On 30 April 2016, she became the youngest woman to win the Women's World Championship which was held in Malaysia. It is estimated that 10,000 to 25,000 people a year in Cairo die due to air pollution-related diseases. [146] In 1995, the first environmental acts were introduced and the situation has seen some improvement with 36 air monitoring stations and emissions tests on cars. Mohamed El Shorbagy held the world number one position for more than a year before being overtaken by compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad, who is number two behind Gregory Gaultier of France. [140] In 2020, the social media account "Assault Police" began to name and shame perpetrators of violence against women. It represented the first large-scale attempt to promote its own architecture, known now as the Heliopolis style. An additional 9.5 million inhabitants live in close proximity to the city. No new date has been set for the visit. Shabana won the World Open title four times and Ashour twice, although his recent form has been hampered by injury. Cairo, specifically Ramses Station, is the centre of almost the entire Egyptian transportation network.[103]. [45], Under the Ottomans, Cairo expanded south and west from its nucleus around the Citadel. Cairo traffic is known to be overwhelming and overcrowded. Continuing a practice started by the Ayyubids, much of the land occupied by former Fatimid palaces was sold and replaced by newer buildings. For other uses, see, Façade of Terminal 3 at Cairo International Airport, Departures area of Cairo International Airport's Terminal 1, Cairo's automobile assembler and manufacturer. [103], In 2017 plans to construct two monorail systems were announced, one linking 6th of October to suburban Giza, a distance of 35 km (22 mi), and the other linking Nasr City to New Cairo, a distance of 52 km (32 mi).[105][106]. Snowfall is extremely rare; a small amount of graupel, widely believed to be snow, fell on Cairo's easternmost suburbs on 13 December 2013, the first time Cairo's area received this kind of precipitation in many decades. Get the Rome2rio app Find the best way to get from A to B, anywhere in the world, on your mobile or tablet. Because of the Nile's movement, the newer parts of the city—Garden City, Downtown Cairo, and Zamalek—are located closest to the riverbank. As al Qahira expanded these earlier settlements were encompassed, and have since become part of the city of Cairo as it expanded and spread; they are now collectively known as "Old Cairo". [20] ⲕⲁϩⲓⲣⲏ is a popular modern rendering of an Arabic name (others being ⲭⲁⲓⲣⲟⲛ and ⲕⲁϩⲓⲣⲁ) which has a folk etymology "land of sun". Over 41,000 people from Morocco and West Africa crossed to Spain in 2020, and more than half of them did it by embarking on flimsy boats to the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northwestern African coast. [14][15] Its official name al-Qāhirah  (Arabic: القاهرة‎) means "the Vanquisher" or "the Conqueror", supposedly due to the fact that the planet Mars, an-Najm al-Qāhir (Arabic: النجم القاهر‎, "the Conquering Star"), was rising at the time when the city was founded,[16] possibly also in reference to the much awaited arrival of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu'izz who reached Cairo in 973 from Mahdia, the old Fatimid capital. Cairo has a very poor dispersion factor because of its lack of rain and its layout of tall buildings and narrow streets, which create a bowl effect. [33]:13 When he passed through the area again on his return journey in 1348 the Black Death was ravaging most major cities. An extensive road network connects Cairo with other Egyptian cities and villages. The request was granted. [47] Still, when Napoleon arrived in Cairo in 1798, the city's population was less than 300,000, forty percent lower than it was at the height of Mamluk—and Cairene—influence in the mid-14th century. The National Cultural Centre was built with the help of JICA, the Japan International Co-operation Agency and stands as a prominent feature for the Japanese-Egyptian co-operation and the friendship between the two nations. The economy of Cairo was ranked first in the Middle East in 2005,[12] and 43rd globally on Foreign Policy's 2010 Global Cities Index.[13]. There are flyovers and bridges, such as the 6th October Bridge that, when the traffic is not heavy, allow fast[103] means of transportation from one side of the city to the other. [137], The civil rights movement for women in Cairo and Egypt has been a long battle for years. The Cairo Metro is one of the only two metro systems in Africa (the other being in Algiers, Algeria), and ranks amongst the fifteen busiest in the world,[10] with over 1 billion[11] annual passenger rides. Millions of protesters from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. and Long. He noted that producing goods in Angola would give Spanish companies a competitive edge in exporting to the rest of Africa. [17] The location of the ancient city of Heliopolis is the suburb of Ain Shams (Arabic: عين شمس‎, "Eye of the Sun"). [51], Until his death in 1848, Muhammad Ali Pasha instituted a number of social and economic reforms that earned him the title of founder of modern Egypt. Two train cars (the fourth and fifth ones) are reserved for women only, although women may ride in any car they want. [66][67] The goal of the government of the newly formed Kingdom of Egypt was not to delegitimize the other variant Quranic texts ("qira'at"), but to eliminate errors found in Qur’anic texts used in state schools. Briefing journalists ahead of Sánchez’s tour, officials said that the two African countries had been chosen due to their growth perspectives and influence in the continent. A committee of teachers chose to preserve a single one of the canonical qira’at "readings", namely that of the "Ḥafṣ" version,[68] an 8th-century Kufic recitation. The city of Alexandria is on the same principle as the city of Cairo, being a governorate-city. Governorate Cairo is considered a city-proper and functions as a municipality. Road transport is facilitated by personal vehicles, taxi cabs, privately owned public buses and Cairo microbuses. [120] The areas around the old walled city and around the Citadel are characterized by hundreds of mosques, tombs, madrasas, mansions, caravanserais, and fortifications dating from the Islamic era and are often referred to as "Islamic Cairo", especially in English travel literature. Cairo is considered a World City with a "Beta +" classification according to GaWC.[8]. MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a mini-tour to two African nations that are key in the European country’s new push to bolster ties with the neighboring continent and mitigate the migration flows that many fear could increase as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. [123][124] Another Abbasid construction, the Nilometer on Rhoda Island, is the oldest original structure in Cairo, built in 862 AD. It was first named Ismailia Square, after the 19th-century ruler Khedive Ismail, who commissioned the new downtown district's 'Paris on the Nile' design. This is also useful for flying around the world without entering the United States. Greater Cairo has long been the hub of education and educational services for Egypt and the region. Cairo's Tahrir Square was the focal point of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution against former president Hosni Mubarak. The Cairo Cleaning and Beautification Agency was founded to collect and recycle the waste; they work with the Zabbaleen community that has been collecting and recycling Cairo's waste since the turn of the 20th century and live in an area known locally as Manshiyat naser. [53][54] However, while Muhammad Ali initiated the construction of public buildings in the city,[55] those reforms had minimal effect on Cairo's landscape. Padilla had worked extensively in Africa. [144], In recent years, a black cloud (as Egyptians refer to it) of smog has appeared over Cairo every autumn due to temperature inversion. The headquarters of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was previously located in Cairo, before relocating to its new headquarters in 6 October City, a small city away from Cairo's crowded districts. Cairo would eventually become a centre of learning, with the library of Cairo containing hundreds of thousands of books. Metro network covers Helwan and other suburbs. A Boeing 727 took off from Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda, Angola without clearance or a flight plan on May 25, 2003. Four years later, the journalist and writer Cherif El-Shoubashy became president. Spain imports from the continent were worth 27 billion euros in the same period. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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 their capital. [40][41] It was during this same period that al-Azhar University reached the predominance among Islamic schools that it continues to hold today;[42][43] pilgrims on their way to hajj often attested to the superiority of the institution, which had become associated with Egypt's body of Islamic scholars. There are twelve years of standard formal education. Nationalists staged large-scale demonstrations in Cairo in 1919,[32] five years after Egypt had been declared a British protectorate. In 905, the Abbasids re-asserted control of the country and their governor returned to Fustat, razing al-Qatta'i to the ground. The Association ran the festival for seven years until 1983. [88][89], Until the mid-19th century, when the river was tamed by dams, levees, and other controls, the Nile in the vicinity of Cairo was highly susceptible to changes in course and surface level. [90], Low periods of the Nile during the 11th century continued to add to the landscape of Cairo; a new island, known as Geziret al-Fil, first appeared in 1174, but eventually became connected to the mainland. Following the Muslim conquest in AD 640, the conqueror Amr ibn As settled to the north of the Babylon in an area that became known as al-Fustat. According to the World Health Organization, the level of air pollution in Cairo is nearly 12 times higher than the recommended safety level[94], In Cairo, and along the Nile River Valley, the climate is a hot desert climate (BWh according to the Köppen climate classification system[95]). He also urged Spain to consider Angolan public sector investments in infrastructure, energy, health care, and education. Egyptians often refer to Cairo as Maṣr (IPA: [mɑsˤɾ]; Egyptian Arabic: مَصر‎), the Egyptian Arabic name for Egypt itself, emphasizing the city's importance for the country. The subway system, officially called "Metro (مترو)", is a fast and efficient way of getting around Cairo. [133] Today, the Khan el-Khalili is a major tourist attraction and popular stop for tour groups. Cairo, as well as neighbouring Giza, has been established as Egypt's main centre for medical treatment, and despite some exceptions, has the most advanced level of medical care in the country. [136] Egypt still struggles with poverty, with almost half the population living on $2 or less a day. [101] New development includes several high-end residential developments. Being at the heart of Cairo, the square witnessed several major protests over the years. One of the most important and lasting institutions founded in the Fatimid period was the Mosque of al-Azhar, founded in 970 AD, which competes with the Qarawiyyin in Fes for the title of oldest university in the world. This page was last edited on 9 April 2021, at 13:17. Some argue that it was a name of an Egyptian settlement upon which Cairo was built, but it's rather doubtful as this name is not attested in any Hieroglyphic or Demotic source, although some researchers, like Paul Casanova, view it as a legitimate theory. It has 136,000 items on display, with many more hundreds of thousands in its basement storerooms. President Mubarak inaugurated the new Cairo Opera House of the Egyptian National Cultural Centres on 10 October 1988, 17 years after the Royal Opera House had been destroyed by fire. However, Cairo did host the 2007 Pan Arab Games. This was al-Qatta'i ("the Quarters"), to the north of Fustat and closer to the river. However, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun is the oldest mosque that still retains its original form and is a rare example of Abbasid architecture from the classical period of Islamic civilization. Make sure that you are informed on the travel restrictions and entry requirements of the country you are traveling to, in order to ensure that you arrive to your destination without any mishap. The Citadel is located east of the city centre around Islamic Cairo, which dates back to the Fatimid era and the foundation of Cairo. Tahrir Square was founded during the mid 19th century with the establishment of modern downtown Cairo. During this time, urban Cairo, spurred by new bridges and transport links, continued to expand to include the upscale neighbourhoods of Garden City, Zamalek, and Heliopolis. Spanish authorities are holding thousands of migrants, including potential asylum seekers, in camps set up on the islands, hoping to return as many of them to their home countries either voluntarily or through agreements with African governments. But the last attempt by the two leaders to meet, in December, was called off with officials citing the coronavirus pandemic as the main reason. In summer, the highs rarely surpass 40 °C (104 °F), and lows drop to about 20 °C (68 °F). There are a few Coptic names of the city. Analysts trying to grasp the magnitude of the change coined terms like "hyper-urbanization". For nearly 200 years after Cairo was established, the administrative centre of Egypt remained in Fustat. Cairo failed at the applicant stage when bidding for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which was hosted in Beijing, China. Minor amendments were made later in 1924 and in 1936 - the "Faruq edition" in honour of then ruler, King Faruq. But Sánchez, a Socialist leading a left-wing coalition, has said that he wants to turn 2020-2030 into “Spain’s decade in Africa,” with both Angola and Senegal among the top priority countries in his three-year “Focus on Africa” policy drive. Cairo's political influence diminished significantly after the Ottomans supplanted Mamluk power over Egypt in 1517. By 1340, Cairo had a population of close to half a million, making it the largest city west of China. Women are reported to face constant discrimination, sexual harassment, and abuse throughout Cairo. This achievement lead to the President of the Festival again contacting the FIAPF with the request that a competition should be included at the 1991 Festival. [130] The famous Khan al-Khalili is a commercial hub which also integrated caravanserais (also known as khans). [119], Cairo holds one of the greatest concentrations of historical monuments of Islamic architecture in the world. [129] The most famous example still intact today is the Wikala al-Ghuri, which nowadays also hosts regular performances by the Al-Tannoura Egyptian Heritage Dance Troupe. [73] Between 1882 and 1937, the population of Cairo more than tripled—from 347,000 to 1.3 million[74]—and its area increased from 10 to 163 square kilometres (4 to 63 sq mi). Among its most famous collections on display are the finds from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Among the best-known examples of Mamluk monuments in Cairo are the huge Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani, the Mosque of Sultan al-Mu'ayyad (whose twin minarets were built above the gate of Bab Zuwayla), the Sultan Al-Ghuri complex, the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay in the Northern Cemetery, and the trio of monuments in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area comprising the complex of Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun, the Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad, and the Madrasa of Sultan Barquq. It consists of Cairo Governorate, parts of Giza Governorate, and parts of Qalyubia Governorate. [135] Formal education has also become very important. 