Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the largest metropolitan city in Africa. The local name for the city is Al-Qahira (the Victorious). It was built in 969 AD by the Fatimids.
By time the city expanded to include earlier capitals and it is now indeed too big. Cairo is also the capital of the orient. It's a center of art, history and culture. From there, Egypt spread its domination over the region, particularly the Arab world.

Greater Cairo is a term called on three governorates located adjacently to form the big city. These are Cairo, Giza and Qalyubeya. Cairo governorate and Qalyubeya to its north dominate the east bank of the Nile while Giza dominates the west bank.

Cairo is a blend of cultures and civilizations. Though the city was built in an Islamic era, it now illustrates the magic mix of civilizations that gives the city its own charm, the Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic civilizations.

The city is also a place of paradoxes. Millions of people live and work in the city. The population is estimated at 14 million. The daily flow of inhabitants makes the city one of the most crowded and congested in the world. Despite that, the city has much lower crime rates than its world counterparts. Cairo is a picturesque city itself. If you looked around you'll find primitive donkey carts proceeding along with luxurious cars, women wearing head-to-toe veils along with the miniskirted, different cultures, ideologies and traditions. You'll find people who are too oriental along with people who are influenced by the west and received much impact of Americanism.

The city continues to play its role vividly across the Middle East, the Arab world and the globe.