It only takes 45 seconds to reach the top of the newly renovated Cairo Tower, leaving all the more time to enjoy the view, writes Dena Rashed For some time now the Cairo Tower has been illuminated at night, signalling the end of its three-year renovation and its official re-opening to the public last month. Many members of the public have been encouraged to see how this 50-year-old Cairo landmark has been changed by its renovation, making the trip to Zamalek to enjoy the marvellous view of the city that the Tower affords. The Cairo Tower opened to the public in 1961, but its history dates back to the period immediately after the 1952 Revolution and the Revolutionary Command Council's decision to build a new communications tower in Cairo. According to one famous story, it is said that the CIA offered the council $3 million for different purposes, apparently in the form of a bribe, but that the late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser declined the CIA's conditions. He still took the money, however, using it instead to build the Tower. The highest building in the Middle East at the time, the Tower was meant to become a patriotic landmark signifying the strength of the new regime. After the Tower opened it swiftly became not only a venue from which to enjoy marvellous views of Cairo, but also a place for romantic trysts, and, unfortunately, a place from which some people chose to end their lives by jumping from the Tower's viewing platforms. Visiting the Tower today after its expensive refit, a mix of visitors of different ages and backgrounds, all crammed into the viewing corridor at the top of the Tower, certainly seemed to be enjoying the view. One group of young men in suits looked as if they had just finished work, and, crowding the entrance to the elevators, they were waiting to go up and take a look at the city from the top. According to Mohamed El-Sharqawi, who works at the Foreign Ministry, the group had organised the trip at work. This was the first time he had visited the Tower, and he had various expectations. "Before the renovation took place, I was not that keen on the Tower. People told me that the elevators were slow and the services were not great. But then friends told me that the Tower was much improved, so we decided to come to look," he said. Standing by the lower fencing around the Tower, Mohamed said that the moment he had gone through the Tower's gates he had seen the great improvements that had come about as a result of the renovations. "It's really a place where you can spend a great day out," he said. At the top of the Tower, Wael Hussein, a photographer at the Tower for the past six years, is in attendance, and he confirms that the changes have been enormous. "It's not just a matter of the renovations themselves," he says. "We, the staff, are now treated so much better, and the management now understands that the public wants photographers with the latest digital cameras to record a trip to the Tower." Today, unlike even a few years ago, almost every visitor carries his or her own digital camera to snap some favourite moments, but Hussein argues that his business has nevertheless not died. "People still want a shot taken by the experts," he says. Some people want a shot without the barrier on the viewing platform showing behind them, "an impossible request that drives me crazy." Most visitors today are families, Hussein says, who often take no more than half an hour or so for their visit. However, romantic couples "can still come in at 10am and leave in the afternoon." While a married couple recorded their little girl's first steps with a video camera a few feet away, another couple were sharing gifts nearby. To make sure that security is paramount, two guards are always on duty at the top of the Tower. According to Haitham Mustafa, who has been working in security at the Tower for the past seven months, the job is usually smooth, though there are occasionally some funny incidents. "When we think that a visitor does not look quite stable, we always keep an eye on him. Usually, it is people who come on their own," he said. "One day a guy came to the Tower on his own, laughing and claiming in front of the elevators at the entrance that 'I am a bird.' Naturally, I had to stick around him to make sure he did not try to fly." The staff are all trained in national defence procedures and are fully qualified to ensure the safety of visitors in the event of an emergency. Among the visitors there are a number of foreigners. Jeanette Batley, who lives in Egypt, decided to pay her first visit to the Cairo Tower with her family. "My daughter likes taking photos, so we thought we would come here to enjoy a bird's-eye view," she said. However, not everyone is so impressed with the renovations, as one young visitor, Islam Mamdouh, demonstrated. He has been a regular visitor of the tower for years, and this time he was showing a companion around. "I don't see any major difference, just some repainting," Mamdouh said, adding that what still draws him back is the stunning view. Yet, there is evident change, perhaps most obviously around the Tower. There are new metal gates, valet parking, and flowers everywhere in the surrounding gardens. The whole place is very clean, and the new presentation is all part of a plan to use the Tower to generate income. Inside, the changes are just as dramatic. The cafeteria on the 60th floor and the revolving restaurant on the 59th floor have been totally revamped. Long a romantic hangout for couples, today's visitors can rekindle their love in the revolving restaurant for a minimum charge of LE100 per person. For those whose budgets do not quite run to that, the cafeteria offers snacks and drinks, and, without a minimum charge, just as much view for far less money. "People complain that we have increased entrance fees from LE5 to LE20," said Mohamed Hanafi, the manager of the Tower. "But in fact even before the renovation entrance to the Tower cost LE15, so LE5 is not that great a difference, especially when you consider the millions spent on the restoration. And besides the Tower now caters to people from widely different income brackets." Probably the most glamorous part of the Tower is the two VIP floors that have been added underneath the revolving restaurant, and these include a French restaurant and a bar lounge, both requiring special reservation. To meet the needs of those who want to enjoy a visit to the Tower but do not like heights, there is another cafeteria in the gardens. According to Hani Maher, marketing manager of the Tower, "many people do not know there is a conference room on the 10th floor, though the market for this is picking up and it has been reserved a few times." Nevertheless, despite the new management's efforts to ensure that people from all backgrounds can continue to enjoy a visit to the Tower, it seems that it may no longer be an automatic venue for young lovers. While they are of course still welcome to enjoy a few hours looking out over the city, now the experience could end up costing quite a few hundreds of pounds if they opt for the renovated Tower's high- end facilities. As Maher adds, "the area from the gates to the entrance of the Tower itself has already been booked for a number of private and corporate events, and we have even had a couple who wanted to hold their wedding on the steps of the Tower." photos: Dena Rashed & Mohamed Wassim