2. The teams form the major rivalry of Egyptian football, and are the first and the second champions in Africa and the Arab world. Although no longer on the spice route, the city facilitated the transportation of Yemeni coffee and Indian textiles, primarily to Anatolia, North Africa, and the Balkans. [129] It was the centre of Egyptian government and residence of its rulers until 1874, when Khedive Isma'il moved to 'Abdin Palace. The Angolan government is preparing to privatize around 200 companies. He cited reports of thousands of deaths per day in Cairo. I also agree to receiving communications by email, post, SMS or social media about my membership account, offers and news from Qatar Airways and Privilege Club, Privilege Club partner offers and market research from time to … [57] Drawing inspiration from Paris, Isma'il envisioned a city of maidans and wide avenues; due to financial constraints, only some of them, in the area now composing Downtown Cairo, came to fruition. This growth until recently surged well ahead of city services. [77] Meanwhile, additional controls of the Nile fostered development within Gezira Island and along the city's waterfront. [30] Construction projects initiated by the Mamluks pushed the city outward while also bringing new infrastructure to the centre of the city. [145], Cairo also has many unregistered lead and copper smelters which heavily pollute the city. Cairo's population has doubled since the 1960s, reaching close to seven million (with an additional ten million in its urban area). Although the Cairo metropolis extends away from the Nile in all directions, the city of Cairo resides only on the east bank of the river and two islands within it on a total area of 453 square kilometres (175 sq mi). The contingent comprises 57 members of Spain’s Civil Guard and National Police, two patrol boats, and a helicopter based on the port of Dakar. [80] Over 2 million protesters were at Cairo's Tahrir square. Football is the most popular sport in Egypt, and Cairo has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and regional leagues. [132] Many medieval elements remain today, including the ornate Mamluk-style gateways. The area includes the Coptic Cairo, which holds a high concentration of old Christian churches such as the Hanging Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, and other Christian or Coptic buildings, most of which are located over the site of the ancient Roman fortress. Tourists who are not familiar with such high levels of pollution must take extra care. The Cairo Geniza is an accumulation of almost 200,000 Jewish manuscripts that were found in the genizah of the Ben Ezra synagogue (built 882) of Fustat, Egypt (now Old Cairo), the Basatin cemetery east of Old Cairo, and a number of old documents that were bought in Cairo in the later 19th century. Seeking to accommodate the increasing population, President Gamal Abdel Nasser redeveloped Maidan Tahrir and the Nile Corniche, and improved the city's network of bridges and highways. You can identify yourself with your e-ticket number (bought online or through any travel agent or Air Namibia office), your name and flight details or your credit card which you used to pay for your ticket. Cairene merchants were instrumental in bringing goods to the barren Hejaz, especially during the annual hajj to Mecca. Lead has been shown to cause harm to the central nervous system and neurotoxicity particularly in children. This problem is hoped to be solved by a new sewer system funded by the European Union, which could cope with the demand of the city. Al Qatta'i was centred around a palace and ceremonial mosque, now known as the Mosque of ibn Tulun. The annual match between Al Ahly and El Zamalek is one of the most watched sports events in Egypt as well as the African-Arab region. [96] Dew points in the hottest months range from 13.9 °C (57 °F) in June to 18.3 °C (65 °F) in August.[97]. Greater Cairo's volatile aromatic hydrocarbon levels are higher than many other similar cities. [104] Traffic moves at a relatively fluid pace. It provides a bird's eye view of Cairo to the restaurant patrons. Northern and extreme eastern parts of Cairo, which include satellite towns, are among the most recent additions to the city, as they developed in the late-20th and early-21st centuries to accommodate the city's rapid growth. The western bank of the Nile is commonly included within the urban area of Cairo, but it composes the city of Giza and the Giza Governorate. Giza has also undergone significant expansion over recent years, and today the city, although still a suburb of Cairo, has a population of 2.7 million. These documents were written from about 870 to 1880 AD and have been archived in various American and European libraries. [20], Sometimes the city is informally referred to as Kayro by people from Alexandria (IPA: [ˈkæjɾo]; Egyptian Arabic: كايرو‎).