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This tower, built by the architect Naoum Chebib , is 187 meters high and was completed in 1961. At the top, a rotating restaurant hall, which completes the tour in twenty minutes, offers a panoramic view to all the horizons of Cairo. . We can see as follows:
The tower is an emblem in Egypt, a masterpiece of structural art, built using styles of classical antiquity. This 187-meter building imitates a lotus by its shape; it is located on the island of Gezira (Zamalek), next to a majestic and serene Nile. The tower is illuminated at night by different shades of color.
At the top are telescopes, to enjoy the exceptional views of the pyramids of Giza and Sakkara, as well as the museum, the Citadel and the whole city. The restaurants and cafes of the Tower were all renovated in 2014 and refurbished, others were added. The panoramic restaurant at the top serves a gourmet menu of international and oriental cuisine.
The lighting system was also modified to make the tower a luminous arrow in the center of Cairo.
Two large elevators were added to avoid the long queues in front of the old elevator, which irritated both Egyptians and tourists. But if you prefer to walk, know that you will have to climb about 2500 steps to the top.
The Cairo Tower, 1961
In 1954, Naoum Shebib was the only architect to erect skyscrapers in Cairo. The Egyptian government chooses it to design and build a tower to be the symbol of modern Egypt.
Naoum Shebib acted as an architect, structural engineer and prime contractor. The work began in 1954, but due to the Suez Canal War, it was interrupted for nearly three years, from 1956 to 1959. The official inauguration of the tower took place on April 11, 1961.
At a height of 187 meters (613 feet) and a diameter of 14 meters (46 feet), the Cairo Tower was, in its day, one of the tallest reinforced concrete towers in the world.
The tower is located on the island of Gezireh (or Guezireh) in central Cairo. This tourist monument serves as both an observation tower and a telecommunications tower.
Description
The Cairo Tower is characterized by the purity and simplicity of its lines, as well as the authenticity of the raw materials used. The lack of superficial decorations and the structural prowess in the use of reinforced concrete have made it possible to build a light, elegant and transparent envelope.
The structure of the tower consists of a central reinforced concrete body, four peripheral columns and platforms spread over the entire height. These platforms support the outer shell made of reinforced concrete rhombs.
The reinforced concrete diamond pattern that covers the tower becomes longer and longer, giving the appearance of upward movement as the gaze moves upward. The lines that intertwine the whole height open slightly at the top, imitating a Pharaonic-inspired lotus flower.
Eight million small mosaics cover the outer surfaces of the tower over its entire height. This mosaic coating has been selected for its appearance and weather resistance.
Aswan’s polished pink granite, a material often used by ancient Egyptians, was chosen for the base of the tower and its main staircase.
At the top, a revolving restaurant, cafeteria and gazebo with telescopes offer an unobstructed 360-degree panoramic view of the entire city.
Construction
The realization of the tower required great architectural and technical prowess to give a lightweight appearance to a building height while maintaining its strength and stability.
Each of the rows of diamonds being different, they have been the subject of complex calculations in their design and a competence in their execution.
The tower rests on a slab of reinforced concrete whose dimensions far exceed the surface of the base of the tower and which will rely on the rock located 25 meters deep.
A team of 500 workers has been hired for the construction of the Cairo Tower.
A short tour to the tall tower of Cairo
She has the affront to exceed 50 m in height Her Majesty the pyramid of Cheops. But no doubt it can be forgiven for it is considered an architectural masterpiece.
Officially inaugurated on April 11, 1961, and recently undergoing major renovations, the Cairo Tower, located on Guezireh Island (residential district of Zamalek), has become one of the symbols of the Egyptian capital. With a total height of 187 m, with its growths for telecommunications, with observatories nestled at 133 m and 143 m, this building offers visitors, in addition to various gastronomic formulas in a revolving restaurant, the opportunity to include look at the whole city of Cairo and its surroundings. With a complicit wink towards the Great Pyramid! If the 2,500 steps frighten you, three lifts are at your disposal to reach the summit.
Its construction, made possible by American funding of $ 6 million (in compensation, can we read here and there, for non-participation in the construction of the Aswan High Dam), lasted 5 years.It was designed and built by Naoum Shebib (1915-1985), one of Egypt’s leading architects and forerunner of modern architecture in Egypt.
The Cairo Tower is characterized by the lightness, purity, transparency and simplicity of its lines.”The reinforced concrete diamond motif that covers the tower is becoming longer and longer, giving the appearance of upward movement as the gaze moves upward. The lines that intertwine the entire height open slightly at the top, imitating a Pharaonic-inspired lotus flower. “(Website dedicated to architect Naoum Shebib)
The materials used were left in the raw state, without any superficial decorations. The structure of the tower has a central body, four peripheral columns and platforms, distributed over the entire height, which support the outer shell made of rhombs also reinforced concrete. Chosen for its appearance and its resistance to bad weather, a coating of tesserae (count: there are 8 million!) Covers the outer surfaces of the tower over its entire height. As for the base of the building, which rests on a slab of reinforced concrete leaning on the rock located 25 meters deep, and on its main staircase, they are built of polished pink granite from Aswan, a material often used by the ancient Egyptians.
The connoisseurs of construction and especially the specialists of the perspective will appreciate: the realization of the tower required great architectural and technical feats in order to give an appearance of lightness to a construction in height while preserving its solidity and its stability.The rows of diamonds, all different from each other and representing 24 windows per floor, “have been the subject of complex calculations in their design and a competence in their execution.”
“This tower,” commented Naoum Shebib on the day of the inauguration, sits among the tallest reinforced concrete towers in the world. Its height reaches 187 meters and exceeds 50 meters the Great Pyramid. We took into account the most modern methods concerning reinforced concrete construction. The perimeter of the tower is covered with a lozenge-shaped concrete net that is longer and longer, giving the viewer the impression of an upward movement as his gaze moves towards the sky. I would like to mention the courage of the Egyptian workers as well as their patience and their ability to work at such a height despite the bad weather they were exposed to. “
From the ancient builders of pyramids to their far-off contemporary colleagues, the Egyptians have the engineering genius flowing in their veins.
Explore the city of Cairo and have an Ariel view from the Cairo tower