Cairo Tower
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| Cairo Tower | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Information | |
| Location |  Cairo, Egypt |
| Status | Complete |
| Groundbreaking | 1956 |
| Constructed | 1956-1961 |
| Use | Communications, observation |
| Height | |
| Antenna/Spire | 187 m (613.5 ft) |
The Cairo Tower (Arabic: برج القاهرة, burj al-qāhira, colloquially burg al-qāhira) is a free-standing concrete television tower in Cairo, Egypt. It stands in the Zamalek district on Gezira Island in the River Nile, close to the city centre. At 187 m (610 ft), it is 43 metres (140 ft) higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands some 15 km (9.3 mi) to the southwest. It is one of Cairo's most famous and well-known landmarks.
The Cairo Tower was built from 1956 to 1961, reportedly to convince a sceptical world the nation had the capability to construct the Aswan Dam.[citation needed] Designed by the Egyptian architect Naoum Chebib, the tower's partially open lattice-work design is intended to evoke a lotus plant. The tower is crowned by a circular observation deck and a rotating restaurant with a view over Cairo. One rotation takes approximately 70 minutes.
[edit] Gallery
 Cairo Tower by night |
 View from the top of the tower |
 Evening view from the top of the tower |
 Late afternoon view from the top of the tower |
 View of the Nile showing Cairo Tower in the middle with the Sofitel and Grand Hyatt hotels in the far right. |
 Cairo Tower at night. It now lights up using different colour schemes. Here it can be seen in green, against the Nile. |
 Cairo Tower at night, showing Sofitel Hotel in Gezira island. Shown in purple colour scheme. |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Cairo Tower Official Site
- Cairo Television Tower in the Structurae database
- 'The Cairo Tower' by Samir Raafat
Coordinates: 30°02′45″N 31°13′28″E / 30.04583°N 31.22444°E
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