Reopened at the end of 2007 following a five-year, $15 million restoration, the museum houses one of the world's greatest collections of Islamic objects. The new state-of-the-art layout, conceived by French museologist Adrien Gardère with the participation of curators from the Louvre, reorganizes the material by Egyptian dynasties, concentrating on the Fatimid and Mamluk periods, when Cairo was the capital of the Islamic world and a magnet for its best artisans. Most of the 2,000 pieces come from Egypt, but there are rooms devoted to Pan-Arab themes of science, water, and astronomy, and to several Persian dynasties. Open daily 9 am to 4 pm.

Don't just collapse into bed after a hot day visiting the Pyramids. Evening performances at the Cairo Opera House on Zamalek island feature international guest conductors, Egypt's national opera and ballet companies, and classical Arab music stars. The season, which runs September through June, includes an annual production of Aida, the Verdi opera originally commissioned to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal. Performances held daily at 9 pm.

Located under the 15th of October Bridge in Zamalek, El Sawy has emerged as Cairo's most eclectic cultural space. Nightly 8 pm performances, accessible to non-Arabic speakers, include experimental theater, classical Arab stars such as Iraqi oud virtuoso Nassir Shamma and up-and-coming Sufi jazz groups Wust El-Balad and Ektiselaat. This was the venue the Arab-American comedy troupe Axis of Evil chose to launch their 2007 Middle East tour.

TODO EL CAIRO ES ALUCINANTE PARA CUALQUIER VISITANTE, Y HAY MARAVILLAS QUE NO SE PUEDEN DEJAR DE VISITAR