Cairo is the capital of Egypt and is in the northeastern part of this African country. Most of the city is on the eastern bank of the Nile, about 500 miles (800 km) downriver from the Aswan High Dam. Cairo is the starting point for trips to the delta of the Nile, where the lower Nile splits into the Rosetta and Damietta branches. In Arabic, Cairo is called Al-Qahirah, which means “The Winner.” When the Fatimids took over Egypt in 969 CE, a new city was built northeast of the cities that were already there.
Historic Cairo Egypt, includes:
Cairo Egypt
This old city was named Al-Qahirah to celebrate the arrival of the Fatimid caliph al-Mu’izz, who made it the capital of a dynasty that lasted for 200 years. Cairo wasn’t built until the 10th century CE, so it wasn’t there in ancient Egypt. But Cairo is often linked to Memphis, which was Egypt’s ancient capital and was about 15 miles (24 km) south of modern Cairo.
Memphis is known for its necropolis, which is where the Pyramids of Giza were built and are now part of Greater Cairo. Egyptian Cairo mixes the old with the new and the east with the west. The Pyramids of Giza are in Greater Cairo, near Memphis. They are on the southwest edge of the city, and the Egyptian Museum shows how ancient Egyptian history has been preserved.
There are numerous architectural landmarks from the Roman, Arab, and Ottoman eras in between these two extremes. Cairo is also thought of as the cultural center of the Arab Middle East. The city’s rich culture is clear to see in its huge bazaar, famous mosques, and historically important film industry. Historic Cairo is the name for most of Cairo, Egypt. It is also known as Medieval Cairo or Islamic Cairo.
Historic Cairo
Between the Muslim invasion of Egypt in 641 CE and Khedive Ismail’s control in the 19th century, these places were erected. These sites include the center of the old walled city, the historic cemeteries, the area around the Citadel of Cairo, parts of Bulaq, and Old Cairo, which dates back to Roman times and has many important Coptic Christian monuments. Even though it is termed “Islamic” Cairo, that does not mean that there are more Muslims there than anywhere else.
Instead, it means that the city has a lot of history and culture from when it was founded in the early days of Islam, which makes it different from the nearby ancient Egyptian sites of Giza and Memphis. In the Islamic world, this district boasts one of the largest and densest clusters of old buildings. It has several mosques, tombs, madrasas, villas, caravanserais, and fortifications from all across Egypt’s Islamic past.
Old Cairo
One of the oldest Islamic cities in the world is right in the center of hectic, modern Cairo. The city was founded in the 10th century, but it did not become the hub of the Muslim world until three hundred years later. The historic city center of Cairo was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
Cairo Egypt History
In the 10th century, the Fatimids dominated Egypt. For hundreds of years, the Abbasids had been in authority in the area. Al-Mu’izziyya al-Qaahirah was erected in the year 970 to be the power center and home of the ruling dynasty. In the future, the city that is now named Cairo will be called al-Qahira. Saladin and eventually the Mamluk Sultanate would reign from the city during the next couple hundred years. Many of the buildings currently standing in the city are from this time.
The original city walls are gone, but you can still see the 11th-century Bab al-Futuh, Bab al-Nasr, and Bab Zuwaylah gates. By 1340, there were almost 500,000 people living in Cairo, which made it the largest city in the Islamic world. By the middle of the 1400s, plagues had begun the steady decline of the city. Exploration and trade by Europeans in India hurt Cairo’s role in the lucrative spice trade, which made the city’s problems even worse.
When the Ottomans seized the city in 1517, it became the capital of a Turkic province. Cairo has changed a lot in the last 100 years and is once again one of the biggest cities in the world. The historic region is on the east side of the Nile. More than 600 structures and monuments from the 7th to the 20th centuries are protected by law. The Citadel of Cairo was erected by Saladin in the 1100s.
It has stood the test of time and is one of the most stunning buildings. It was one of the best defenses of its time, and when the British ruled Egypt many years later, they still used it. Anyone can go to the citadel these days. Another popular spot in the old town is the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, which was built between 1356 and 1363.
Many people consider it one of Cairo’s most interesting buildings. People from all over the world are amazed by its large entrance portal, beautiful exterior, and scale. Coptic Cairo is an area that is part of historic Cairo. The oldest ruin that is still standing is the Ancient Roman Babylon Fortress, which was built around 30 BC. Inside the old fort, you may see a Coptic museum and a number of Christian churches.
Visit Cairo Egypt
The best way to travel to historic Cairo is to fly to Cairo International Airport and then take a bus or a taxi from there. This is the fastest way to go to the magnificent old town, as it only takes around 26 minutes instead of 50 minutes by bus. The official city taxis are white and may be found directly outside Terminals 1, 2, and 3.
