Cairo Tower
Encyclopedia
The Cairo Tower is a free-standing concrete tower
located in Cairo
, Egypt
. At 187 m (613.5 ft), it has been the tallest structure in Egypt and North Africa
for 50 years. It was the tallest structure in Africa for 10 years, until 1971 when it was surpassed by Hillbrow Tower
in South Africa
.
One of Cairo's well-known landmarks, it stands in the Zamalek
district on Gezira Island
in the River Nile
, close to Downtown Cairo
.
is intended to evoke a pharaonic lotus
plant, an iconic symbol of Ancient Egypt
. The tower is crowned by a circular observation deck and a rotating restaurant with a view over greater Cairo
. One rotation takes approximately seventy minutes.
A story published by the Egyptian government in the 1960s, is that the American government
gave US$
100,000 to Gamal Abdel Nasser
, President of Egypt
(1956–1970), as a personal gift, and that Nasser deployed this amount of money to start the construction of the tower, thus uncovering the gift's American source to the city.
Between November 2004 and 17 May 2009 it underwent a EGP
35 million restoration project, completed in time for its fiftieth anniversary on April 2011.
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
located in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. At 187 m (613.5 ft), it has been the tallest structure in Egypt and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
for 50 years. It was the tallest structure in Africa for 10 years, until 1971 when it was surpassed by Hillbrow Tower
Hillbrow Tower
The Hillbrow Tower is a tall tower located in the suburb of Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. At , it has been the tallest structure and tower in Africa for 40 years, and it was also the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere until 1978, when surpassed by the 270m Mount Isa Chimney in...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
One of Cairo's well-known landmarks, it stands in the Zamalek
Zamalek
Zamalek Sporting Club , is an Egyptian sporting club based in Meet Okba, Giza, Egypt that plays in the Egyptian Premier League....
district on Gezira Island
Gezira Island
Gezira Island is located in the Nile River, in central Cairo, Egypt. The southern portion of the island contains the Gezira District, and the northern third contains the affluent Zamalek District....
in the River Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
, close to Downtown Cairo
Downtown Cairo
Downtown Cairo, , has been the urban center of Cairo, Egypt since the late 19th century, when the district was designed and built.-History:The area, designed by prestigious French architects was commissioned by Khedive Ismail...
.
History
Built from 1956 to 1961, the tower was designed by the Egyptian architect Naoum Chebib. Its partially open lattice-work designThin-shell structure
Thin-shell structures are light weight constructions using shell elements. These elements are typically curved and are assembled to large structures...
is intended to evoke a pharaonic lotus
Nelumbo
Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy flowers resembling water lilies, commonly known as lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are only two known living species in the genus. The sacred lotus is native to Asia, and is the better known of the two...
plant, an iconic symbol of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. The tower is crowned by a circular observation deck and a rotating restaurant with a view over greater Cairo
Greater Cairo
Greater Cairo is the largest metropolitan area in Egypt and the third largest urban area in the Islamic World after Jakarta and Greater Istanbul. It is the largest urban area in Africa. It is the world's 16th largest metropolitan area, consisting of governorates Cairo, Giza and Shubra El Khiema of...
. One rotation takes approximately seventy minutes.
A story published by the Egyptian government in the 1960s, is that the American government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
gave US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100,000 to Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
, President of Egypt
President of Egypt
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....
(1956–1970), as a personal gift, and that Nasser deployed this amount of money to start the construction of the tower, thus uncovering the gift's American source to the city.
Between November 2004 and 17 May 2009 it underwent a EGP
Egyptian pound
The Egyptian Pound is the currency of Egypt. It is divided into 100 Qirsh , or 1,000 Milliemes ....
35 million restoration project, completed in time for its fiftieth anniversary on April 2011.
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Cairo
- List of tallest structures in the Middle East
- List of tallest structures in the world by country
- List of tallest towers in the world
- List of revolving restaurants
External links
- cairotower.net, tower's official website (requires Adobe FlashAdobe FlashAdobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
; in English) 'The Cairo Tower' by Samir Raafat