Interesting Facts About Cairo - Fun Facts About Cairo

Located on the bank of the Nile River, in the north of Egypt, Cairo is one of the greatest capital cities of the world. Known by the name of Al-Qahirah, meaning ‘The Triumphant’ in Arabic, it was a stronghold of many ancient dynasties throughout the ages. Governed by Pharaohs, Caliphs, Romans, Turkish khedives, British colonizers and French colonizers, the city boasts of a rich history and an aristocratic charm. Cairo abounds in many historic tourist attractions, including the Pyramids of Giza, considered as the world’s tallest man-made structure until 1889. With its illustrious beauty, fascinating destinations, royal elegance and modern trappings, it is one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Egypt. Check out some interesting and fun facts about Cairo here.

Fun & Interesting Facts about Cairo

Cairo is the capital of Egypt and houses one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
Cairo is the largest city of Europe.
Founded in AD 969, Cairo was to serve as the royal enclosure for the Fatimid caliphs.
With a population of over 17 million, Cairo is the most heavily populated city in Africa and the 16^th most populous metropolitan areas in the world.
In the Arabic language, Cairo is known as ‘Al- Qahirah’, meaning ‘The Victorious’ or ‘The Triumphant’.
The Great Pyramid, built with about 2 million limestone blocks, is the largest and oldest of all the pyramids in Egypt.
It took around 20 years to build the Great Pyramid of Cairo.
The Ben Ezra Synagogue of Cairo is the oldest synagogue in Egypt.
The Al-Azhar University of Cairo is the oldest university in the world, apart from being Sunni Islam's primary seat of learning.
The 14th century Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan in Cairo is one of the largest in the whole world.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo puts on display the largest collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world
Cairo observes Eastern European Time (GMT +2), and is 2 hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time.
In Cairo, Sunday is not a part of the weekend, but a traditional day off.
The legal drinking age in Cairo is 21 yrs.