The Nile · Cairo
Roda Island
A Nile island in the heart of Cairo, split between the Manial district to the north and the Mamluk quarter to the south, linked to both banks by bridges.
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The story
Roda Island is a neighbourhood set in the Nile in the heart of Cairo, also known as Manial after the main village that stood on it before it was built up. It is one of three Nile islands between Cairo and Giza, and administratively belongs to Cairo governorate and the Old Cairo district. Roda Street divides it into a northern part, Manial, and a southern part known as the Mamluks. The island is home to the Roda Nilometer at its southern tip, first recorded in AD 715 and restored by later rulers, and to the Manial Palace, built for Prince Mohamed Ali Tewfik in the early twentieth century.
Good to know
- Five bridges link the island to Cairo and two to Giza.
- Roda Street divides the island into Manial in the north and the Mamluks in the south.
- The Roda Nilometer at the island's southern tip is first recorded in AD 715.