About Cairo
Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة transliteration: Al-Qāhirah), which means "the Victorious" or "the Triumphant", is the capital and largest city of Egypt. It is the Arab World and Africa's most populous city. While Al-Qahirah is the official name of the city, in Egyptian Arabic it is called by the dialect's name for the country, transliteration: Masr. Within Egypt, residents of Cairo are called Masraweya rather than Masri.
Cairo was founded by the Fatimid caliphs as a royal enclosure. It replaced Fustat as the seat of the government. It later came under the Mamluks, was ruled by the Ottomans 1517 to 1798, and briefly occupied by Napoleon. Muhammad Ali of Egypt made Cairo the capital of his independent empire from 1805 to 1882, after which the British took control of it until Egypt attained independence in 1922.
Cairo has a population of about 6.8 million people, according to the 2006 population census. The number of inhabitants was about a million higher at the time of the census, but this was adjusted downwards on the 17th of April 2008 when the new governorate of Helwan was created from parts of a.o. Cairo governorate. Cairo's metropolitan area has a population of about 17.3 million people. Cairo is the sixteenth most populous metropolitan area in the world. It is also the most populous metropolitan area in Africa.
Today, Greater Cairo encompasses various historic towns and modern districts. A journey through Cairo is virtual time travel: from the Pyramids, Saladin's Citadel, the Virgin Mary's Tree, the Sphinx, and Heliopolis, to Al-Azhar, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-A'as, Saqqara, the Hanging Church, and the Cairo Tower. It is the Capital of Egypt, and its history is intertwined with that of the country. Today, Cairo's official name is Al-Qahira (Cairo), although the name informally used by most Egyptians is "Masr" (Egyptian Arabic name for Egypt), from the original name of Egypt's first Arab capital Fustat, Misr al-Fustat, "City of the Tents." It is also titled as "The city of a thousand Mazan ( tower in a mosque , i.e. 1000 mosques).
Cairo 3D Map
Photos From Cairo
Cairo Attractions
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo, Egypt, and is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Egyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to the most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms.
Egyptian Museum Website:
The Citadel
One of Cairo's most popular tourist attractions is the Citadel which houses a number of museums, ancient mosques and other sites, located on a spur of limestone that had been detached from its parent Moqattam Hills by quarrying. The Citadel is one of the world's greatest monuments to medieval warfare, as well as a highly visible landmark on Cairo's eastern skyline.
Cairo Opera House
The Cairo Opera House (Arabic: دار الأوبرا المصرية; Dār el-Obra el-Masreyya; literally "Egyptian Opera House"), part of Cairo's National Cultural Center, is the main performing arts venue in the Egyptian capital. Home to most of Egyptian's finest musical groups, it is located on the southern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River, close to downtown Cairo.
Al-Azhar Park
Located in the heart of old historic Cairo and commanding stunning panoramic views of the world's most intriguing city, Al-Azhar Park offers every visitor a glimpse into the captivating past. Lush green landscaped gardens are an enjoyable sojourn away from city's major tourist attractions. Embracing valuable history, the park is home to the newly discovered Ayyubid wall, constructed by Salah El Din more than 800 years ago.
Egyptian Media Production City (EMPC)
The 6th of October city-based Egyptian Media Production city ( EMPC) covers an area of about 3 million m2, comprising studios complexes (A.B.C), open-air shooting locations of all settings: pharaonic, Islamic, rural or Bedouin, coastal and forest.
German University in Cairo (GUC)
The German University in Cairo (GUC) (Arabic: الجامعة الألمانية بالقاهرة), is an Egyptian Private University established in cooperation with some German state universities. It is the first German university outside Germany.
Cairo International Stadium
Submitted by Han — Sat, 10/11/2008 - 21:04
We embark on our Egyptian Fields of Dreams tour in Cairo. Al Qahira is the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt and is the largest city in Africa. A bird’s eye view of the city would include a skyline that is highlighted with lofty minarets and a large number of high-rising, gigantic floodlights.
The Pharaonic Village
Established on a Papyrus plantation by Dr Hassan Ragab, the Pharaonic Village is an open air museum located on Jacob's island in the Nile in Cairo, where Egypt's history, culture and art come alive.
Cairo Web Sources
Cairo-Sacred Destinations
The Cairo Page at sacred destinations
Cairo 3D Map
The best 3D map of Cairo of the web.
EGY.COM
EGY.COM by Samir Raafat offers a variety of old and new articles, photos and references dealing with 19th and 20th century aspects of a 1000 year old capital. Learn about its architecture, its landmarks, its character, its people and its problems. This is about a millennium old city which cannot sit still.
Cairo International Airport
Cairo International Airport (Arabic: مطار القاهرة الدولي) is the busiest airport in Egypt and the primary hub for Star Alliance member EgyptAir. The airport is located to the north-east of the city around 15km from the business area of the city.
Cairo Locator (Arabic)
Cairo locator is an Arabic site that contains an interactive online detailed map of the city of Cairo. It is the equivalent of the a Google map but in Arabic language.
Khareeta (Arabic)
Kareeta is an Arabic website that has a detailed interactive map of the city of Cairo. It is still in Beta testing but offers the most detailed features of Cairo.
