Built to be a posh Cairo suburb, Heliopolis is now entangled with its mother city to the point that it is impossible to know where “city” ends and “suburb” begins. Established in the early 20th century by Belgian railroad tycoon Baron-General Edouard Louis Joseph Empain, Heliopolis was envisioned as a district for wealthy foreigners and aristocrats. In the past 200 years, it has undergone a series of transformations resulting in a hybrid pseudo-city. Still maintaining an affluent air in older areas such as Korba, there has been an emergence of some not-so-elite districts such as Mataria and Ain Shams.

The Baron’s palace looks over one of the nicest districts in Heliopolis, Korba. Its buildings portray an architectural style designed specifically for the neighborhood. The beautiful arched buildings spanning the block are reminiscent of European architecture, but contain Moorish and Arab influences. Merghany Street keeps some reminiscence of history, with decadent villas side-by-side with newer buildings. Nearing the airport, the dainty villas and majestic blocks of Korba and Merghany slowly turn into the concrete high-rises of the Sheraton sub-district. But what the Sheraton area lacks in history it makes up for in activity; it is considered the hub of business and is home to the majority of Heliopolis’ companies.

Although only 10 kilometers from Downtown, Heliopolis offers a quiet, yet city-like existence, but it is certainly not isolated. Connecting to the Ring Road, the Autostrad, the Sixth of October bridge and Salah Salem Street, you can travel by bus, metro, or car, and arrive in Downtown within 30 minutes to an hour.

Korba is the center for high-end shopping, housing popular stores like Guess, BTM, Premium Store and many evening-wear shops that carry imported goods. The area is also known for the many watches and jewelry shops selling the expensive end of products. El Horreya Street, off Merghany Street, also keeps shoppers busy with fashionable shops including 69, Str8 and Liquid.

Chain cafes, including Cilantro, Beano’s and Costa have locations in Heliopolis, with most of them located on Merghany Street or in the Korba and Sheraton areas. On Thursday and Friday nights, those too lazy to drive all the way Downtown usually frequent one of Heliopolis’ trendy hangouts like Chili’s in Korba or Alain Le Notre and Johnny Carrino’s on Merghany street. Fine-diners flock to Provence on Thawra street and Rossini off Merghany Street.

Heliopolis has many old French schools, including the missionary College De La Salle, Jesuite, Sacre Coeur, Delivrande, and the Lycée La Liberté. English schools, such as the English School and St Peter’s, are fewer, forcing most students who seek an English education to commute to schools along the Cairo-Ismailia road.

Real estate rarely changes hands in Heliopolis and what is available is usually located in the Sheraton area. This trend appears to be changing. More flats are opening up throughout the entire district as wealthier residents flee to Sixth of October and Qattamiyya.

Buying a flat starts at LE 1,200 per square meter and climbs up to about LE 7,000. Renting is another story; the monthly rate can be anything between LE 4,000–LE 70,000. The cost of both renting and buying generally depends on the building’s location and height. Flats in areas surrounding the center of Heliopolis — Orouba, Merghany and Korba — cost more than those that line Heliopolis’ periphery. Concerning height, as buildings get higher, both renting and buying costs decrease. The reason for this negative correlation lies in the cost of land, not the cost of construction work, meaning the more flats on a certain plot of land, the less each flat costs. A semi-finished apartment in a central location might be around LE 7,000 per meter while an apartment far from the center that is located in a tall building only costs LE 1,200 per meter. The sizes of the flats also vary according to the area, with the average flat hovering somewhere between 120 and 370 square meters.  et