Egypt's capital Cairo is an ancient, astonishing feast for the senses

The iconic Tahrir square is the pivot around which all of Cairo seems to flow

Cairo, Egypt's sprawling capital, is a maelstrom of sights, sounds and smells. Peppered with Pharaonic sites, soaring minarets, Coptic churches, mosques and mausoleums, history jostles with modernity at every corner of this stunning, teeming city of 20 million people. 

Dive right in for an immersive experience. Watch graceful abaya (headscarf)-clad women with kohl-lined eyes glide about town with kids in tow. Men in galabiyas (traditional robes) play backgammon and suck shishas (hookahs) outside cafes with pipes stuck in their mouths like oxygen tubes. Kamikaze vehicles belching noxious fumes on gridlocked roads, scooters hauling families of four and mules pulling vegetable carts