Egypt launches us on a voyage through time not only with its pyramids but also thanks to the people walking about in their traditional garb, and through its historical houses and buildings.

The flight from Istanbul to Cairo takes two hours. This is much shorter than the time required to reach some European cities, but over and above this two-hour journey one finds himself embedded in the magnificent, profound history of a mysterious country that seems quite far away.
One of the world's five largest capitals, Cairo, with a population of 17 million, bestowed two capitals on ancient Egypt, which with its rich, colorful past wrote some of the golden pages in the history of civilizations. Cairo's adventure as a capital started 4,900 years ago when the Egypt of the pharaohs was ruled from Heliopolis, with the center of government later being Memphis. Cult city of the god Ra, who symbolized the sun, Heliopolis stood on the site of what today is among the poshest districts of Cairo. Cairo's history as a triple capital began in the 7th century when the Arabs came and converted the Egyptians to Islam.