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Cairo, The Ideal Destination Cairo or (al Qahira in Arabic) means "The Vanquisher" or "The Triumphant". It is the capital city of Egypt and is the cultural and scientific capital of the Arab and Islamic world. It has a metropolitan area population of about 17.285 million people. Cairo is the sixteenth most populous metropolitan area in the world. It is also the most populous metropolitan area in Africa. Cairo was built by the leader Gohar el Seqeli in 969. Its flag is el Azhar mosque. It celebrates its national day on the 6th of July. The city was founded in AD 969 as the royal enclosure for the Fatimid caliphs, while the actual economic and administrative capital was in nearby Fustat. After Fustat was destroyed in 1168/1169 to prevent its capture by the Crusaders, the administrative capital of Egypt moved to Cairo, where it has remained ever since. Cairo is located on the banks and islands of the Nile River in the north of Egypt, immediately south of the point where the river leaves its desert-bound valley and breaks into two branches into the low-lying Nile Delta region. Cairo covers almost 214 km2 and stretches to about 41.542 kms. It is bordered by the governorates of Qaluiobia and Sharqia from the North and by el Giza governorate from the West and South and the Suez governorate from the East. Today, Greater Cairo encompasses various historic towns and modern districts chief among which are Saladin's Citadel, the Virgin Mary's Tree, Al-Azhar, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-A'as, the Hanging Church and the Cairo Tower. The oldest part of the city 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: it is filled with small lanes and crowded tenements. 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. Extensive water systems have also allowed the city to expand east into the desert. Bridges link the Nile islands of Gezira and Roda, where many government buildings are located and government officials live. Bridges also cross the Nile attaching the city to the suburbs of Giza and Imbabah. West of Giza, in the desert, is part of the ancient Memphis on the Giza plateau, with its three large pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza. Approximately 11 miles (18 km) to the south of modern Cairo is the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and adjoining necropolis of Saqqara. These cities were Cairo's ancient predecessors, when Cairo was still in this approximate geographical location. (Source: Wikipedia encyclopedia)
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