“Al-Qahirah means “the victorious,” and Cairo has emerged victorious, as the most populous city in the Arab World, in the Middle East, and on the continent of Africa.” (Cities of the World) Cairo, Egypt is located in the northeastern part of Egypt, is a port on the Nile River near the head of its delta and at the boundary of ancient Upper and Lower Egypt. The city includes two islands in the Nile, Zamalik (Gezira) and Roda (Rawdah), which are linked to the mainland by bridges. Actually, being between the country’s two rival regions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, is one of its main advantages. The valley (Upper) and delta (lower) are both responsible for building up the urbanization and landscape.
From its position at the Nile River, Cairo dominates the commerce and wealth of a broad region. “It is the guardian of the Egyptian breadbasket, but it is also the greatest inland port on the Nile. Cairo, near the site of the far more ancient city of Memphis that was located on the west bank of the river, was the gateway to the sea.” (Culture and Customs of Egypt) Therefore, along with being the capital, it is also the leading transportation to other countries and the outside world.
The city of Cairo was founded on August 5, 969 C.E. Almost directly across the Nile from Cairo was Memphis, an ancient Egyptian capital. Babylon, a Roman fortress city, occupied what is now a southeast section called Old Cairo. “Cairo itself was founded on August 5, 969 C.E. by the Fatimid general Jauhar Al Rumi to replace nearby Al Qatai (established in the 9th centurty by an Abbasid governor of Egypt) as the capital of Egypt.” (The History of Egypt) In the 12th centurty, Saladin ended Fatimid rule and established the Ayyubite dynasty (1171–1250). To defend the city against Crusaders, Saladin founded the citadel, which still stands, and extended the walls of the city, and parts of it actually still remain. Cairo finally started to prosper while under the rule of the Mamluks, who added many buildings of artistic merit. However, the city declined after it was conquered (1517) by the Ottoman Empire.
At the time of its capture by Napoleon Bonaparte's forces, the city had about 250,000 inhabitants. British and Turkish forces expelled the French in 1801, and Cairo was returned to Ottoman control. “Under Muhammad Ali (ruled 1805–49), it became the capital of a virtually independent country and grew in commercial importance; many Europeans settled in the city.” (History of Egypt) In the late 20th century the city has suffered from poverty and overcrowding, which has forced many Cairenes to settle in the City of the Dead, a vast expanse of cemeteries to the south and east and the area is not administered or serviced by the city. More than 250,000 squatters who took over the empty space now occupy the City of the Dead.
Cairo remained the central city of Egypt throughout the period of British rule and afterwards. The 20th century massive growth in the size of the city as peasants left the farmlands in pursuit of work in the factories and commerce of the metropolis. The city was especially burdened by refugees from the various wars with Israel much of the population of the Sinai peninsula and the cities along the Suez Canal left for Cairo between 1967 and 1978. “It was only in the 19th century that Cairo began to reemerge as the premier metropolis of the Arab world, and not until 1927 did Cairo’s population first reach one million.” (Cities of the World) Today, the metropolitan area has reached almost 16 million.
It is Egypt's administrative center and, along with Alexandria, the heart of its economy. Cairo's manufactures include textiles, food and tobacco products, chemicals, plastics, metals, and automobiles. Tourism is central to the local economy. Most tourists come to see five different things. The first and most visited is the great pyramids of Giza, which date back to the Old Kingdom. Tourists have stopped visiting this as much because the city of Cairo is starting to expand into them. Heliopolis, one of the ancient world’s cult centers, Babylon-in-Egypt is the world’s most famous refugee family (Mary, Joseph, and Jesus), Al-Qahirah is a walled settlement, and the Citadel, which was built by Saladin and changed by the Ottomans.
Transportation has not only been an important part of Cairo’s growth, but also the most controversial. “Today, the city’s traffic snarls are of world renown.” (Cities of the World) The first railroad in Africa, which was built in 1855, linked Cairo with Alexandria, and today Cairo has extensive rail facilities and is also a road and air hub. However, Cairo's roads are amongst the most dangerous in the world. The death rate per kilometer traveled in Egypt is over 40 times as high as the European average and twice as high as the nearest comparable Middle Eastern country.
Downtown Cairo is located on the midriver islands. These islands have become more valuable than ever for upscale neighborhoods, high-density apartment communities, posh sports complexes, and the landkmark Cairo Tower. The oldest part of the city, however, is somewhat east of the river. There, the city gradually spreads west, engulfing the agricultural lands next to the Nile. These western areas are marked by wide boulevards, public gardens, and open spaces. The older eastern section of the city is very different. “Because it was grown up haphazardly over the centuries it is filled with small lanes and crowded tenaments.” (Culture and Customs of Egypt) While western Cairo is dominated by the government buildings and modern architecture, the eastern half is filled with hundreds of ancient mosques that act as landmarks.
Religion plays a major role in the life of the Egyptian. From the time one wakes up until they go to sleep at night, religion is a part of the average Egyptian’s daily ritual. The political, economic, and cultural life of the people is also influenced by religion. Modern Egypt is essentially made up of the Islamic culture.
Egyptian society encourages education and about half of all Egyptians are literate. The modern system of education has coexisted with the old religious system to the extent that the society bears the marks of the division between the two. The religious system is referred to as the “Azhar System” and they have a much different outlook after graduation than the secular systems. Unlike the religious system, the secular system is instructed in physics, law, science, and astronomy. Most of the students that are in the secular system are minorities (Copts, Greeks, Jews, Italians, Syrians, and Lebanese).
After reviewing information and books about this particular city, I have come to the conclusion that I would like to visit this city and could possibly live there. I feel like this place is warm and inviting to all kinds of denominations and ethnic races. There doesn’t seem to be that many wars and everyone seems to agree on everything.

Bibliography

·Cities of the World: World Regional Urban Development, 3rd Edition. Edited by Stanley D. Brunn, Jack F. Williams, and Donald J. Zeigler. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2003

·Culture and Customs of Egypt. Molefi Kete Asante. Greenwood Press. 2002.

·The History of Egypt. Glenn E. Perry. Greenwood Press. 2004

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