Because it is more than 130 years old, one of the largest in the world, measuring 120 acres and including numerous old trees and animals. The Giza zoo was created by khedive Abbas II Hilmi Bey (also known as Abbas Hilmi Pasha), but his father, Khedive Muhammed Tewfik Pasha, came up with the concept.
The Giza zoo is still the most popular tourist attraction among Egyptians, with hundreds of school children visiting every day from outside the city, and schools in Cairo organizing weekly visits to the zoo. Animals, birds, and reptiles of all types are popular among visitors.
The Zoo is regarded as a huge display of African wildlife. It is home to a variety of animals and birds that have been extinct in Egypt. They will be returned to their natural habitats, from which they became extinct. Mountain goats and rams, Egyptian gazelles, and herons are among them.
The zoo is divided into five mountainous sections, the largest of which is Citadel Hill, which was built in 1867. It is adorned with statues of the Fayoum rhinoceros, crocodiles, and odd birds, all of which are extinct. Its plateau is encircled by a small park that may be accessed through a spiral walk. It has plant-covered walkways, a variety of streams, a resting hall in the center, and numerous cement and pebble statues of birds and reptiles. The streams run into waterfalls that lead to a lake with two islands joined by a wooden bridge, passing through caverns with white coral reefs hanging down. Two artificial hills in front of the lions’ home are joined by a unique iron suspended bridge, Egypt’s only one.
There is a museum in the garden, in addition to the various animals. It was created in 1906. It is divided into three huge rooms that house vast groups of embalmed Egyptian and foreign birds, reptiles, fish, and animals, as well as bones. There are two more halls with a variety of creatures, reptiles, and birds on display. For this purpose, an embalming plant is located behind the museum.
The Zoo also serves as a research center for experts interested in animal and avian behavior. In Egypt, five non-governmental groups run programs to urge people to protect wild animals and raise environmental awareness.
Address: Oula, Giza District, Giza Governorate
It opens at 9 AM Wed
Phone: +202 35708895
Number of animals: 6,000
Opened: March 1, 1891
No. of species: 175
