Gayer Anderson Museum, Cairo - Egypt

The Gayer Anderson Museum in Cairo is a must-see on your exploration tour of Islamic Cairo. It consists of an amazing patchwork of Islamic styles and artifacts packed into two wonderful ancient residences: Beit el-Kiridiliya (1632) and Beit Amna Bent Salim (1540). The museum was founded by a British major, John Gayer-Anderson, an army doctor who restored and furnished the two residences between 1935 and 1942, filling them with antiquities, artwork, furniture, glassware, crystal, carpets, silks, and embroidered Arab costumes. Used as a location in the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me", the museum houses a puzzle of theme-decorated rooms: the Persian room has exquisite tiling, the Damascus room has lacquer and gold, whereas, in other parts of the museum, you'll find a central marble fountain, decorated ceiling beams and carpet-covered alcoves.