Ain Shames

Ain Shams is a district in the Eastern Area of Cairo, Egypt. The name means "Eye of the Sun" in Arabic, referring to the fact that the district contained the ruins of the ancient city of Heliopolis, once the spiritual centre of ancient Egyptian sun-worship, and settled since 3100 BCE following the Predynastic Period.

Places of Interest Nearby

Highlights include Heliopolis and Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima.

Heliopolis

Archaeological site

Photo: Didia, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Heliopolis was a major city of ancient Egypt. It was the capital of the Heliopolite or 13th Nome of Lower Egypt and a major religious centre. Its site is within the boundaries of Ain Shams and El Matareya districts in northeastern Cairo. Heliopolis is situated 1 km west of Ain Shames.

Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima

Church

Photo: Ziqo, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima or just Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in Cairo is a religious building that is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in the city of Cairo, the capital of the African country of Egypt. Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima is situated 3½ km southeast of Ain Shames.

Qubba Palace

Castle

Photo: Riad Shehata, Public domain.

Koubbeh Palace or Qubbah Palace is one of the various Egyptian palaces which serve as the country's official guest house for visiting dignitaries. The palace was most likely originally built in the mid-19th century and sold to Khedive Ismail in 1866 by his brother Mustafa Fazl Pasha. Qubba Palace is situated 4 km southwest of Ain Shames.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include North Cairo and Zeitoun.

North Cairo

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.

The northern districts of Greater Cairo form a vast and highly populated region, but which is generally of little interest to the tourist. The ancient city of Heliopolis was here, but it's mostly covered over by urban sprawl of the Matariya neighborhood.

Zeitoun

Suburb

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.

Zeitoun, also al-Zeitoun, is one of the eight districts that make up the Northern Area in Cairo, Egypt. It is known for its Marian apparitions at the Coptic Church of the Virgin Mary of Zeitoun, reported in 1968–1971. Zeitoun is situated 3½ km south of Ain Shames.

East Cairo

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.

The eastern districts of Cairo are a series of planned communities which have been built away from the congestion of historic Cairo. The most prominent communities are Heliopolis, Nasr City, and New Cairo. Cairo International Airport is also located in this area, just to the east of Heliopolis.

Ain Shames

Type: Metro station
Also known as: “‘Ain Shams”, “‘Ain Shems”, “‘Ayn Shams”, “`Ayn Shams”, “Ain el Shams Station”, “Ain Shams”, “Ayn Shams”, “Ein Shams”, and “Maḩaţţat ‘Ayn Shams”
Category: transportation
Location: Cairo Governorate, Egypt, North Africa, Africa
View on OpenStreetMap

Latitude

30.131° or 30° 7′ 52″ north

Longitude

31.31911° or 31° 19′ 9″ east

Elevation

18 metres (59 feet)

Open location code

8G2H48J9+CJ

GeoNames ID

359542

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Satellite Map

Discover Ain Shames from above in high-definition satellite imagery.

In Other Languages

“Ain Shames” goes by many names.

Arabic: “عين شمس”

Localities in the Area

Explore places such as Ain Shams and ‘Arab Abū Ţawīlah.

Nearby Places

Explore places such as Ma‘had Mandūbī ash Shurţah and Madrasat al Mutafawwiqīn.

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