Cairo Tower

Cairo Tower
Arabic: برج القاهرة Borg El-Qahira
Cairo tower in 2012
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Communications, observation, restaurants, visitor attraction
Architectural style	Ancient Egypt
Location	Cairo, Egypt
Coordinates	30°02′45″N 31°13′28″E / 30.04583°N 31.22444°E / 30.04583; 31.22444
Construction started	1956
Completed	1961
Opening	1961[1]
Cost	Around $US1-3 million
Owner	Government of Egypt
Height
Architectural	187 m (613.5 ft)
Antenna spire	187 m (613.5 ft)
Roof	160 m (524.9 ft)
Top floor	143 m (469.2 ft)
Observatory	143 m (469.2 ft)
Technical details
Material	Concrete
Floor count	16[2]
Lifts/elevators	3
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Naoum Shebib
Website
cairotower.net (requires Adobe Flash; in English)
References
[3][4][5][6][7][8]

The Cairo Tower (Egyptian Arabic: برج القاهرة, Borg El-Qāhira) is a free-standing concrete tower in Cairo, Egypt. At 187 m (614 ft), it was the tallest structure in Egypt for 37 years until 1998, when it was surpassed by the Suez Canal overhead powerline crossing. It was the tallest structure in North Africa for 21 years until 1982, when it was surpassed by the Nador transmitter in Morocco. It was the tallest structure in Africa for one year until 1962, when it was surpassed by Sentech Tower in South Africa.

One of Cairo's well-known modern monuments, sometimes considered Egypt's second most famous landmark after the Pyramids of Giza, it stands in the Gezira district on Gezira Island in the River Nile, close to downtown Cairo.