The scale of cultural significance of the city's architectural wonders have been leaving visitors awestruck since the first tourists, the Ancient Greeks and the Romans, arrived to gawp in disbelief

And with tourism now the nation's major money-earner, the Egyptian government has invested around £100m in the last two years in a bid to boost the number of visitors flocking to the country each year from nine million to 14 million. At the same time, the modern Cairo, while proudly celebrating and revelling in its incredible history, has shown it is intent on making its mark in the future as well as the past.

As part of this process, the tourist use of wireless internet networks in Cairo, as well as Luxor and Sharm el Sheikh, has been funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Wireless internet is not new to the leading four and five-star hotels in Cairo but the city now has around 300 separate hotspots from cafes and restaurants to bars and even cruise ships.

Moving with the times IT advances are just one sign of Cairo's burning desire to move with the times. Most Cairenes are very proud of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's atomic ambitions. In October (2007), he announced plans to build several civilian nuclear plants to meet the nation's energy needs as its population of 79 million swells and its economy expands. The country has oil and gas reserves but its oil resources are maturing and production has declined. On the desert fringes of Cairo there is another more obvious symbol of modern life.

There are a growing number of high-end developments luring wealthy Egyptians and some foreign investors away from the inevitable noise and pollution of the city. Set around golf courses or landscaped gardens, and with palm trees, artificial lakes and private security guards, the gated estates, with names such as Beverly Hills, Palm Heights and Gardenia, offer western suburban lifestyles previously unknown in Egypt.

Property prices Prices, however, have not yet caught up with western property markets and it is possible to buy a modern two-storey five-bedroom villa, with four bedrooms, air conditioning and swimming pool for less than £450,000. Further down the price scale, a refurbished two-bedroom apartment in a quiet, tree-lined suburban neighbourhood can cost less than £20,000. The attractions for people from abroad are myriad. Cairo offers an astonishing range of leisure and cultural activities, shopping and nightlife. Shopping ranges from modern air-conditioned malls to the famous 700-year-old Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

Here, as in many areas of the city, medieval trades and customs co-exist in a labyrinth of streets and alleyways with a contemporary cosmopolitan mix of Arab, African and European influences. You want it...they've got it. Perfumes, gold and silver, carpets, brass and copperware, leatherwork, glass ceramics and beautiful Egyptian cotton. It can be fascinating to explore the city's streets and grand 19th century boulevards to discover ancient mosques, including Amr's (the oldest in Egypt), Coptic churches, Arab settlements and Saladin's imposing Citadel. Out and about When you feel in need of some exercise away from the city's buzz, there's golf on the scenic 18-hole Oberoi Mena House course, so close to the pyramids that they literally tower over you, or tennis at the Gezireh Sporting Club, the largest sporting club in Egypt, which offers 20 clay courts lit for night play.

Or you can shake the dust from your feet with a stress-beating horse riding session from the pyramids to Saqqara burial grounds 18 miles from Cairo's centre. To get great views, climb to the top of the 187-metre high Cairo Tower, on Gezira island, for a breathtaking panorama plus a revolving restaurant. One of Cairo's biggest attractions is cruising along the Nile on a felucca traditional sailing boat, and the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza has transformed the experience by adding gourmet food, drinks and musicians. For travelling about the city, the Metro is a relief from the noise and fumes of the packed roads.

Cairo's underground system is reminiscent of the Paris Metro and is safe, reliable, modern, clean - and cheap. For a real Cairo experience take tea at Cafe Fichaoui in Khan el-Khalili or enjoy a beer (Egyptian-brewed Stella) at the renowned Horreya, an artists' cafe where the locals will often challenge you to a game of Scrabble. Cairo by night At night, Cairo really comes alive - and this is the best time to shop, eat delicious Middle Eastern cuisine or just watch the world go by from a pavement cafe. Most top hotels - and Cairo has its fair share - feature a belly dancer. This is often just an interlude in the disco or part of a show of indigenous music and folk dancing.

The alternative is to visit an Egyptian nightclub, where the decor may be seedy, the clientele raucous and the music remarkably good. Lovers of music and art can visit the splendid Cairo Opera House complex, which houses several galleries including the Museum of Modern Art, restaurants and concert halls. Listening to Arabic music under the stars in the open-air theatre is an unforgettable experience. Top of the must-see list, though, is the Sound And Light show at the pyramids, a dramatic fusion of music and light telling the story of Egypt. Afterwards, one of the best nightspots is the Buddha Bar at the Hotel Sofitel El Gezirah Cairo, where the rich young Cairenes and foreign visitors alike go for Pacific Rim cuisine, exceptional river views from the terrace, ambience, music and great cocktails late into the night.

Zamalek island, facing downtown Cairo from the middle of the Nile, is also the location of some great restaurants which attract many expatriates and wealthy young Egyptians. Everywhere, the coffee house is still central to Cairo's social life. Traditionally, they are visited by the men folk. The older ones play backgammon and smoke the traditional water pipe shisha filled with tobacco flavoured with honey, apples or mint. The younger ones, though, are just as likely to be working - or networking - on their laptops. That's Cairo... an intriguing mix of ancient and modern.

At a glance * Egyptian food is like Lebanese - thick lentil soup, roasted meat and fish, spicy fritters, aubergine dip, sticky rice with onions and spices. Muslims do not eat pork, so most Egyptian food avoids pork products. Most Egyptians have a light breakfast of tea with bread and honey or hard-boiled eggs. * Lunch is the main meal of the day, eaten between 2pm and 3pm. Supper is eaten late, around 9pm-10pm, and usually consists of small mezza dishes. Desserts are sweet, such as umm ali, a delicious creamy Egyptian version of bread pudding or rice pudding with nuts. Sadly, the Egyptian wine is pretty dreadful but the beer is excellent. And be warned, the Egyptians don't make good tea - unless it's the mint variety. * In Cairo, you need never be thirsty. Every main street has a couple of stand-up juice bars offering orange, banana, mango, strawberry and pomegranate. Street vendors also ladle out iced sweet lemonade, bitter-sweet liquorice-water and refreshing tamarind cordial. * With its population of 16million making it Africa's largest city, Cairo is a capital with more nicknames than most.

The Triumphant City, the Paris Of The Middle East, the City Of Minarets, and, if you're Egyptian, the Mother Of The World. In medieval times, it was the largest city in the world. * Announcing a new five-year development plan from this year (2007) until 2012, President Mubarak said: "It is the most ambitious plan in our history, going ahead in its implementation with an efficient economy that surpassed years of recession and regained its ability to attract investments, enhance development and increase job opportunities."