Cairo: Egypt’s mighty gateway to a living history

In this video, we fly to Egypt’s mega-city capital, Cairo, where the constant buzz of its 21 million inhabitants permeates a landscape crammed with landmarks and monuments from its illustrious past.

Egyptians themselves have two names for the city: ‘Masr’, meaning both the capital and the land of Egypt, rooted in its pharaonic civilisation; and ‘Al-Qahira’ (The Triumphant), linking it to the Fatimid conquest that made it the capital of an Islamic empire encompassing modern-day Libya, Tunisia, Palestine and Syria.

The famous Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in Cairo’s geographical area, and the capital itself is situated by the Delta of the river Nile.

Known as “the city of a thousand minarets” for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo also has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab world, as well as the world’s second-oldest institution of higher learning, Al-Azhar University. Meanwhile, several international media groups, businesses and organisations – including the Arab League – have their regional headquarters in the city.

Among the highlights that should feature on any Cairo itinerary, are:

1. The Pyramids of Giza
2. The Egyptian Museum
3. The Khan Al Khalili
4. The Coptic Museum
5. Bab Zuweila
6. Museum of Islamic Art
7. Shari Al Muizz Li Din Allah
8. Manial Palace

View the original video here.

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