[21]. The King Fuad I Edition of the Qur’an[65] was first published on 10 July 1924 in Cairo under the patronage of King Fuad. Despite being predominantly peaceful in nature, the revolution was not without violent clashes between security forces and protesters, with at least 846 people killed and 6,000 injured. [75], The city was devastated during the 1952 riots known as the Cairo Fire or Black Saturday, which saw the destruction of nearly 700 shops, movie theatres, casinos and hotels in downtown Cairo. [138] The problem has persisted in spite of new national laws since 2014 defining and criminalizing sexual harassment. Concurrently, Cairo has established itself as a political and economic hub for North Africa and the Arab world, with many multinational businesses and organisations, including the Arab League, operating out of the city. During that time, the construction of the al-Azhar Mosque was commissioned by order of the Caliph, which developed into the third-oldest university in the world. At 187 metres (614 feet), it is 44 metres (144 feet) higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands some 15 kilometres (9 miles) to the southwest. The land on which Cairo was established in 969 (present-day Islamic Cairo) was located underwater just over three hundred years earlier, when Fustat was first built. It is also situated at the nucleus of the Coptic Orthodox community, which separated from the Roman and Byzantine churches in the late 4th century. [102], In March 2015, plans were announced for a yet-unnamed planned city to be built east of Cairo, in an undeveloped area of the Cairo Governorate, which would serve as the administrative and financial capital of Egypt.[84]. It was designed to measure the level of the Nile, which was important for agricultural and administrative purposes.[125]. Land reclamation efforts by the Mamluks and Ottomans further contributed to expansion on the east bank of the river.[91]. The dangerously high levels of mercury in the city's water system has global health officials concerned over related health risks. ... TAAG Air Angola flies direct from Luanda to Sao Paulo. The best known teams are Al Ahly, El Zamalek and Al-Ismaily. This fortress, known as Babylon, was the nucleus of the Roman and then the Byzantine city and is the oldest structure in the city today. The results of this has been a permanent haze over the city with particulate matter in the air reaching over three times normal levels. 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Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city; the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence. The city's most exclusive restaurants are typically concentrated in Zamalek and around the luxury hotels lining the shore of the Nile near the Garden City district. ... a Luanda-based airline that operated a repair station. There is a new Ring Road that surrounds the outskirts of the city, with exits that reach outer Cairo districts. In April 2017 she retained her title by winning the Women's World Championship which was held in the Egyptian resort of El Gouna. [44] By the 16th century, Cairo also had high-rise apartment buildings where the two lower floors were for commercial and storage purposes and the multiple stories above them were rented out to tenants. Obtain your visa or visa pre-approval before traveling. He helped Joseph ferry a 727 to Nigeria for a sale and during the negotiations stayed to explain the aircraft systems. [58] Isma'il also sought to modernize 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. [32][39][40] However, during the 16th and 17th centuries, Cairo remained an important economic and cultural centre. Government statistics consider that the whole governorate is urban and the whole governorate is treated like as the metropolitan-city of Cairo. Some of the International Schools found in Cairo: Cairo has an extensive road network, rail system, subway system and maritime services. [48] The British vacated Egypt two years later, leaving the Ottomans, the Albanians, and the long-weakened Mamluks jostling for control of the country. However, in 1168 the Fatimid vizier Shawar set fire to Fustat to prevent its capture by Amalric, the Crusader king of Jerusalem. However, the origins of the modern city are generally traced back to a series of settlements in the first millennium. In 969, the Fatimid empire ruled over Egypt, and under the rule of Jawhar Al Saqili, a new fortified city northeast of Fustat was established. This is a huge health hazard, and the Egyptian Government is looking for ways to combat this. Cairo itself was besieged by a British and Ottoman force culminating with the French surrender on 22 June 1801.