Cairo Museum

Located in the midst of Cairo, is located one of the most interesting buildings in the world, The Cairo Museum.

On display in this building is found some of the most amazing artifacts man has ever seen. Herein contained are objects from ancient Egyptian history dating back as far as 5,000 years. If you are planning on visiting Egypt , plan on spending as least three days in this incredible building.

Not being one who is normally fascinated with museums, I was blown away by what I saw here. Objects are on display from practically every dynasty and era of Egyptian history. I doubt there is a museum anywhere that has more artifacts than this one. One of the largest displays is King Tut, the boy emperor. Even with all the things displayed from his rule, only about one fourth are available for viewing, most is stored in the basement, there just isn't room for everything. It is hard to imagine how that much wealth could be accumulated in such a short period of time.

Many artifacts from the 5th dynasty are also on display, this dynasty dates back to the time of Zosar, builder of the step pyramid and Unas. The 5th dynasty seems to be one of the most prominent and influential in Egyptian history. These pyramids were built at Saquara, some of the oldest and in the case of Unas, the most beautiful inside with predominately blue walls and ceilings .

Ramses II and his queens are well represented, as well as the many temples and palaces that were constructed during Ramses's nearly 70 year reign.

Due to lax Egyptian policies, photographs are allowed to be taken in most areas, enabling one to take  photos and return home with many memories. The one requirement that is often invoked being that no flash is allowed, however with today's modern digital cameras, that really isn't a problem.

Getting to the museum can be a problem. when it comes to intense traffic and having to share the streets with cars, buses,motorcycles, horses and camels, no city in the world can compete. When touring Egypt one must realize that most of your time will be spent getting from your hotel to the museum, so plan on spending a long day to lessen the number of trips required to see all you want.

As always much is to be seen while traveling the crowed Cairo streets, never a dull moment will be encountered,be sure to bring your defensive driving skills with you. All of the street signs are in Arabic, so unless one is adept in Arabic, it is best to leave the driving to some one else.

Gary is a travel writer and photographer living in Sarasota, Florida. He maintains a website featuring some of his travel photos and markets a line of products featuring many of his photos.