The most prominent architectural heritage of medieval Cairo, however, dates from the Mamluk period, from 1250 to 1517 AD. The Mamluk sultans and elites were eager patrons of religious and scholarly life, commonly building religious or funerary complexes whose functions could include a mosque, madrasa, khanqah (for Sufis), a sabil (water dispensary), and a mausoleum for themselves and their families. The city's most exclusive restaurants are typically concentrated in Zamalek and around the luxury hotels lining the shore of the Nile near the Garden City district. [103], In 2017 plans to construct two monorail systems were announced, one linking 6th of October to suburban Giza, a distance of 35 km (22 mi), and the other linking Nasr City to New Cairo, a distance of 52 km (32 mi).[105][106]. [64] Nevertheless, this led to Egypt's independence in 1922. [92] The areas, which are home to most of Cairo's embassies, are surrounded on the north, east, and south by the older parts of the city. Learn more about our apps An extensive road network connects Cairo with other Egyptian cities and villages. Minor amendments were made later in 1924 and in 1936 - the "Faruq edition" in honour of then ruler, King Faruq. Among its most famous collections on display are the finds from the tomb of Tutankhamun. [44] By the 16th century, Cairo also had high-rise apartment buildings where the two lower floors were for commercial and storage purposes and the multiple stories above them were rented out to tenants. Egypt is internationally known for the excellence of its squash players who excel in both professional and junior divisions. Seeking to accommodate the increasing population, President Gamal Abdel Nasser redeveloped Maidan Tahrir and the Nile Corniche, and improved the city's network of bridges and highways. [38] For this reason, the history of Cairo during Ottoman times is often described as inconsequential, especially in comparison to other time periods. Football is the most popular sport in Egypt, and Cairo has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and regional leagues. [18] Lioui (Coptic: ⲗⲓⲟⲩⲓ) or Elioui (Coptic: ⲉⲗⲓⲟⲩⲓ) is another name which is a corruption of Greek name of Heliopolis (Greek: Ήλιούπολις). Cairo (/ ˈ k aɪ r oʊ / KY-roh; Arabic: القاهرة ‎, romanized: al-Qāhirah, pronounced [ælˈqɑːhɪɾɑ] (), Coptic: ⲕⲁϩⲓⲣⲏ) is the capital and largest city of Egypt.The Cairo metropolitan area, with a population of 21.3 million, is the 2nd largest in Africa and in the Arab world, and the 6th-largest in the world. This growth until recently surged well ahead of city services. [76] The British departed Cairo following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, but the city's rapid growth showed no signs of abating. It is estimated that 10,000 to 25,000 people a year in Cairo die due to air pollution-related diseases. No new date has been set for the visit. Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life, and is titled "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture. Continuing a practice started by the Ayyubids, much of the land occupied by former Fatimid palaces was sold and replaced by newer buildings. Today, the site of Geziret al-Fil is occupied by the Shubra district. In April 2017 she retained her title by winning the Women's World Championship which was held in the Egyptian resort of El Gouna. The 12 teams are Algeria's GSP (Groupement Sportif des Petroliers), Angola's Petro de Luanda (Clube Atletico Petroleos de Luanda), Cameroon's FAP (Forces Armees et Police Basketball), Egypt's Zamalek, Madagascar's GNBC (Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club), Mali's AS Police (Association Sportive de la Police Nationale), Morocco's AS Sale (Association Sportive de Sale), … It stands in the Zamalek district on Gezira Island in the Nile River, in the city centre. [19] Some argue that Mistram (Coptic: ⲙⲓⲥⲧⲣⲁⲙ) or Nistram (Coptic: ⲛⲓⲥⲧⲣⲁⲙ) is another Coptic name for Cairo, although others think that it's rather a name of an Abbasid capital Al-Askar. [85] The city lies along the Nile River, immediately south of the point where the river leaves its desert-bound valley and branches into the low-lying Nile Delta region. They play their home games at Cairo International Stadium or Naser Stadium, which is the second largest stadium in Egypt, as well as the largest in Cairo and one of the largest stadiums in the world. The Cairo Metro is one of the only two metro systems in Africa (the other being in Algiers, Algeria), and ranks amongst the fifteen busiest in the world,[10] with over 1 billion[11] annual passenger rides. Shabana won the World Open title four times and Ashour twice, although his recent form has been hampered by injury. [119], Cairo holds one of the greatest concentrations of historical monuments of Islamic architecture in the world. 