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Cairo, known as the 'mother of the world", is an attraction for tourists from all around the world.

Cairo, a dusty city of 20 million people, is a continuous assault on the senses and a place where time seems to both stand still and rush into utter chaos. It is a place where the ancient and contemporary, conservative and experimental happily chug( 发出汽车等的突突声)along on parallel tracks. It is infuriatingly disorderly and yet, utterly charming.

The Great Pyramids of Giza sits on the western edge of the city. Even as the setting sun silhouettes these gigantic structures against the great desert expanse, a muezzin's (报告祷告时刻的人)call for prayer floats over a flock of semi-finished apartment blocks mixing with the activity of city life.

Dwarfed by these pyramids in the light of day, you can’t but marvel at the genius of man. The largest of these, the Pyramid of Khufu that rises to an astonishing 450 meter, is estimated to contain more than 25 million blocks of limestone, each weighing more than 2 tons, That such a structure as this was erected in an age when the winch, pulley and wheel were unknown, defies the imagination.

Standing guard at the entrance to the pyramid of Khafre is the 4500-year-old Sphinx, a magnificent structure that stands 20 meter tall and is 57 meter long, and was built to inspire awe for the pharaoh. But the creepy feeling inside the pyramid is nothing compared to what awaits visitors at the mummification section of Cairo museum. Thank heavens, there's always a crowd in there despite the extra 100 Egyptian pounds ($18)charge.

While careful pining for the afterlife may lie buried under the Cairo asphalt(柏油路), it is chaotic on the streets. Donkey carts battle for space with pedestrians and the only operative road rule is "might is right". But it is . city that throbs with life from the small roadside eateries that serve up sacks to the coffee shops where men and women smoke the shisha or hookah.

Donkey carts piled high with flatbreads magically weave their way in and out of the maddening traffic; young women in long skirts and headscarves unselfconsciously hold hands with young men in open collar shirts; while conversations dwell on Kuwait’s chances at the soccer World Cup.

No trip to Cairo is complete without a visit to the downtown khan-el-khalili market that offers everything from papyrus paintings, flower essences and oils, camel leather products, to spices, jewelry and of course, the shisha. Be careful, though, as shopping in Cairo can be a tourist trap. The city is best navigated with a reliable tour guide.

Cairo is a city of mixture of the following EXCEPT _____ .