Egypt’s capital Cairo ranked fourth among the world’s 12 most beautiful cities in 2026, according to a classification by Civitatis magazine. The magazine attributed the selection to Cairo’s deeply rooted history, saying that a single glance at the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is enough to understand why Cairo is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Cairo was founded in 969 AD by the Fatimid commander Jawhar al-Siqilli. The city is home to numerous archaeological and historical landmarks from different eras. Several of its historic sites were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1979, including Fustat, which encompasses the Nilometer on Roda Island, the Amr ibn al-As Mosque, the Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, Ibn Tulun Mosque, the Citadel, Fatimid-era structures in Cairo, its cemeteries, the shrine of Imam al-Shafi’i, the shrine of Sayyida Nafisa and the Mausoleum of Qaytbay, in what is collectively known as Historic Cairo, according to the official website of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The magazine noted that Cairo offers visitors a wide range of tourist attractions, from the Egyptian Museum, described as the world’s most comprehensive museum of antiquities, to vibrant traditional markets. It added that there are many enjoyable activities to do in Cairo, particularly dinner cruises and Nile boat trips, according to a statement by the Cabinet. The Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) Civitatis is a leading online platform specializing in booking tourism activities, guided tours and day trips in some of the world’s best-known tourist destinations, with a particular focus on Spanish-speaking markets. The platform offers activities in more than 4,290 destinations and has so far served more than 30 million customers. Egyptian tourism expert Mohamed Karem described Cairo as “an open-air museum,” telling Asharq Al-Awsat: “This museum brings together different eras, from ancient Egyptian civilization to the Coptic, Islamic and modern periods. The Pyramids area alone represents a global symbol of civilization, while the Grand Egyptian Museum is one of the world’s most important cultural and tourism projects.” Egypt is seeking to enhance the tourism experience in Historic Cairo through several initiatives, including restoring and developing visitor routes across the open historic area, which includes Fatimid Cairo, the Mamluk Desert and Fustat, according to remarks made earlier this month by Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy during a meeting with acting US Ambassador to Cairo Robert Silverman. Karem added: “There is also Nile tourism, which is witnessing remarkable demand from both foreign and domestic tourists, as well as traditional heritage markets such as Khan el-Khalili and other landmarks that distinguish the city.” He said the global ranking of Cairo as the world’s fourth most beautiful city reflects Egypt’s success in recent years in developing tourism infrastructure, reviving Historic Cairo, improving the visitor experience, and upgrading transportation and tourism services. Egypt is banking on tourism as one of its most important sources of national income through the diversity of its tourist destinations and by strengthening Cairo’s position as a destination that attracts large numbers of visitors, especially with its many landmarks, including the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza within the Greater Cairo area, the Citadel of Salah al-Din, mosques and historical and archaeological sites, in addition to promoting conference tourism, sports tourism, entertainment tourism and Nile tourism as diverse attractions for visitors. Karem stressed that “Cairo’s ranking as the world’s fourth most beautiful city has given Egypt extremely important free tourism publicity, because foreign tourists look for distinctive cities on such global platforms.” He added that “Cairo cannot be explored in a single day, but requires at least a week for tourists to visit its landmarks while also experiencing everyday life, including food, popular culture, Nile outings and other deeply rooted social traditions in the city’s historic neighborhoods that give Cairo its distinctive character.”
