Giza

Giza could be called a suburb of Cairo, the Egyptian capital. Technically this would be true - although this "suburb" has a population of 2.6 million people, and it is also a city of its own. This shows you something about Egyptian dimensions...

Many people believe that the pyramids in Egypt are located in some remote desert. This is true of some of them, yes, but the most famous and magnificent ones are right in the city of Giza - in a populated area, thus being part of the city. The effect this has could not be overestimated. Imagine yourself being in a thriving and vibrant city of today - and suddenly you see buildings that were made in the third millennium BC! In Giza, this is precisely what visitors encounter.

And the monuments of Giza are breathtaking indeed: The famous Sphinx is there and several pyramids of various sizes - but clearly the most amazing monument is the Great Pyramid of Giza - the only surviving one from the legendary Seven Wonders of the World - which makes it the only existent Wonder on this planet!

Being so close to the capital, the large city of Giza plays an important role in the Egyptian economy of today. Especially since the government quite successfully started to introduce free-market reforms around the arrival of the new millennium, Giza has been blossoming impressively.

Obviously, tourism is a major factor for the city's economy, but increasingly other sectors are becoming more important too, like trade and service. More and more the money that is brought in by the tourists is used for investment in non-tourism-related branches of the economy, so tourism is no longer Giza's only leg to stand on.

Giza itself has a lot to offer. The University of Cairo (despite its name!) has its seat here, and also the Academy of the Arabic Language has its home in Giza. In Giza, you can expect a vibrant cultural scene. The fact that tourism is so common makes it a truly international place, and good knowledge of English is very common among the population.

In Giza everything is always about the pyramids, of course, so people are not that aware of the fact that Giza in itself is a beautiful city with an impressive atmosphere - the many 19th-century buildings that the British left behind form a wonderful combination with the pulsating spirit of this lively North-African city.