30°3′29″N 31°13′44″E / 30.05806°N 31.22889°E / 30.05806; 31.22889, This article is about the Egyptian capital. Metro network covers Helwan and other suburbs. [131] It is still occupied by the military today, but is now open as a tourist attraction comprising, notably, the National Military Museum, the 14th century Mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad, and the 19th century Mosque of Muhammad Ali which commands a dominant position on Cairo's skyline. The uprising took place in Cairo, Alexandria, and in other cities in Egypt, following the Tunisian revolution that resulted in the overthrow of the long-time Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. With a population of over 9 million[9] spread over 3 085 km², Cairo is by far the largest city in Egypt. [46] The city was the second-largest in the empire, behind Constantinople, and, although migration was not the primary source of Cairo's growth, twenty percent of its population at the end of the 18th century consisted of religious minorities and foreigners from around the Mediterranean. Cairo's population has doubled since the 1960s, reaching close to seven million (with an additional ten million in its urban area). In 1169, Saladin was appointed as the new vizier of Egypt by the Fatimids and two years later he seized power from the family of the last Fatimid caliph, al-'Āḍid. Analysts trying to grasp the magnitude of the change coined terms like "hyper-urbanization". In 1998, the Festival took place under the presidency of one of Egypt's leading actors, Hussein Fahmy, who was appointed by the Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, after the death of Saad El-Din Wahba. The subway system, officially called "Metro (مترو)", is a fast and efficient way of getting around Cairo. In 750, following the overthrow of the Umayyad caliphate by the Abbasids, the new rulers created their own settlement to the northeast of Fustat which became their capital. Angola is also seen as a main player against regional tensions and as a safeguard of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, where Spain has pledged to send a warship to fight piracy. [141] The account was founded by student Nadeen Ashraf, who is credited for instigating an iteration of the #MeToo movement in Egypt. [135] Formal education has also become very important. After the original opera house was destroyed, Cairo was without an opera house for nearly two decades until the opening of the new Cairo Opera House in 1988. Cairo Metropolitan is enlarged to cover all the area within the Governorate limits. Greater Cairo has long been the hub of education and educational services for Egypt and the region. Visas on arrival are not available without online pre-approval and payment through an Angolan embassy or consulate prior to travel. [77] Meanwhile, additional controls of the Nile fostered development within Gezira Island and along the city's waterfront. The Cairo Geniza is an accumulation of almost 200,000 Jewish manuscripts that were found in the genizah of the Ben Ezra synagogue (built 882) of Fustat, Egypt (now Old Cairo), the Basatin cemetery east of Old Cairo, and a number of old documents that were bought in Cairo in the later 19th century. This was known as al-Askar (the city of sections, or cantonments) as it was laid out like a military camp. In 905, the Abbasids re-asserted control of the country and their governor returned to Fustat, razing al-Qatta'i to the ground. [133] Today, the Khan el-Khalili is a major tourist attraction and popular stop for tour groups. In 969, the Fatimid empire ruled over Egypt, and under the rule of Jawhar Al Saqili, a new fortified city northeast of Fustat was established. A Boeing 727 took off from Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda, Angola without clearance or a flight plan on May 25, 2003. President Mubarak inaugurated the new Cairo Opera House of the Egyptian National Cultural Centres on 10 October 1988, 17 years after the Royal Opera House had been destroyed by fire. Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city; the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence. The results of this has been a permanent haze over the city with particulate matter in the air reaching over three times normal levels. [61][62] Europeans accounted for five percent of Cairo's population at the end of the 19th century, by which point they held most top governmental positions.[63]. It can get very crowded during rush hour. Ramy Ashour and Amr Shabana are regarded as two of the most talented squash players in history. [45], Under the Ottomans, Cairo expanded south and west from its nucleus around the Citadel. It is also the location of the Coptic Museum, which showcases the history of Coptic art from Greco-Roman to Islamic times, and of the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the oldest and best-known synagogue in Cairo, where the important collection of Geniza documents were discovered in the 19th century. Over 41,000 people from Morocco and West Africa crossed to Spain in 2020, and more than half of them did it by embarking on flimsy boats to the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northwestern African coast. The economy of Angola, a member of OPEC, is