Cairo
City guide · Cairo Governorate · Egypt
Giza pyramid complex and the ancient cities of Memphis and Heliopolis, today within the city · Historic Cairo, UNESCO World Heritage Site designated 1979
About Cairo
Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, home to more than 9.8 million people and part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world, and the Middle East, with over 22 million people in the Greater Cairo metropolitan area. Founded in 969 AD, it succeeded the earlier settlement of Fustat as the main urban centre during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods (12th–16th centuries). The city is known as 'the city of a thousand minarets' for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, and its historic center was awarded World Heritage Site status in 1979. Cairo is a longstanding centre of political and cultural life, home to Egypt's oldest university, Al-Azhar University, one of the oldest universities in the world, as well as the oldest and largest film and music industry in Africa and the Arab world. The Cairo Metro, opened in 1987, is the oldest metro system in Africa and ranks amongst the fifteen busiest in the world, with over 1 billion annual passenger rides. Like many megacities, Cairo suffers from high levels of pollution and traffic.
Who this destination fits
Highlights worth planning around
Strong fit
- Home to the Giza pyramid complex and the ancient cities of Memphis and Heliopolis, which are today within the city (TIMELESS; SOURCE_URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo; SOURCE_ROLE: EDITORIAL_CONTEXT)
- Historic center awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1979 (HISTORICAL; SOURCE_URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo; SOURCE_ROLE: EDITORIAL_CONTEXT)
- Cairo Metro, opened in 1987, is the oldest metro system in Africa and ranks amongst the fifteen busiest in the world, with over 1 billion annual passenger rides (HISTORICAL for opening; CURRENT_STATE for ranking and ridership; SOURCE_URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo; SOURCE_ROLE: EDITORIAL_CONTEXT)
- Longstanding centre of political and cultural life, home to the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and the Cairo Opera House (TIMELESS; SOURCE_URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo; SOURCE_ROLE: EDITORIAL_CONTEXT)
- Home to Egypt's oldest university, Al-Azhar University, one of the oldest universities in the world (TIMELESS; SOURCE_URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo; SOURCE_ROLE: EDITORIAL_CONTEXT)
Tradeoffs
- Suffers from high levels of pollution and traffic, like many other megacities (CURRENT_STATE; SOURCE_URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo; SOURCE_ROLE: EDITORIAL_CONTEXT)
Decision factors
Getting around
Cairo Metro, opened in 1987, is the oldest metro system in Africa and ranks amongst the fifteen busiest in the world, with over 1 billion annual passenger rides (HISTORICAL for opening; CURRENT_STATE for ranking and ridership; SOURCE_URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo; SOURCE_ROLE: EDITORIAL_CONTEXT)