Cairo City "History, Facts And Map"

The history of Cairo City extends back to about 5,000 years ago, during the very ancient times of Egypt! Just 24 KM Southwest of Cairo, is the glorious City of Memphis, which was built by the great ruler, Menes, in 2925 BC, and acted as the main capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BC). Also, during this time period, the magical Giza Pyramids Complex was built, which holds one of the last remaining seven wonders of the ancient world, "The Great Pyramid of Khufu", plus the sole guardian of Egypt, and the oldest statue in the world, "The Great Sphinx"!

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The Romanian Empire’s Trails in Cairo City

The Roman Empire also played a part in molding the history of Cairo! The powerful fortress of Babylon was constructed in 525 BC as a base for the Roman Kingdom. Later on, the fortress became the center of the Coptic Orthodox community in the late 4th century, that's why many Coptic churches are located around it, like the Hanging Church and many others!

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The Islamic Impact on the City of Cairo

In 970 AD, everything changed when Cairo became under the rule of the Islamic Empire at the hands of Amr Ibn Alas, who constructed the new capital of Egypt, Al-Fustat, not far away from the Babylon Fortress. The Islamic rule of Egypt became prominent in Egypt as countless mosques were built, such as the Amr Ibn Alas Mosque, which became the first mosque to be built in Africa!

Also, Ibn Tulan Mosque in 870 D, which became one of the largest and the most perfect examples of Islamic architecture, was brought into the world! Under the Fatimid rule, the city of Qahirah, A.K.A, Cairo, was established in 970 AD. And within the next centuries, even during the Mamluk, various mosques were built, which made the city to be known as the city of minarets!

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The Location of Cairo City

Cairo is the capital of Egypt, and the city’s metropolitan area is one of the largest cities in Africa, the Middle East, and the Arab world. It’s the 15th largest city in the entire world! It is located on the life artery of Egypt, "The Nile River", 135 KM West of the Red Sea, and 160 KM inland from the Mediterranean.

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The Climate and Best Time to Visit Cairo

Cairo's city climate is usual, as Cairo enjoys eight months of summer and four months of winter! However, Spring and Winter are when the city feels fascinating the most! During the two seasons of Spring and Winter, you can explore the city’s immense share of the ancient prints left by the pharaohs while the weather feels balsamic on your skin, differing from quite chilly to warm! Nonetheless, they’re the seasons with the highest rate of tourism in Cairo, so make sure to book earlier! It’s also safe to say that the best time to visit Cairo is from October to April with an average temperature of 20 C (67 F)!

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What to Do in Cairo City

The attractions of Cairo City are truly infinite, as behind every rock, is a story. However, they’re stories with tons of pages to even describe a fraction of what each of those attractions has been through from the very beginning! You’ll feel trapped in each story of your free will, wanting to read, yet to explore every value every attraction hold, what exactly gemstones putting together the infrastructure of each line drawn to define them! So, you might need to do some of the following activities to see what plot your chosen attraction’s story is about:

1. Watch the Whole Grandeur of Giza Pyramids Complex!

El Giza Pyramids Complex

El Giza Pyramids Complex holds the Three Great Pyramids of Giza that has acted as the final resting place for the ancient pharaohs since between 2600 BC and 2500 BC! The Great Pyramid of King Khufu, as well as the second largest, the Pyramid of King Khafre, the smallest one, the Pyramid of Menkaure, also the Great Sphinx, the protector of Egypt, are all included there under one sky at the complex! The complex gave numerous archeologists, Egyptologists, and scientists so many existential crises due to the raw greatness it leaks! Even better, it teases the travelers’ investigation skills to dig for new facts or possible theories about this exact site!

El Giza Great Pyramid

The Great Pyramid happens to turn heads around it like a double-effect magnet since its establishment in 2600 BC! It was built to honor his majesty, King Khufu as his official cemetery! It was erected by King Khufu in flesh, with 4,000 laborers and approximately 5.5 million tons of limestone!

It was not given the credits as One of the Ancient World Seven Wonders for no reason! This is one site with huge fame coming from the diverse assumptions about its construction as to what kind of goldy skills were invested in this one!

The Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx is a piece of history that couldn’t have been missed from the puzzle of the ancient civilization of Egypt for the value its showcases! Its history of construction goes back to 2500 BC, a history that’s assumedly set by Khafre, a powerful king of the Forth Dynasty!

One piece of limestone is what it took the ancient to build an enigmatic sculpture! The humanoid creature lay still at the complex with intimidating powers and possessive posture to guard the Great Three Pyramids! This is another part of the plateau that travelers have included in their theories about ancient Egypt and its mysteries!