highly dependent on oil production, but the COVID-19 pandemic has crunched prices on the world market. This is also useful for flying around the world without entering the United States. It dates back to 1385, when Amir Jarkas el-Khalili built a large caravanserai, or khan. Ruling from Constantinople, Sultan Selim I relegated Egypt to a province, with Cairo as its capital. But the last attempt by the two leaders to meet, in December, was called off with officials citing the coronavirus pandemic as the main reason. Among the best-known examples of Mamluk monuments in Cairo are the huge Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani, the Mosque of Sultan al-Mu'ayyad (whose twin minarets were built above the gate of Bab Zuwayla), the Sultan Al-Ghuri complex, the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay in the Northern Cemetery, and the trio of monuments in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area comprising the complex of Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun, the Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad, and the Madrasa of Sultan Barquq. [49][50] Continued civil war allowed an Albanian named Muhammad Ali Pasha to ascend to the role of commander and eventually, with the approval of the religious establishment, viceroy of Egypt in 1805. Nearly one-fifth of Spain’s exports in 2019 went to Africa, amounting to 19 billion euro ($22 billion). Government statistics consider that the whole governorate is urban and the whole governorate is treated like as the metropolitan-city of Cairo. Many of Cairo's oldest Coptic churches, including the Hanging Church, are located along the fortress walls in a section of the city known as Coptic Cairo. This edition has become the standard for modern printings of the Quran[69][70] for much of the Islamic world. Some argue that it was a name of an Egyptian settlement upon which Cairo was built, but it's rather doubtful as this name is not attested in any Hieroglyphic or Demotic source, although some researchers, like Paul Casanova, view it as a legitimate theory. One of the most important and lasting institutions founded in the Fatimid period was the Mosque of al-Azhar, founded in 970 AD, which competes with the Qarawiyyin in Fes for the title of oldest university in the world. The majority of the nation's commerce is generated there, or passes through the city. The airport is the main international gateway to Portugal. Humberto Delgado Airport (IATA: LIS, ICAO: LPPT), also known simply as Lisbon Airport or Portela Airport, is an international airport located 7 km (4.3 mi) northeast from the city centre of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. The economy of Cairo was ranked first in the Middle East in 2005,[12] and 43rd globally on Foreign Policy's 2010 Global Cities Index.[13]. Because of this, it is difficult to divide Cairo into urban, rural, subdivisions, or to eliminate certain parts of the metropolitan administrative territory on various theme (unofficial statistics and data). Cairo's hospitals include the JCI-accredited As-Salaam International Hospital—Corniche El Nile, Maadi (Egypt's largest private hospital with 350 beds), Ain Shams University Hospital, Dar Al Fouad, Nile Badrawi Hospital, 57357 Hospital, as well as Qasr El Eyni Hospital. [127] Today, al-Azhar University is the foremost Center of Islamic learning in the world and one of Egypt's largest universities with campuses across the country. Cairo's Tahrir Square was the focal point of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution against former president Hosni Mubarak. It was enclosed by a circuit of walls, which were rebuilt in stone in the late 11th century AD by the vizir Badr al-Gamali,[126] parts of which survive today at Bab Zuwayla in the south and Bab al-Futuh and Bab al-Nasr in the north. Cairo held its first international film festival 16 August 1976, when the first Cairo International Film Festival was launched by the Egyptian Association of Film Writers and Critics, headed by Kamal El-Mallakh. Cairo would eventually become a centre of learning, with the library of Cairo containing hundreds of thousands of books. [40][41] It was during this same period that al-Azhar University reached the predominance among Islamic schools that it continues to hold today;[42][43] pilgrims on their way to hajj often attested to the superiority of the institution, which had become associated with Egypt's body of Islamic scholars. Spain imports from the continent were worth 27 billion euros in the same period. [96] Dew points in the hottest months range from 13.9 °C (57 °F) in June to 18.3 °C (65 °F) in August.[97]. As al Qahira expanded these earlier settlements were encompassed, and have since become part of the city of Cairo as it expanded and spread; they are now collectively known as "Old Cairo". It was built in 876–879 AD in a style inspired by the Abbasid capital of Samarra in Iraq. A rebellion in 869 by Ahmad ibn Tulun led to the abandonment of Al Askar and the building of another settlement, which became the seat of government. Tourists who are not familiar with such high levels of pollution must take extra care. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The metropolis began to encroach on the fertile Nile Delta, prompting the government to build desert satellite towns and devise incentives for city-dwellers to move to them.[78]. 2. In a televised statement Thursday after his meeting with Sánchez, Lourenço said there were opportunities for Spanish investments in such areas as agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, textiles, and the pharmaceutical sector. [134], Today, Cairo is heavily urbanized and most Cairenes now live in apartment buildings. Located near the Nile Delta,[6][7] Cairo was founded in 969 AD during the Fatimid dynasty, but the land composing the present-day city was the site of Ancient National Capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Egypt has seven players in the top ten of the PSA men's world rankings, and three in the women's top ten. [142], The air pollution in Cairo is a matter of serious concern. He noted that producing goods in Angola would give Spanish companies a competitive edge in exporting to the rest of Africa. [20] ⲕⲁϩⲓⲣⲏ is a popular modern rendering of an Arabic name (others being ⲭⲁⲓⲣⲟⲛ and ⲕⲁϩⲓⲣⲁ) which has a folk etymology "land of sun". It took four years to build the city, initially known as al-Manṣūriyyah,[24] which was to serve as the new capital of the caliphate. The British occupation was intended to be temporary, but it lasted well into the 20th century. This original carvanserai building was demolished by Sultan al-Ghuri, who rebuilt it as a new commercial complex in the early 16th century, forming the basis for the network of souqs existing today. During this time, urban Cairo, spurred by new bridges and transport links, continued to expand to include the upscale neighbourhoods of Garden City, Zamalek, and Heliopolis. [120], The first mosque in Egypt was the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in what was formerly Fustat, the first Arab-Muslim settlement in the area. The Headquarters of the Arab League is located in Tahrir Square, near the downtown business district of Cairo. This was followed by a third consecutive win in Angola 2010, making Egypt the only country with a record 3-consecutive and 7-total Continental Football Competition winner. The land on which Cairo was established in 969 (present-day Islamic Cairo) was located underwater just over three hundred years earlier, when Fustat was first built. Today, Greater Cairo is the centre for many government offices governing the Egyptian educational system, has the largest number of educational schools, and higher education institutes among other cities and governorates of Egypt. Following the Muslim conquest in AD 640, the conqueror Amr ibn As settled to the north of the Babylon in an area that became known as al-Fustat. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerement of Women, History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty, Arab Academy for Science & Technology and Maritime Transport, Misr University for Science and Technology, Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile), Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of twin towns and sister cities in Egypt, "Population distribution by selected age groups, sex and governorate according to final results of 2017 Pop.Census (201993091923pop.pdf)", http://www.cairo.gov.eg/en/Pages/Governor.aspx?SubmID=106, "Population Estimates By Sex & Governorate 1/1/2020 (20204139534pop.pdf)", "Historic Cairo – UNESCO World Heritage Centre", "Cairo – "Al-Qahira" – is Egypt's capital and the largest city in the Middle East and Africa", Globalization and World Cities Research Network, "Cairo's third metro line beats challenges", "The 150 Richest Cities in the World by GDP in 2005", "Talk:Wp/cop/ⲕⲁϣⲣⲱⲙⲓ – Wikimedia Incubator", بلال فضل يتفرغ لـ"أهل اسكندرية" بعد "أهل كايرو", http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1875-3922_q3_intro, Studies in two transmissions of the Qur'an, Böwering, "Recent Research on the Construction of the Quran", 2008, Gender and Muslim Constructions of Exegetical Authority: A Rereading of the Classical Genre of Qurʾān Commentary, Reynolds, "Quranic studies and its controversies", 2008, "Egypt protests: Anti-Mubarak demonstrators arrested", "Egyptians report poor communication services on Day of Anger", "Egypt protests: curfew defied in Cairo and other cities", "Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced to flee Tunisia as protesters claim victory", "Egypt unveils plans to build new capital east of Cairo", "World Map of Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification", "Biblical snowstorm: Rare flakes in Cairo, Jerusalem paralyzed by over a foot", "Cairo Climate Guide: Monthly Weather, Egypt", "To Catch Cairo Overflow, 2 Megacities Rise in Sand", Map of Greater Cairo & SODIC Developments, "Al-Ahram Weekly | Features | Reaching an impasse", "Egypt to build country's first ever monorail in Cairo", "Cairo monorail trains to be built in UK", "Panda, Buy from Mod Car. [53][54] However, while Muhammad Ali initiated the construction of public buildings in the city,[55] those reforms had minimal effect on Cairo's landscape. In October 2008, the Egyptian Rugby Federation was officially formed and granted membership into the International Rugby Board. Spanish authorities are holding thousands of migrants, including potential asylum seekers, in camps set up on the islands, hoping to return as many of them to their home countries either voluntarily or through agreements with African governments. [35] During its initial, and most deadly waves, approximately 200,000 people were killed by the plague,[36] and, by the 15th century, Cairo's population had been reduced to between 150,000 and 300,000. The Association ran the festival for seven years until 1983. [138] The problem has persisted in spite of new national laws since 2014 defining and criminalizing sexual harassment. Al Qatta'i was centred around a palace and ceremonial mosque, now known as the Mosque of ibn Tulun. [104] Traffic moves at a relatively fluid pace. [59][60], The immense debt resulting from Isma'il's projects provided a pretext for increasing European control, which culminated with the British invasion in 1882. [19] Cairo is also referred to as ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, which means Egypt in Coptic, the same way it's referred to in Egyptian Arabic. Today, the Egyptian capital has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab world, as well as the world's second-oldest institution of higher learning, Al-Azhar University. This is a huge health hazard, and the Egyptian Government is looking for ways to combat this. Our Chinese Visa Application Service Centers are located in five continents around the world and exist in the following countries and regions. Another step is to increase Spain’s limited investment and trade exchanges with the neighboring continent as a way to lift African economies and dissuade potential migrants. The Citadel is located east of the city centre around Islamic Cairo, which dates back to the Fatimid era and the foundation of Cairo. Over the years, the Nile gradually shifted westward, providing the site between the eastern edge of the river and the Mokattam highlands on which the city now stands. Mohamed El Shorbagy held the world number one position for more than a year before being overtaken by compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad, who is number two behind Gregory Gaultier of France. High temperatures in winter range from 14 to 22 °C (57 to 72 °F), while night-time lows drop to below 11 °C (52 °F), often to 5 °C (41 °F). Cairo, like many other megacities, suffers from high levels of pollution and traffic. Concurrently, Cairo has established itself as a political and economic hub for North Africa and the Arab world, with many multinational businesses and organisations, including the Arab League, operating out of the city. [72], British troops remained in the country until 1956. In 1250, slave soldiers, known as the Mamluks, seized control of Egypt and like many of their predecessors established Cairo as the capital of their new dynasty. Cairo traffic is known to be overwhelming and overcrowded. [66][67] The goal of the government of the newly formed Kingdom of Egypt was not to delegitimize the other variant Quranic texts ("qira'at"), but to eliminate errors found in Qur’anic texts used in state schools. [28] As the first Sultan of Egypt, Saladin established the Ayyubid dynasty, based in Cairo, and aligned Egypt with the Abbasids, who were based in Baghdad. Traveling from Europe, Africa, or Asia via Canada allows reaching a number of Caribbean and South American destinations. It represented the first large-scale attempt to promote its own architecture, known now as the Heliopolis style. [32] Angola’s President Joao Lourenço welcomed Sánchez during his stop in Luanda on Thursday declaring he wants Spain to be a “key partner” in the diversification of his country’s economy. This has fuelled rapid construction in the city—one building in five is less than 15 years old. [32][39][40] However, during the 16th and 17th centuries, Cairo remained an important economic and cultural centre. Briefing journalists ahead of Sánchez’s tour, officials said that the two African countries had been chosen due to their growth perspectives and influence in the continent. [90], Low periods of the Nile during the 11th century continued to add to the landscape of Cairo; a new island, known as Geziret al-Fil, first appeared in 1174, but eventually became connected to the mainland. For other uses, see, Façade of Terminal 3 at Cairo International Airport, Departures area of Cairo International Airport's Terminal 1, Cairo's automobile assembler and manufacturer. Despite being predominantly peaceful in nature, the revolution was not without violent clashes between security forces and protesters, with at least 846 people killed and 6,000 injured.