Reviews (5)

Don't Leave Home Without It
We had five travel books going into a one week trip to Cairo last month.After one day we realized the quality of this guide and tossed the others back in the bag.We stayed in the heart of Islamic Cairo, so the detailed information on that part of the city was especially helpful.There are even several walking paths that the author maps out to help you make the most out of your sight seeing.Other guides might have a lot of colorful pictures, but the quality of information is not even comparable.Several pages started falling out of the guide by the end of our trip because of overuse! Great guide
This guide is excellent. I lived in Cairo for a year and this book gives you a lot of "inside" information for anyone who wants to thoroughly explore the city.

Good to have, but not as your only guide
During our recent trip to Egypt, we found this guide to be extremely helpful.Its information on lodgings, restaurants, and sights is unmatched by other guides.We found it had slightly more information than LonelyPlanet Egypt, but we could easily have gotten by with the latter.It *is*nice to have the smaller volume to carry around in Cario, though.Read more

Subjects:  1. Middle East - Egypt    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Egypt    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Cairo    2. Cairo (Egypt)    3. Egypt    4. Guidebooks    5. Historic sites    6. History    7. Islamic antiquities    8. Middle East - Egypt    9. Reference - Guides (General)    10. Tours    11. Travel    12. Travel - Foreign    13. Walking    14. Architecture    15. Travel writing   

Editorial Review

Every great city deserves a book like this one: a sweeping chronicle by an author whose motives mix passion and bewilderment. Over the course of four and a half millennia, Cairo has eluded all who would try to pin it down, reinventing itself time and again: "It has survived countless invasions, booms and busts, famines, plagues, and calamities." Author Max Rodenbeck, a correspondent for the Read more

Reviews (26)

Not just another travel guide
Max Rodenbeck, who has lived much of his life in Cairo, reveals the city through its long and varied history--from the Creation myth of On to the year 2000 with its "quickening sense that Cairo is on the verge of change."When I finished this book, I felt I understood more about the place and the people, about the evolution of the city through many eras.In the final chapter, writing about the contemporary political situation, Rodenbeck provides a list of the events that point to "looming dangers":"The Iranian revolution and civil war in Algeria, continuing Israeli colonization of the Occupied Territories, the Gulf War, and the arrival of American troops on Arab lands..."With the September 11 and other terrorist attacks around the world, the on-going war in Afghanistan, the American occupation of Iraq, and other events that have further destabilized the region, I wonder what Rodenbeck would now say about the prognosis for this city that both fascinates and irritates him--as only one's home town can.

Not bad but not what i expected
I'll be visiting Cairo next month so i wanted to read something about this city.The book is not bad when it comes to history.The author explains the political,economical and social changes with accuracy and insight.However he lets out,what i believe, important history about the city.He doesnt go into details regarding The Citadel or the islamic buildings in the city.He just mentioned them when it is relevant to the story his telling.I felt that, as i was going to be a first time visitor to the city, i wasnt getting all the neccesary info or inside scoop on the monuments ,buildings and landmarks that makes Cairo a great city.I think the author falls short in this regard.But as an introduction to the city itself is very good and gives color to the account.

Rings true!
As an American ex-pat living in Cairo for the past four years--with all the resultant emotions and biases inherent in that--Rodenbeck's history has taken my somewhat jaded view of Cairo and reinvested it with a sense of awe and appreciation.Three-fourths of the way through the book, I have a long list of sites to visit--places I hadn't heard of, let alone seen--and an increased understanding of this complex city and its contrasts.Rodenbeck fills the book with wonderful bits of trivia ( it was possible in 16th century Cairo to make a living as a professional farter!) to round out his broader explanation of the sweep of Cairene history.Other reviews take him to task for his lack of thoroughness, but that was not his goal.If you're looking for a highly readable and insightful overview of Cairo from the end of the last Ice Age to the present, this is the book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cairo (Egypt)    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Middle East - Egypt    7. Travel / Middle East / Egypt   

Reviews (2)

Reflects Cairo's Magnificent Complexity
If you know Cairo at all, whether glancingly or in depth, you will be grateful for the richness and detail of Maria Golia's book. No other work on the city captures so much of its unimaginably crowded present. Its past is skillfully woven in, but as Golia notes in her introduction, others have written about Cairo's past. Few outsiders can report so well on the day to day life of this incomprehensibly vast city. True, it's not a tourist's guide, but anyone who loves cities and their history will find this a rewarding text.

Good Introduction to the psyche of Cairenes
I grow up in Cairo. I was suprised how the author learned all of that information that she put in the book. The book provides information that one cannot know unless he/she lives long enough with the Cairenes. The book is very interesting. It descibes many aspects of social life in Cairo. The book discusses details about events, such as marriage, Islam, dating, etc. An early, interesting chapter discusses a brief introduction to the history of Cairo.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Middle East - Egypt    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. African history    6. Cultural studies    7. Egypt    8. Travel / General   

Subjects:  1. Architecture, Islamic    2. Cairo    3. Cairo (Egypt)    4. Egypt    5. Guidebooks    6. Islam - General    7. Islamic antiquities    8. Middle East - Egypt    9. Middle East - General    10. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    11. Travel    12. Travel - Foreign    13. Architecture / History    14. Islam    15. Islamic studies    16. Memorials, monuments    17. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides   

Reviews (2)

Yes, But It's Useful
I can sympathize with teh reader who found Raymond's book boring and therefore gave it a middling rating. I used the French edition of this book for an MA years ago and while I found it useful because it is of the school of social history that digs out the facts and figures and puts them out there for us to use, it is most definitely useful, not fun. A ghost writer would have been a nice idea to make it an appealing book for general readers. For the academic writer who is looking for facts and figures to bolster an argument, this book is very useful, as are many of Raymond's boring books. Thus, I improve the rating by a star because the content is academically useful, if not intellectually or emotionally appeally beyond academic pursuits. This one's for the professors, and others should surely avoid.

Less taste, more filling
It's difficult to give this book a bad review, as it's a masterful, scholarly...collection of facts. The problem, and I don't believe it's entirely one of translation, is that there is little narrative throughout the book. It's a big book full of facts. Quite often, this reader got so bogged down in how many hectares Qahira covered as opposed to Fustat, or how many suqs were built in a given decade, that I lost track of where I was in the book. The only good narrative begins at the section where Maqrizi's era starts. But it doesn't hold out. I just sort of trudged on, feeling I wanted to finish, but without any joy in the reading or the discovery. It's too bad because Al Qahira is one of the world's great cities and a fascinating topic. I wish Raymond had gotten someone to ghost write. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cairo (Egypt)    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - Egypt    6. Middle East - General    7. ASIA    8. African history    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history    10. Egypt    11. History / Middle East    12. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (6)

Great Guide...
This is a great and detailed guide to the classic land route, covers the area and the trip in outstanding detail, but at the same time does not try to force you to stay on a certain itenerary. Highly reccomended.

Very good, if...
This book outlines an excellent journey from Istanbul to Cairo, with all the detail and information we expect from Lonely Planet. The only problem emerges if you want to take a different route than the one they've outlined. They make hardly any allowance for this possibility, and this is the book's fatal flaw. Use it as a suggestion book, as a guide; but consider buying a guide to the Middle East instead, and thus providing yourself with much more information on the places between Istanbul and Cairo, places you may want to visit even though they're "off the beaten track." For instance, with more information I chose to go South through Jordan, ferry to Egypt, and then go back North into Israel, ending in Jerusalem. This made sites such as Petra in Jordan and St. Anthony's Monastery in Egypt fit nicely on the itinerary, and for me ending in Jerusalem provided a more fitting climax. No one trip can fit everyone. Whatever your desires, consider a guidebook that presents more options. Make sure you include Istanbul, Ephesus, Damascus, Baalbek, Beirut, Petra, Jerusalem, Cairo. Strongly consider Nazareth, Haifa, Luxor, and Mt. Sinai. Have fun!

Very good, if...
This book outlines an excellent journey from Istanbul to Cairo, with all the detail and information we expect from Lonely Planet. The only problem emerges if you want to take a different route than the one they've outlined. They make hardly any allowance for this possibility, and this is the book's fatal flaw. Use it as a suggestion book, as a guide; but consider buying a guide to the Middle East instead, and thus providing yourself with much more information on the places between Istanbul and Cairo, places you may want to visit even though they're "off the beaten track."Read more

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. Middle East    3. Middle East - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign   

Reviews (1)

A wonderful companion
I could not have asked for a better companion when I traveled in Egypt this spring.Michael Haag is a real expert; his guide is packed with informed comments and fascinating insights.And the practical information is extremely helpful and accurate.I recommend this book very highly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Egypt    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Africa   

Reviews (2)

What most of us don't know about Africa
I found the Audio book to be exceptionally well done. Norman Dietz, the reader, is terrific. He "acts" the narratives using his voice, making the 23 hours wonderfully listenable.
"Hoping for the picturesque, expecting misery..."
Forty years after being a Peace Corps worker in Malawi and a teacher in Uganda, Paul Theroux returns to Africa and finds things changed--for the worse. Now approaching his sixtieth birthday and wanting to escape from cell phones, answering machines, the daily newspaper, and being "put on hold," he is determined to travel from Cairo to Cape Town. He believes that the continent "contain[s] many untold tales and some hope and comedy and sweetness, too," and that there is "more to Africa than misery and terror."
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Subjects:  1. Travel   

