Whether you consider Cairo to be intriguing or infuriating, sublime or stinking, there’s no doubt that it’s picturesque. The following photos illustrate just what a city of contrasts Cairo is. From orderly mosques to gridlocked traffic, from neon lights to faded mosaics, it’s hard to keep your eyes off this frenetic, dynamic city. Here are 11 photos that prove it.

Sunset between two minarets

Coptic mosaic art at the “hanging church”

Cairo skyline

The courtyard of al Azhar mosque

The Sofitel hotel, at the edge of Zamalek Island in central Cairo

A Cairo market at sunset

A felucca sailing on the Nile at sunset

Neon-lit boats on the Nile embankment at night

Leather shoes at a Cairo bazaar

The green wooden minbar of the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha

Some of Cairo’s legendary traffic

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