The
ruins of ancient
Heliopolis (also known as Iunu and On),
center of the cult of the sun god Ra, are
now
covered
by the
Cairo
suburb
of Matariyya and few
monuments
are
visible today. Highlights are the Obelisk
Park, where you can see an obelisk of Senwosret
I and view artifacts discovered nearby
in a small open air museum. Nearby is the
Tree of Mary, which is said to be a descendent
of a tree that sheltered the Holy Family
during their exile in Egypt.
Also
open to the public are the ruins at Arab
el-Hitan, where a number of Ramesside remains
can be explored, and the new Open Air Museum,
in which the 26th Dynasty tomb chamber
of Panehsy has been reconstructed.
HOURS OF
OPERATION:
Daily, 9 AM - 5
PM
TICKET COST:
Obelisk: Egyptian: 1 LE
Foreign: 12 LE
Tree: Egyptian: 2 LE
Foreign: 10 LE
50% reduction for bearers of International Student ID Card
LOCATION:
El Matariyya, Cairo
DIRECTIONS:
BY METRO: Take the red line, direction el
Marg to the stop, el Matariyya and take
a taxi from the station.
BY
TAXI: From Matariyya or Ain Shams, ask
for masala ain shams
for the obelisk or shagrat
mareem for Mary’s Tree. |