Subjects:  1. Maps    2. Maps & Road Atlases    3. Travel    4. Egypt    5. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Subjects:  1. Middle East - Egypt    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Egypt    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Travel / Middle East / Egypt   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. History - Ancient & Classical    4. Middle Eastern    5. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    6. Ancient Egypt    7. Egypt    8. Egyptian archaeology    9. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides    10. Travel / Museums, Tours, Points of Interest   

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Egypt    3. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Reviews (3)

Invaluable Resource if You're Moving to Egypt
I was offered a job in Egypt in 2000 and purchased the 2000 version of "Cairo: The Practical Guide."It was, as the title said, full of practical information about living in Cairo.It was a great resource as I prepared to relocate and I referred back to it many times over my two years there.It had everything from the skinny on the different parts of town to how to deal with tipping and lots in between.This book has the sort of stuff about everyday life that you won't find in tourist guide books.The accompanying book of maps (sold separately) was also very useful.

Moving to Cairo? This is a must-read
This book is not your average "here's-how-to-get-to-pyramids" guide book to Egypt, nor is it intended to be. This is a book specifically for individuals and families moving to Cairo for an extended period whohave not spent time in Middle Eastern, African or other second-tiercountries whose citizenry has a different "walterschaaung" orworldview. Listing this guidebook in the travel guide section is wide ofthe mark; this is a survival guide for ex-patriots to one of the mosthistoric and culturally unsual (from a Western perspective) place on theplanet. Thousands of survival tips are given, such as which kinds ofcheeses to select, where to find and what to pay a housekeeper, where tofind fresh meat, which mall has a Baskins-Robbins, which neighborhood wouldbest suit the new arrival, and a pretty good chapter on survival Arabic. The writing style, like this guide, is not sugar-coated but directlysparse, defoliated and easy to read and remember.I would pack this bookalong with several other guidebooks if you are planning an extended (morethan a few days) stay in Cairo.While world-romping tourists couldprobably live without this guide, the expat would find it indispensible.Chances are, though, a new guide book edition (the 10th) is already headedtoward the American University in Cairo Press.

This revision is awful
The previous edition of this book, edited by Cassandra Vivian was far superior to this one.This edition is written for a single audience-wealthy married with children embassy types-and ignores the widevariety of other foreigners who wind up in Cairo.It is highlyidiosyncratic in its views and leaves out whole areas of information thatwere covered in the previous edition.My old edition fell apart and Ithrew it away thinking the new edition would replace it, and now I amkicking myself for doing so. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Middle East - Egypt    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel / General    5. Travel / Middle East / Egypt   

Reviews (3)

not the best choice,perhaps
When my sister, and neice and myself went to Egypt in 1997, we took three guide books. The Fodors, Lets Go, and the Rough Guide. We threw the Fodors, and Lets Go out in Luxor, and used the Rough guide. We loved Egypt, and are planning another trip, Culture Shock would have been a good book to have read first. If you go to Luxor, go stay at Abul Kassem's place, just show up, its always empty. We also loved the Three Corners on the beach at Hurgada. Now i am dreaming again .......

Worth the money
In true Fodor's style this book is worth the money.It doesn't contain everything you need to know, but it definitely gives you a good idea what to go see and what not to see.If you are looking for a great pocket reference while you are in Egypt, this is the way to go.I investigated a lot of different books and this was by far the best one.

A perfect travel companion for a 1st time traveler to Egypt!
Fodor's Pockeet Egypt, 1999 is a perfect travel companion for the first time visitor as well as return travelers.The illustrations, maps, critical advice and information about going to the middle east is easilyunderstood and helpful.I actually felt much more comfortable going on mytrip after reading Fodor's detailed guide on customs, food, culturaldifferences, hotels, and tour information.It helped me plan the timing inCairo, Luxor, and especially venturing south to less traveled areas. Fodoralso helped prepared me for the costs of the tours, times to go onexcursions as well as food and lodging."This book was my littlebible" while touring this country full of history.I teach the 6thgrade.My social studies curriculum "came to life" with Fodor'shelp while exploring the splendors of "Egypt"! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Middle East - Egypt    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Africa    5. Egypt    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Middle East / Egypt   

Subjects:  1. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Subjects:  1. Middle East - Egypt    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Egypt    6. Italy    7. Lebanon    8. Syria    9. Travel writing    10. Turkey   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. History - Ancient & Classical    5. Middle Eastern    6. Ancient Egypt    7. Egypt    8. Egyptian archaeology    9. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides    10. Travel / Africa   

Subjects:  1. African    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Cairo    5. Cairo (Egypt)    6. Catalogs    7. Egypt    8. Exhibition Catalogs    9. Guidebooks    10. History - Ancient & Classical    11. Matòhaf al-Miòsråi    12. Middle East - Egypt    13. Middle Eastern    14. Museums    15. Art / History / General    16. Travel / Middle East / Egypt   

Subjects:  1. Atlases - General    2. Maps    3. Maps & Road Atlases    4. Middle East - Egypt    5. Reference    6. Travel - Foreign