Cairo, known in Arabic as “Al-Qāhirah” (The Victorious), is the sprawling, vibrant, and chaotic capital of Egypt. It is one of the world’s largest urban areas and the largest city in the Arab world, often referred to as “the city of a thousand minarets” for its preponderance of Islamic architecture.
Situated on the banks of the Nile River in northern Egypt, just south of the point where the river fans out into the Nile Delta, Cairo has been the cultural and political heart of the region for over a millennium. It is a city of stark contrasts, where ancient history and modern life collide: donkeys and carts share the road with modern cars, and towering skyscrapers look out over centuries-old mosques.
The city is the gateway to the ancient world, being the closest major metropolis to the Great Pyramids of Giza and the ancient city of Memphis. Downtown Cairo exhibits elegant 19th-century architecture built along Parisian lines, while Islamic Cairo is a labyrinth of medieval streets, mosques, and markets.
Interesting Facts & Figures
Demographics & Scale:
Population: The Greater Cairo metropolitan area is one of the most populous in the world, with an estimated 22-23 million inhabitants. This makes it the largest city in Africa and the Middle East.
Size: The metropolitan area covers around 3,085 square kilometres (1,191 sq mi).
History & Monuments:
Ancient Neighbours: While Cairo itself was founded in 969 AD, its roots are far older. The Giza Plateau, home to the only remaining wonder of the ancient world, is part of Greater Cairo. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.
The Great Pyramid’s Weight: The Great Pyramid of Khufu is composed of an estimated 2.3 million limestone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons. Some individual blocks weigh up to 80 tons.
World’s Oldest Market: The Khan el Khalili bazaar, established in the 14th century, is one of the oldest continuously operating markets in the world.
Culture & Modern Life:
Hollywood of the East: Egypt has the largest film and music industry in the Arab world, centred in Cairo. This has earned the city the nickname “Hollywood of the East” or “the Arab Hollywood.”
The Nile: Cairo is the largest city located along the Nile River, the longest river in the world at 6,650 km (4,130 miles) long.
Traffic Legend: Cairo is infamous for its chaotic traffic. A common (and humorous) saying is “Cairo drivers don’t use their horns to express anger, but to say ‘I exist!'”
Unique Structures:
The Great Library: The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria is famous, but Cairo is home to the world’s only “Garbage City” where the Zabaleen (garbage collectors) community has built a remarkable complex of churches carved directly into the Mokattam Mountain caves, including the Cave Church of St. Simon, which can seat 20,000 people reportedly the largest in the Middle East.
A City Within a City: Al-Azhar University, located in Cairo, is one of the world’s oldest universities, founded in 970 AD. It is still considered the most prestigious centre of Islamic learning in the world.
Miscellaneous Figures:
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Cairo (Islamic Cairo) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
Climate: Cairo is one of the hottest and driest major cities in the world. Its average annual rainfall is only about 25 mm (1 inch) per year.
