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Cairo,
which Egyptians proudly call the 'Mother of All Cities', spreads along
the banks of the River Nile for 40km (25 miles) north to south, the
largest metropolis in Africa. Most of the city lies on the east bank of
the river. While its western borders end abruptly at the Pyramids, new
satellite cities are spilling into the Eastern Desert.
Travellers through the ages have been both
fascinated and repelled by Cairo. Visitors are intrigued by its twisting
streets, medieval buildings, oriental bazaars and Islamic architecture
of carved domes and sculpted minarets, while being appalled by its dirt,
pollution, noise, crowds and constant demands for baksheesh
(gratuities). Paying baksheesh is the local custom, however, so
expect to give little and often. Culture shock is part of the experience
of Cairo and can at times be wearing. But as is written in the ancient
tales of the 1001 Nights, 'He who hath not seen Cairo, hath not
seen the world'.
Cairo is a disorienting place and visitors often
feel most comfortable finding their feet in the Westernised downtown
district of central Cairo around Midan Tahrir (Liberation Square). This
is a public transport hub, separated from the Nile by the massive Nile
Hilton Hotel. Here too is the city centre's main attraction, the
Egyptian Museum. Opposite downtown is the Nile island of Gezira, with
the island of Roda just to the south. The Pyramids of Giza are on the
West bank of the river, some 18km (11 miles) from the centre. Old Cairo
lies south of downtown, while Islamic Cairo encompasses a large area to
the east.
Although Cairo today is Egypt's capital and
largest city, teeming with some 16 million people, its position of
prominence in the long timeline of Egyptian history is relatively
recent. It did not even exist when the pyramids at Giza were
constructed. Then, the town of Memphis, 24km (15 miles) to the south,
was the Pharaonic capital. Cairo was not founded until the Romans
rebuilt an old Persian fortress along the Nile in AD116, which was known
as Babylon-in-Egypt, in today's Old Cairo district.
From the latter ninth century, a succession of
Arab rulers made their mark on the city: Ibn Tulun built his royal city
el-Qatai, the Fatimids built the walled city of el-Qahira, from which
Cairo takes it name. In the thirteenth century, the Mamluks, a caste of
Turkish soldier-slaves, rose to power, then the Ottomans, the French
under Napoleon and finally the British ruled in their turn. The birth of
modern Cairo came in 1863, when the ruler Ismail expanded the city along
the Nile in the style of the great European cities. After the country
returned to Egyptian rule in 1952, Cairo rose to the forefront as the
capital of the Arab world.
Cairo is also called the 'City of 1000 Minarets'
and it is the exotic skyline of graceful domes and towering minarets
that casts a spell of magic over the grinding reality of the metropolis.
Most visitors come to see the great Pyramids of Giza, the treasures of
Tutankhamun's tomb and other wonders in the Egyptian Museum of
Antiquities, as well as to shop in the sprawling Khan al-Khalili
marketplace. There are also dozens of mosques, Coptic churches, smaller
museums and winding streets to explore. This tourism is Egypt's key
source of foreign income, while the public sector, including government
and social services and the military, makes up the largest 'industry'.
The city is also the centre of a growing trade, finance and insurance
sector.
During the summer, temperatures in Cairo can
climb to 38 degrees Celsius, though the low humidity is some
consolation. The best time to visit is between October and April.
Occasional downpours occur in January and February, while during March
and April the khamseen, a strong, hot, dry wind, blows in
periodically from the desert.
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