I was working in Egypt for a couple of weeks in 2001, but still got to see a lot of sights in and around Cairo in the evenings and at the weekend.

My main memory of the place is the history with which it has been endowed: from the grandeur of the pyramids at Giza to the beautifully preserved artefacts in the Cairo museum. To realize that it all came from a time when we were still living in mud huts makes it all the more incredible.

On the downside are the hawkers which seem to be a fixture of most big cities in the region, although it can be fun to haggle in the souks.