Downtown Cairo oasis

Tucked away on a pedestrian street in historic downtown, this elegant 1920s apartment lies 500 meters from the Egyptian Museum and 1,000 meters from the Islamic Museum. The lovingly restored art deco apartment is on one of central Cairo's quieter and cleaner pedestrian streets. The doorman building has a clean entrance and elevator. The apartment has been furnished with period pieces selected from local antique shops in a work in continual progress. It has a natural gas fireplace that keeps the entire space warm in winter and three air conditioners to keep it cool in summer. It has its own water pump and rooftop tank, guaranteeing a strong, 24-hour water supply, unlike many downtown apartments that rely on common pumps turned off "to rest" at night. The outer windows are all double-glazed to keep out noise and ensure proper climate control inside. The compact kitchen has a convection microwave oven with grill and a seven-stage filter for excellent drinking water. I live 250 meters from the apartment, so in general I can be on the spot almost immediately if help is required. Building facades were given a thorough renovation and painting throughout the neighborhood in late 2017 and early 2018. The neighborhood contains a number of important government buildings, including the historic stock exchange, central bank and National Bank of Egypt, Egypt's largest commercial bank, all of which are well guarded, providing security to the whole area. The apartment is within walking distance of all three of Cairo's metro lines. Taxis are easy to flag only a few meters away. Most of the apartments in the building are occupied by families, so parties or loud noise will not be tolerated.