Al-Azhar Park
حديقة الأزهر
A 30-hectare Islamic-style garden built on a former 500-year-old rubbish mound, with sunsets over the old city's mosques and the Citadel visible from its heights.
Al-Azhar Park was funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and opened in 2005. The site was a hill of rubble that had piled up over centuries. The park is laid out along Islamic garden axes, with water channels and fountains, making it one of the few large green spaces in Cairo. On the western edge of the park, a 12th-century Ayyubid city wall was excavated and restored. The lakeside restaurant on the heights and the Citadel View restaurant both have superb views. At dusk you can watch the sun set behind a cluster of minarets, with the Citadel in the distance. Admission is about EGP 30–60 (higher on public holidays), and it is open roughly 09:00–22:00. A taxi from Khan el-Khalili takes about 10 minutes, and on weekends it is full of local families.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:00–22:00
Nearby sights
- Al-Azhar Mosque
- Bab Zuweila
- Wikala of al-Ghuri (Tanoura Dance)
- Al-Muizz Street
- Khan el-Khalili
- Al-Rifa'i Mosque
- Citadel of Saladin
- Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan