A striking early twentieth-century church in the heart of the suburb, the Basilica of Notre Dame de Heliopolis is a reminder that the planned community Édouard Empain built was emphatically cosmopolitan — French, Belgian, Italian, Greek, and Levantine families all settled here alongside Egyptians. The basilica served the Catholic community and its architecture reflects the aspirations of that era: substantial, confident, and built to last. It remains an active place of worship. Even from the outside it is worth a few minutes, sitting as it does among the Moorish arcades and Art Nouveau villas that define the neighbourhood's streetscape.