Sednaoui

Sednaoui Review

A spectacular building modeled on a store in Paris, Sednaoui is on a back corner of Ezbekiyya near Ataba Square and is now largely forgotten by most Cairenes. It was built in 1913 as the main branch of a chain owned by a pair of Levantine brothers and has the sort of architectural flourishes rare in Cairo today: a large greenhouse atrium, a swirling central staircase, and two priceless copper elevators that are worth a quick ride. Sadly, since Egypt's department stores were nationalized in the early 1960s, the original owners have long since left and there is little of interest to buy.