The Valley Temple of Khafre

The Valley Temple was constructed in the 26th century BC so that people can live the honor of getting impossibly close to the ancient civilization! It was founded as a fraction of what unearthly architecting skills King Khafre was gifted with! It was established to honor his majesty and his dynasty’s existence. Not to mention, it once contained the details of the Khafre dynasty’s mummification processes that help Khafre in commemorating their memories!

The temple will always be the turning point for lots of travelers! As the travelers will build new thoughts about the real essence of ancient Egypt for the intimidating aura the temple still releases no matter how many centuries have passed!

2. Dive into the Noteworthy Building Skills of the Saqqara Step Pyramid!

One of the most unique monuments of ancient Egypt is Pharaoh Djoser Saqqara Step Pyramid of the 27th century BC. It’s a commemoration of the Pharaoh Djoser that was established by Imhotep. Moreover, it’s one of the oldest pyramids ever constructed; being the first and the most ancient one built in Egypt’s history!

It comes to the world with six huge extraordinary steps to distinguish it even more! It’s one validation of the flawless creativity that not so many people are promised! You can have a camel ride to Saqqara Step Pyramid, that’s a little bit further than the actual complex, to give you full coverage of the whole place being a number of meters above ground level!

3. Feel the Holy Aura of Al-Azhar Mosque

The city, also, holds Al-Azhar Mosque, that’s also a university, which was constructed to be one of Cairo’s greatest architectural masterpieces in the Mamluk Dynasty! The gracious mosque was established in 972 with Jawhar al-Saqli building techniques. Building the mosque took a period of two years to, then, be highly appreciated in the Sunni Muslim world, accompanied by being a reference of Islamic Egypt! The mosque’s design and the invisible arrays of sacredness it spreads in the atmosphere, caused different cultures with all types of beliefs to pick the site as one of their favorites!

4. See What Safety Techniques Applied at Salah El-Din Citadel

One of Cairo's monuments that can't be missed is the Salah El-Din Citadel. It was built in the 12th century by Salah El-Din to be the center of his dynasty’s rule! Even more, it lies at the same location as the enchanting Mohammed Ali Mosque, A.K.A, the Alabaster Mosque! The fort is a personification of power that wasn’t but a motto for ancient Egypt back then. Its power is shown in the immense two minarets standing proud, hovering over the place there!!

The citadel was the sultan’s merciless weapon against the Crusaders! In fact, the milestone has acquired multiple fans throughout the years for not only its value but also, the remarkable location it owns as well!

5. Grab Your Favorite Piece at Khan El Khalili

In the old City of Cairo lies Khan El Khalili Bazaar! It’s the oldest active shopping street in the Middle East since its construction in 1773! Further, right next to it, is Al Muizz Street, which has the largest concentration of Medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic World!

Khan El Khalili was established as an official headquarters for the Fatimid Caliphate by Jaharkas al-Khalili, never mind being home to a huge number of merchants and a great center for trading! The site offers many items presenting the ancient civilization and the unique culture of Egypt throughout the years, from clothes to pieces of artifacts, spices, and food, as well as handmade gifts!

6. Engrave Your Soul in the Egyptian Museum

Across the infamous Tahrir Square, is the house of mystery, "The Egyptian Museum"! The site holds ancient indications that are a part of the ancient Egyptian Civilization’s biography written by the great superior pharaohs! The museum on its own is defined by a number of unique constructing aesthetics apparent in the modernity and classics that Garozzo-Zaffaran managed to mingle together! It has been there since 1902 to present an aspect of the rare legacies and the rich heritage that Egypt’s been known for!

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Extra Activities to Do in Cairo City at Night

Apart from sightseeing, the City of Cairo holds some of the best hotels and restaurants in the world! One of Cairo's most famous ways of entertainment for foreigners is the Sound and Light Show! It’s a show held at the Giza Pyramids Complex, as colored lights with recorded voices stating facts about Cairo’s amazing monuments, and the full history of the Great Pyramids of El Giza echo through every stone and wall!

Hence, the city is filled with many nightclubs, that offer the wildest nightlife in the heart of the most powerful city on Earth! If you want to experience a different form of art, then the oriental belly dancing, accompanied by the whirling dervishes is a sight to behold, there!

The Cairo tours from Hurghada we have set for travelers since 2004 have got them dancing on the tones of magic, luxury, and superiority they invisibly release! Cairo City has had a strong presence in Egypt’s magnetic civilization with multiple rare symbols and extraordinary myths highlighting its history. Therefore, our agency set plans to tour the city and dive into its secrets with no rush! In addition, you’ll get to dive into the sea our services offer prominent by the safety we offer and the high time management, even more, the Egyptologist guides with genuine skills and more others!