Cairo
The Nile River flows through Cairo, here contrasting ancient customs of daily life with the modern city of today. Areas of what would become Cairo were inhabited from pre-dynastic and early-dynastic ancient Egypt c. 6000 years ago. The Giza pyramid complex and the ancient cities of Memphis and Heliopolis are today within the city boundaries. A Roman fortress known as Babylon was established along the east bank of the Nile around the turn of the fourth century. Emperor Diocletian built this fortress at the entrance of a canal connecting the Nile to the Red Sea that was created earlier by Emperor Trajan between 98 and 117 AD. Historical evidence suggests that a sizeable city existed near these fortifications even though no structures older than the seventh century have been preserved in the area aside from the Roman fortifications. The site today remains at the nucleus of the Coptic Orthodox community which separated from the Roman and Byzantine churches in the late fourth century. Cairo's oldest extant churches such as the Church of Saint Barbara and the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus date from the late seventh or early eighth century.
In 641 or early 642 after the surrender of Alexandria the Egyptian capital at the time Amr ibn al-As founded a new settlement next to Babylon Fortress. This city known as Fustat served as a garrison town and as the new administrative capital of Egypt. 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 the new provincial capital known as al-Askar. A governor's residence and a new mosque were also added with the latter completed in 786. In 861 on the orders of the Abbasid Caliph al-Mutawakkil a Nilometer was built on Roda Island near Fustat. Although it was repaired and given a new roof in later centuries its basic structure is still preserved today making it the oldest preserved Islamic-era structure in Cairo today. In 969 the Fatimid Caliphate conquered Egypt after ruling from Ifriqiya. The Fatimid Caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah instructed his courtier and general Jawhar al-Saqili to establish a new fortified city northeast of Fustat and of former al-Qata'i. It took four years to build the city initially known as al-Manuriyyah which was to serve as the new capital of the caliphate.
Between 1250 and 1517 the throne of the Mamluk Sultanate passed from one mamluk to another in a system of succession that was generally non-hereditary but also frequently violent and chaotic. Despite their military character the Mamluks were also prolific builders and left a rich architectural legacy throughout Cairo. Continuing a practice started by the Ayyubids much of the land occupied by former Fatimid palaces was sold and replaced by newer buildings becoming a prestigious site for the construction of Mamluk religious and funerary complexes. Construction projects initiated by the Mamluks pushed the city outward while also bringing new infrastructure to the centre of the city. Under the reign of the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad between 1293 and 1341 with interregnums Cairo reached its apogee in terms of population and wealth. By 1340 Cairo had a population of close to half a million making it the largest city west of China. Multi-story buildings occupied by rental apartments known as a rab became common in the Mamluk period and continued to be a feature of the city's housing during the later Ottoman period.
Bigger changes came to Cairo under Isma'il Pasha who ruled from 1863 to 1879 and continued the modernisation processes started by his grandfather. Drawing inspiration from Paris Isma'il envisioned a city of maidans and wide avenues though due to financial constraints only some of them in the area now composing Downtown Cairo came to fruition. Isma'il also sought to modernise the city which was merging with neighbouring settlements by establishing a public works ministry bringing gas and lighting to the city and opening a theatre and opera house. The immense debt resulting from Isma'il's projects provided a pretext for increasing European control which culminated with the British invasion in 1882. In 1906 the Heliopolis Oasis Company headed by the Belgian industrialist Édouard Empain and his Egyptian counterpart Boghos Nubar built a suburb called Heliopolis ten kilometers from the center of Cairo. In 1905, 1907 the northern part of the Gezira island was developed by the Baehler Company into Zamalek which would later become Cairo's upscale chic neighbourhood.
Between 1947 and 2006 the population of Greater Cairo went from 2,986,280 to 16,292,269. The population explosion also drove the rise of informal housing meaning housing that was built without any official planning or control. By 2009 over 63% of the population of Greater Cairo lived in informal neighbourhoods even though these occupied only 17% of the total area of Greater Cairo. According to economist David Sims informal housing has the benefits of providing affordable accommodation and vibrant communities to huge numbers of Cairo's working classes but it also suffers from government neglect a relative lack of services and overcrowding. In 1979 the government established the New Urban Communities Authority to initiate and direct the development of new towns on the outskirts of Cairo generally established on desert land. As of 2022 four new towns have been built and have residential populations including the 15th of May City Badr City Shorouk City and New Cairo.
Cairo is 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 city is the vibrant heart of both the African and Arab film industries often called the Hollywood on the Nile dominating Middle Eastern cinema with high production output. Cairo held its first international film festival on the 16th of 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. The association ran the festival for seven years until 1983. This achievement led to the president of the festival again contacting the FIAPF with the request that a competition should be included at the 1991 festival. The request was granted. 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.
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Common questions
When was Cairo founded and what were its earliest settlements?
Areas of what would become Cairo were inhabited from pre-dynastic and early-dynastic ancient Egypt c. 6000 years ago. The city known as Fustat was founded by Amr ibn al-As in 641 or early 642 after the surrender of Alexandria.
Who built the oldest preserved Islamic-era structure in Cairo?
The Abbasid Caliph al-Mutawakkil ordered a Nilometer to be built on Roda Island near Fustat in 861. This structure remains the oldest preserved Islamic-era building in Cairo today despite later repairs.
What was the population of Cairo at its apogee under the Mamluk Sultanate?
By 1340 Cairo had a population of close to half a million making it the largest city west of China. This peak occurred during the reign of the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad between 1293 and 1341 with interregnums.
Which suburbs did Isma'il Pasha establish in modern Cairo?
In 1906 the Heliopolis Oasis Company headed by Édouard Empain and Boghos Nubar built a suburb called Heliopolis ten kilometers from the center of Cairo. In 1905 and 1907 the northern part of Gezira island was developed into Zamalek which became an upscale neighborhood.
When did the population of Greater Cairo reach over 16 million people?
Between 1947 and 2006 the population of Greater Cairo went from 2,986,280 to 16,292,269. By 2009 over 63% of the population lived in informal neighborhoods that occupied only 17% of the total area.