Baron Empain Palace

This striking mansion in the Heliopolis district was built in the early twentieth century for a Belgian industrialist who helped develop the suburb. Its design was inspired by Hindu and Cambodian temple architecture, with towers, sculpted figures and terraces unlike anything else in Cairo. Long abandoned and shrouded in local legends, it was restored and reopened as a museum documenting the history of Heliopolis. The elaborate stonework, spiral rooms and rooftop terrace give it an unusual, almost theatrical character among the city's landmarks.