Heliopolis (Misr al-Gedida)
π Location: North-east Cairo Β Β· Β πΊ Period: Founded 1905 Β Β· Β ποΈ Tickets: mostly free; Baron's Palace ~200 EGP
Modern Heliopolis β known to Cairenes as Misr al-Gedida, "New Egypt" β was founded in 1905 by the Belgian industrialist Baron Γdouard Empain as a planned garden suburb on the desert edge of Cairo. It borrowed its name from the ancient sun-city (Ayn Shams) that lies just to its east, and its architecture from an eclectic mix of European Belle-Γpoque, neo-Mamluk and Indo-Persian fantasy.
The most exotic survival is the Baron Empain Palace (Qasr al-Baron) β a pink-stuccoed mansion modelled on the Hindu temple of Angkor Wat and the Orissa shrines, completed in 1911 and reopened to the public after restoration in 2020. Across the suburb you can still trace the Baron's vision in the wide boulevards lined with arcaded apartment blocks, the original tram routes, the Heliopolis Basilica (modelled on Istanbul's Hagia Sophia), and the Sednaoui and Cicurel stores that once attracted shoppers from across the Levant.
Highlights
- Baron Empain Palace β Indo-Cambodian fantasia, fully restored
- Heliopolis Basilica β Byzantine-revival cathedral on Roxy Square
- Original arcaded blocks on Ibrahim al-Lakkani Street
- Vintage trams (a heritage line is being restored)
- Continues east into Ayn Shams β ancient Heliopolis
Visiting
- Opening hours: Baron's Palace 9 am β 4 pm (closed Mon); other monuments accessible all day
- Tickets: Baron's Palace ~200 EGP foreign adults
- Best time: late afternoon walk around Korba and Roxy
- Nearby: Ayn Shams, Cairo airport