Interesting facts about Cairo

Interesting facts about Cairo Is a great opportunity to learn more about Arab capitals. The city is home to many attractions, to see which millions of people from all over the world come every year.

So, here are the most interesting facts about Cairo.

1. Cairo was founded in 969.
2. Today, Cairo, with a population of 9.7 million, is the largest city in the Middle East.
3. The inhabitants of Egypt (see interesting facts about Egypt) call their capital - Masr, while they also call the whole state of Egypt Masr.
4. During its existence, Cairo has had names such as Babylon of Egypt and Fustat.
5. Cairo is one of the driest metropolitan areas in the world. On average, no more than 25 mm of precipitation falls here per year.
6. In one of the suburbs of Egypt, Giza, there are the world famous pyramids of Cheops, Khafren and Mikerin, "protected" by the Great Sphinx. When visiting Cairo, the overwhelming majority of tourists come to Giza to see the ancient buildings with their own eyes.
7. An interesting fact is that some of Cairo's regions are so densely populated that up to 100,000 people live per 1 km².
8. Airplanes landing at the local airport fly directly over the pyramids, so passengers can see them from a bird's eye view.
9. Many mosques have been built in Cairo. According to local guides, a new mosque opens in the capital every year.
10. Drivers in Cairo do not adhere to traffic rules at all. This becomes the reason for frequent traffic congestion and accidents. It is curious that the entire city has no more than a dozen traffic lights.
11. The Cairo Museum is the world's largest repository of ancient Egyptian artifacts. It houses up to 120,000 exhibits. When large-scale rallies began here in 2011, the Cairo people surrounded the museum to protect it from looters. Nevertheless, the criminals managed to manage to take out 18 most valuable artifacts.
12. In 1987, the first subway in Africa (see interesting facts about Africa) was opened in Cairo.
13. On the outskirts of Cairo, there is an area nicknamed the "City of Scavengers". It is inhabited by Copts, who are engaged in collecting and sorting garbage, receiving decent money for this. Tons of waste in this part of the capital even lie on the roofs of buildings.
14. The first fortress on the territory of modern Cairo was built in the 2nd century by the efforts of the Romans.
15. The local market Khan el-Khalili, founded about 6 centuries ago, is considered the largest trading platform among all African countries.
16. The Cairo Al-Azhar Mosque is one of the most important mosques not only in Egypt, but throughout the Muslim world. It was built in 970-972. by order of the Fatimid commander Jauhar. Later, the mosque became one of the strongholds of Sunni orthodoxy.
17. There are trams, buses and 3 metro lines in Cairo, but they are always crowded, so everyone who can afford it travels around the city by taxi.

Watch the video: Egyptian pyramids history, Tombs and factsTravel Pyramids Of GIZA u0026 CAIRO. (January 2025).