Modern Cairo extends eastward from the Nile to the Place Ezbekieh, which adjoins the 20-acre Ezbekieh Gardens. On the place stands the opera house, built for the celebrations that attended the completion of the Suez Canal. Here also stood the first Shepheard's, a world-famous Swiss hotel that catered to foreigners. Egyptian mobs burned Shepheard's and destroyed many other buildings when they rioted against the Europeans in 1952. Although old Cairo has many fine examples of Arab architecture, most of it is a slum of crumbling mud-brick tenements.
Many streets are narrow and unpaved.
Transportation is by donkey or camel. From the Place Ezbekieh, Muski Street runs eastward into the oldest section. On Muski is Cairo's most famous bazaar, where one can buy almost anything. Narrow alleys are lined with tiny shops that are open to the street. In the shops craftsmen sit cross-legged, tooling leather, weaving rugs, or working metal.