Brief introduction of Cairo, the ancient desert capital

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, straddles the Nile and is the political, economic and commercial center of the whole Middle East. It consists of Cairo, Giza and Qaljub provinces, commonly known as Grand Cairo. With a population of about16.75 million (200 1), Greater Cairo is the largest city in Egypt and the Arab world and one of the oldest cities in the world.

The ancient Egyptians called Cairo "the mother of the city" and the Arabs called Cairo "Kale", meaning conqueror or winner.

The Nile is a famous river in the world. After flowing through the urban area, it divides into two tributaries and continues to flow northward into the Mediterranean Sea that separates Europe and Africa, forming a vast and rich Nile Delta. Cairo, the capital, is at the top of this delta.

The formation of Cairo can be traced back to the ancient kingdom around 3000 BC. As the capital, Cairo has a history of 1000 years. About 30 kilometers southwest of it, it is the site of the ancient capital Memphis. In the open space, under the shade of trees, there is a small yard. This is the Memphis Museum, which contains a giant stone statue of Pharaoh Ramses II with a long history. In the courtyard, there is a sphinx, intact, which is a place where people linger and take pictures as a souvenir.

About 20 kilometers west of Memphis ruins is the pyramid, one of the seven wonders of the world (click on the right to enlarge). On the barren Ye Ping, covered with yellow sand, the stone tombs of these ancient Egyptian emperors are magnificent, showing the dignity of the tomb owners in the past to tourists.

On the side of Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, there is the Egyptian Museum, with a collection of more than 6,543,800 pieces, which is unparalleled in introducing Egyptian culture, especially the antiquities of the Pharaoh period and the Greek and Roman period. Entering the gate, most of them are stones: stone statues, sarcophagus, stone tablets, stone pillars, countless names. This is an Egyptian history book and a "stone story".

Not far from this museum, it is located on an island of the Nile, with an altitude of 187 meters. You can have a panoramic view of the whole city when you board this modern building. The endless flow of traffic on the streets, the vaults of mosques of all sizes, rows of tall buildings, extraordinary criss-crossing elevated highways, and the white sails and jade belts that ripple into the sea day and night.

Cairo is also the headquarters of the Arab League. There are ancient Islamic architectural art treasures such as Sultan Hassan Mosque, Azhar Mosque, Saladin Castle, Abu Dhabi Palace, and rows of modern high-rise buildings in the city. The minarets of mosques all over the city make Cairo enjoy the reputation of "City of Thousand Towers". The magnificent Cairo International Conference Center is a symbol of the friendship between the Chinese and Egyptian peoples.

Because Cairo is located in the transportation hub of Europe, Asia and Africa, people of all colors can be seen walking on the street. Locals, with wide robes and big sleeves, have existed since ancient times. In some communities, it is quite novel to occasionally see girls in the village riding donkeys to eat grass. This may be the epitome of old Cairo or the remains of ancient Cairo, but it is harmless. The wheel of history still takes this famous city to a more modern road.