Cairo Tower

The Cairo Tower on Gezira island is, at 187 metres, the tallest structure in Cairo and the city's defining modern landmark since its inauguration in 1961. The architect Naoum Shebib shaped the solid shaft as a stylised lotus flower, clad in over 8 million tiles that echo pharaonic column forms. A persistent story holds that the tower was funded with American bribe money to the Nasser government, which the president very visibly redirected into this public project. The viewing platform and the slowly rotating restaurant at the top offer a 360-degree panorama of the Nile, the Pyramids of Giza and the old city around the Citadel. In summer the best time to go up is just before sunset, when the heat eases and the city glows orange. Tickets are sold only at the booth and queues can be long.