tell the history of one of the first railway systems in the world.

If you can even make it two hours before your trip, you can stop by the Museum of Mohamed Abdul Wahab, located on the same street, to see the life of the man who created the modern evolution of Egyptian music.

In addition to rail and music, two other notable museums, which tell different geological and biological stories and feature hundreds of beautiful items in excellent condition, are waiting patiently to impress you and make your visit to Egypt unforgettable.