CAIRO Situated on the fertile banks of the Nile

 Egypt’s capital is also the largest city on the African continent. Dating from A.D. 640, this sprawling metropolis is a showcase of antiquity from the pharaonic era and reveals a wealth of magnetic fascinations for the visitor. This is where the Christian, Muslim and ancient worlds converge. Of Cairo’s many amazing sites, perhaps the most renowned is the esteemed Egyptian Museum. Housing the world’s largest collection of Egyptian and Roman relics, the most famous of the museum’s innumerable riches are the 3,300-year-old treasures from the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Among the artifacts are his elaborate gold coffin and finely detailed gold throne. A modern city teeming with contemporary pleasures, Cairo is also the gateway to Giza where the spectacular Pyramids and enigmatic Sphinx stand on the edge of desert sands. Nearby is Sakkara, a necropolis containing hundreds of Egyptian tombs and home to the world’s first pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Zozer.