City of Cairo, Egypt.
Cairo is both the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world. The city is considered the political, economic, and cultural center of the Middle East.
The Egyptian government, the parliament, and the state and political authorities have their headquarters here. Furthermore, Cairo is the most important transportation hub in Egypt and is home to numerous universities, museums, and monuments.
Since Cairo has no registration requirement, the population is estimated at 25 million, which is almost a third of the population of Egypt. Cairo is located in the northeast of Egypt on the right bank of the Nile and has an urban area of about 214 km2.
Opposite the metropolis is Giza. Between the Muqattam mountain in the east and the Nile in the west, the first residential settlements were built. In the middle of these two borders, the city center can be found. The Nile Delta is located north of the city and stretches to the Mediterranean Sea. To the west rise the pyramids of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the world.
The city center is divided into a traditional and a modern part. Traditional Cairo, which is predominantly Islamic Cairo around the Azhar Mosque, is located in front of Saladin’s Citadel and Muqattam Mountain. In addition, the residential areas north, east, and south of the Azhar Mosque should be mentioned here, such as El-Muskiand Sayyida Zeinab. Coptic Cairo, also known as Old Cairo, extends next to the excavations of al-Fustat.
Modern Cairo is constrained by Midan el-Tahrir, the Midan el-Opera, Ramses Station, and the Nile. Those places are characterized by a colonial-era architectural style. One of the most famous suburbs in the northeast of Cairo in Heliopolis. Because of its many villas and associated gardens, Maadi tends to be one of the more affluent residential areas.
To the south is the urban area Helwan and to the north is Shubra al-Khaima. Furthermore, on the eastern side of the Nile is Nasr City and the city of May 15. To the west extends the city of October 6 and Sadat City.
Cairo Sights
The city center is divided into a traditional and a modern part. Traditional Cairo, which is predominantly Islamic Cairo around the Azhar Mosque, is located in front of Saladin’s Citadel and Muqattam Mountain. In addition, the residential areas north, east, and south of the Azhar Mosque should be mentioned here, such as El-Muskiand Sayyida Zeinab. Coptic Cairo, also known as Old Cairo, extends next to the excavations of al-Fustat. Modern Cairo is constrained by Midan el-Tahrir, the Midan el-Opera, Ramses Station, and the Nile. Those places are characterized by a colonial-era architectural style. One of the most famous suburbs in the northeast of Cairo in Heliopolis. Because of its many villas and associated gardens, Maadi tends to be one of the more affluent residential areas. To the south is the urban area Helwan and to the north is Shubra al-Khaima. Furthermore, on the eastern side of the Nile is Nasr City and the city of May 15. To the west extends the city of October 6 and Sadat City.
Climate of Cairo
Since Cairo is located in the subtropical climate zone, the region has a warm and dry desert climate. With an average of 28 degrees Celsius, July is considered the warmest month and January the coldest with an average of 13.9 degrees Celsius. Rain can occur between November and March. From May to September it can get very hot and therefore sometimes there are sandstorms from the south.
History Cairo’s roots lie in several settlements. The present city area was once the Babylonian site of Cheri-aha, where, according to ancient Egyptian tales, the gods Horus and Seth fought each other. In the 1st century A.D., the city “Babylon in Egypt” located on the eastern shore was founded under the Romans during the time of Trajan and subsequently rebuilt into a fortress. The first Copts began to build churches and protective walls at the end of the 4th century. In 641 A.D. the Arabs conquered the fortress, where they found 42 churches after their arrival. Amr Ibn al-As built the Fustat camp north of the hill fort in 643, which in time became a small town. Both places grew together to form today’s Old Cairo, which consists of the Coptic and Islamic quarters. Unlike the Fustat, the Islamic part, the Coptic quarter remained very well preserved.
After the end of the 9th century, the city was insignificant until the Tulunids conquered what is now Cairo and made Fustat their capital. The Nilometer and the Ibn Tulun Mosque are the only preserved from that period. In 969, the Fatimids under the rule of Dschauhar as-Siqilli conquered Egypt and established a military camp 4km northeast of Fustat. A palace was built in the new camp city in the spring of 973, which was inhabited by the Imam-Caliph in the same year. On this occasion, the city was named al-Qahira al-Muizziya, “The Victorious of Muizz”. Today’s Al-Azhar Mosque was built by Dschauher at that time and was already considered the main mosque of Cairo. The metropolis, which goes from Morocco to the Middle East, became the political center. Fustat became an international trade center because of the politically important neighboring city.
During the reign of Saladin (1137-1193), many new mosques and schools were founded, as well as the foundation walls of the citadel, which still stand today.
In 1250, the Mamluks made Cairo their capital once again. To illustrate their power, they built many palaces and mosques. At that time, Cairo grew to become the most important economic and cultural center of the Islamic world. In 1517, the city was conquered by the Ottomans. Under their rule, which lasted until the end of the 18th century, Cairo lost much of its political importance.
French troops conquered Cairo on April 24, 1798, under Napoléon Bonaparte, but it came back under the Ottoman rule in 1801. Ismail Pasha (1863-1879) built many structures and opened the Suez Canal in 1869 so that he could present the lively city to a European power. However, he indebted the state of Egypt by building the Suez Canal. It was mainly financed by Great Britain. Under Ismail Pasha the state was enlarged in the west, the housing estates of Zamalek and Muhandisin were built. The entire city was restored by European architects, of which some buildings in the city center can still be seen today.
Cairo is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the city that never sleeps. Cairo is usually the city whereof all where ancient monuments meet the modernity of today, a truly rare experience. Beyond the modern scene, you will find centuries of history from ancient civilization.
Ancient Cairo and Coptic Cairo refer to the oldest settlements before the founding of Cairo and the arrival of Islam in Egypt. Islamic Cairo is the historic core of the city, built in the 10th century as the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate and full of beautiful medieval Islamic architecture. Downtown Cairo is the city’s newest neighborhood. It was built in the second half of the 19th century when the city expanded and was modeled after the great cities of Europe. It is the heart of modern Cairo.