Cairo – largest city in the Arab world

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is the largest city in the Arab World. It has the nickname “The City of a Thousand Minarets” due to its amount of Islamic architecture. 6.8 million people live in Cairo.

Even before Cairo was established in the tenth century, it was a center of the region’s political and cultural life. Cairo has the world’s second-oldest university, al-Azhar University.

Main point of touristic interest are propably the Great Pyramids of Giza, just outside the city, but in the city are many sights as well. The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities contains the most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world with around 136,000 items.

Cairo’s bazaar dates back to 1382, when a big caravanserai was built there. A caravanserai was an important point for economic activity for any surrounding area. The orignal builldings are still there in narrow streets named Sikka Khan el-Khalili and Badestan.

Old Cairo contains the Coptic Museum, Babylon Fortress, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and Amr ibn al-’As Mosque. The Cairo Tower is a free-standing TV tower made of concrete. It is located in Zamalek district in the city centre.