Al-Azhar Park, Cairo: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Al-Azhar Park covers 30 hectares on the site of a former rubble dump on the Darassa Hills in eastern Cairo, opened in 2005 after a 7-year development funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The park sits between the Fatimid-era city walls and the Mamluk-period Cemetery of the Caliphs, and the design incorporates a restored 12th-century Ayyubid wall found during construction. Formal gardens, fountains, and a lakeside cafe give direct sightlines to the Citadel of Saladin and the minarets of Old Cairo. Entry costs about 100 Egyptian pounds on weekdays. is just one of many options in Cairo. Major attractions worth considering include Al-Azhar Mosque, National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), and Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrassa.