Cairo - Egypt (Part 1)

City of Cairo, Egypt

Cairo is one of the top must visit places for me. I want to start this blog with this city. Cairo is one of the ancient cities that has seen various dynasties and has a rich history associated with it. It has always been attracting travelers since 10 centuries ago. Cairo is an arabic word for "The conqueror" of victorious city. It is the capital of Egypt also know as "Masr". Cairo is one of the world's largest urban areas and is also nicknamed as " City of thousand minarets" for its abundant Islamic architectural remains. It is close to Great pyramids of Giza and also has ancient temples, tombs and magnificent muslim monuments.

The city provides great culture; including art galleries, music halls, etc. Being one of the largest cities in the world it has famous grand hotels like Four seasons, cairo marriott etc. Cairo has incredible selection of shopping, leisure and nightlife activities. City of Cairo is very lively and it is populated with diverse culture and good hearted people.

History

History of Cairo is very complex and fascinating one. Cairo was founded by "Fatimid dynasty" in the 10th century A.D. It has been the focal point in Egypt due to its strategic location nearby Nile.Cairo's history is an interesting narration of events that have played key role in the development and evolution of Cairo as a modern city.

Early History of Cairo

The early history starts with Paleolithic and Neolithic period in 11th millennium BC and ends with the Muslim invasion. The early history has experienced the rule of different dynasties of Pharaohs who built the inspiring Egyptian pyramids. Around 3000 B.C. at the beginning of Bronze age, the king of Upper Egypt conquered the king of Lower Egypt and hence the unification occurred during this period. The Egyptians built pyramids as a tomb for their Pharaohs. This was built supposedly in-between 2686-2160 B.C.

In 525 B.C, Cambyses Persian king brought his army and conquered Egypt and made Egypt part of Persian empire. But in 332 B.C, Alexander conquered persian empire and took over Egypt. Later the Greek successors rule Egypt from 332 - 30 B.C which was also the period of Cleopatra. She was a greek woman and also a Pharaoh of Egypt. After Cleopatra died, Romans took over Egypt and it became part of the Roman empire. Roman empire lasted for hundreds of years 30 B.C - 700 A.D. List of all the dynasties.

French Occupation of Cairo

The entry of Napoleon into the city of Cairo in the year 1798 marked the beginning of this. Napoleon invaded Cairo with the intention of disrupting British trade route. Cairo as a city underwent many social and cultural change under the French rule. Even after the french left, their occupation left an impression in different spheres of life of the people of Cairo.

British Occupation of Cairo

Lord Cromer was placed as the first British Agent in Egypt. Cairo prospered and flourished under the British rule. Tram ways were built, train services were started and various English stores and shopping arcades were set up. Finally, the revolution of 1952 vanquished and ended the 70yrs British rule in Cairo.

Geography of Cairo

Cairo is located in the northern Egypt, 165kms south of Mediterranean Sea and 120 kms west of the Suez canal. The city is along the Nile river that has influenced the history of Cairo. In Cairo, and along the Nile river valley, the climate is a desert climate but often with high humidity. Wind storms can be frequent bringing the Saharan dust into the city during the months of March and April. Rainfall is sparse, but sudden showers cause flooding.

Infrastructure

Health

Cairo and neighboring city Giza, has been established as Egypt's main center for medical treatment and has most advanced level of medical care in the country.

Education

Cairo has been the hub of education in Egypt. Cairo is the center of many government offices, it has largest number of educational schools and higher learning institutes among other cities of Egypt.

Transportation

Transportation in Cairo comprises of extensive rail network, subway systems, road network and maritime services. The road transport is facilitated by personal vehicles, cabs, buses etc. The subway system is a fast and efficient way to get around Cairo. It can get crowded during rush hour. Cairo traffic is known to be overcrowded. Drivers tend to be aggressive but more courteous at intersections. Egypt Air is the national airline of Egypt and Cairo international airport serves the city. It is the second busiest airport in Africa.

Sports

Football is the most popular sport in Egypt and Cairo has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and regional leagues.

Economy

The majority of nation's commerce is generated in Cairo. The city has majority of publishing houses, media outlets and nearly all film studios. The Egyptian pound is the currency of Egypt.

Cities Architecture, mosques and museums

Tahrir Square

It was founded during mid 19th century. Several notable buildings surround the square including American university in Cairo, government buildings, headquarters of Arab League, the Egyptian museum etc. Being at the heart of Cairo, the square has observed many major protests.

The Egyptian Museum

It is the home to most extensive collections of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world. It has 136,000 items to display and many thousands in the basement storerooms.

Old Cairo

It is the portion of the city, that is home to the Babylon Fortress, coptic museum, hanging church and other cathedrals.

Cairo Tower

It is a self-supporting concrete television tower in the city. At 187 meters, it is 43meters higher than the Great pyramids of Giza.

Link for photos of Cairo

http://www.ehabweb.net/cairo.html

If you have reached to this point means you developed interest in reading about Cairo, now go to Part II article that talks about Egyptian music, Art and the Great Giza pyramids