Baron Empain Palace is the most extraordinary building in Heliopolis — a Hindu temple-inspired palace built between 1907 and 1911 for Édouard Empain, the Belgian industrialist who created the Heliopolis district. The building is unlike anything else in Egypt: based on the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, it has a circular staircase that rotates as you ascend, stone elephants at the entrance, and intricately carved facades covered in Hindu and Buddhist iconography. It was abandoned for decades but has been restored and opened to the public.
Guided tours are available and allow access to the restored interior spaces, which are remarkable for their improbable eclecticism. The building sits in a walled garden and is best viewed in the early morning or evening light when the carved facades are most visible. It's a short drive or Uber from the central Heliopolis commercial area.