The CairoTower is afree-standing concrete TV tower in Cairo, Egypt. It stands in Zamalek districton Gezira Island in the River Nile, in the city centre. At 187 metres, it is 43metres higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands some 15 km to thesouthwest.The Cairo Tower was built from1956 to 1961., reportedly to convince asceptical world the nation had the capability to construct the Aswan Dam. Itspartially open lattice-work design is intended to evoke a lotus plant. Thetower is crowned by an observation deck and a restaurant.
Renovationof the tower started two years ago, while it was still open to the public. Thetower went through different phases of renovation in the 1980s and 1990s, butthe current plan, so far LE20 million aims at repairing, renovating, paintingand improving the status of the tower, the gardens and the area surrounding it.It will also be an object of beauty from afar, with its new lighting system.The company that lights up the Eiffel Tower was consulted to provide a similarsystem that will let Cairo's Eiffel glow from the outside as well.