One of the few remaining testaments to Cairo’s once-thriving Jewish community, this art-nouveau-meets-ancient-Egypt Sephardic synagogue is very seldom used, and the heavy police presence makes for a rather tense scene. When it opened in 1899, there was a large Jewish community in Cairo, but the last time the synagogue was full was in the 1960s. Casual visitors, unfortunately, haven't been able to enter for years, but you can admire the beautiful facade in full from across the road.
Shar Hashamaim Synagogue
Cairo
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.36 MILES
The last remaining wonder of the ancient world; for nearly 4000 years, the extraordinary shape, impeccable geometry and sheer bulk of the Giza Pyramids…
0.66 MILES
One of the world’s most important collections of ancient artefacts, the Egyptian Museum takes pride of place in Downtown Cairo, on the north side of Midan…
12.6 MILES
Covering a 7km stretch of the Western Desert, Saqqara, the huge cemetery of ancient Memphis, was an active burial ground for more than 3500 years and is…
0.72 MILES
This museum, on the edge of Islamic Cairo, holds one of the world’s finest collections of Islamic art and is Egypt's (and one of the entire Middle East's)…
1.18 MILES
Founded in AD 970 as the centrepiece of the newly created Fatimid city, Al Azhar is one of Cairo’s earlier mosques, and its sheikh is considered the…
1.02 MILES
Sharia Al Muizz, as it’s usually called, named after the Fatimid caliph who conquered Cairo in AD 969, was Cairo's grand thoroughfare, once chock-a-block…
3.23 MILES
This museum, founded in 1908, houses Coptic art from the earliest days of Christianity in Egypt right through to early Islam. It is a beautiful place, as…
12.09 MILES
The Mastaba of Ti was discovered by Auguste Mariette in 1865. This grand and detailed private tomb is not only Old Kingdom art at its best but also one of…
Nearby Cairo attractions
1. Contemporary Image Collective
0.16 MILES
This art initiative often hosts excellent temporary art and photography exhibitions; check the website to see if anything is showing while you're in town…
0.24 MILES
This Florentine-style Roman Catholic church is a major landmark along Sharia Mohammed Farid. It dates from 1909 when Cairo was home to a sizeable Italian…
0.25 MILES
With its beautifully restored Moorish-style facade, this building which once housed an Italian insurance company, is one of Qasr El Nil's most notable…
0.25 MILES
The Ezbekiyya Gardens, designed in 1870s, were once considered among the finest gardens outside Europe. They once covered more than 20 acres, with exotic…
0.26 MILES
The rather grand facade of the Cairo Stock Exchange was built in 1928 and merges neoclassical design with art nouveau.
0.35 MILES
A quirky, old fashioned two-room museum home to dusty cases of highly detailed models of post offices and tiny dioramas of postal services throughout the…
0.36 MILES
This traffic-clogged area of park, markets and transit hub is the transition point from European-built Cairo, particularly its theatre and entertainment…
0.39 MILES
Set amid car-repair shops, Townhouse is Cairo’s most cutting-edge space, with a regular program of temporary exhibitions, often with an emphasis on video…