A rendition of from A. Rappoport's History of EgyptThe area around present-day Cairo, especially that was the old capital of Egypt, had long been a focal point of due to its strategic location just upstream from the.
However, the origins of the modern city are generally traced back to a series of settlements in the first millennium. Around the turn of the 4th century, as Memphis was continuing to decline in importance, the established a fortress town along the east bank of the. This fortress, known as, was the nucleus of the Roman and then the city and is the oldest structure in the city today. It is also situated at the nucleus of the community, which separated from the Roman and Byzantine churches in the late 4th century. Many of Cairo's oldest Coptic churches, including the, are located along the fortress walls in a section of the city known as.Following the Muslim conquest in 640 AD, the conqueror settled to the north of the Babylon in an area that became known as. Originally a tented camp ( Fustat signifies 'City of Tents') Fustat became a permanent settlement and the first capital of Islamic Egypt.In 750, following the overthrow of the by the, the new rulers created their own settlement to the northeast of Fustat which became their capital. This was known as (the city of sections, or ) as it was laid out like a military camp.A rebellion in 869 by led to the abandonment of Al Askar and the building of another settlement, which became the seat of government.
This was ('the Quarters'), to the north of Fustat and closer to the river. Al Qatta'i was centred around a palace and ceremonial mosque, now known as the.In 905, the Abbasids re-asserted control of the country and their governor returned to Fustat, razing al-Qatta'i to the ground.Foundation and expansion. The today.In 1250, slave soldiers, known as the, seized control of Egypt and like many of their predecessors established Cairo as the capital of. Continuing a practice started by the Ayyubids, much of the land occupied by former was sold and replaced by newer buildings. Construction projects initiated by the Mamluks pushed the city outward while also bringing new infrastructure to the centre of the city.
Meanwhile, Cairo flourished as a centre of and a crossroads on the route among the civilisations in. By 1340, Cairo had a population of close to half a million, making it the largest city west of.The historic traveller Ibn Battuta travelled thousands of miles during the course of his trek. One city he stopped in was Cairo, Egypt. One significant note Ibn Battuta made was that Cairo was the principal district of Egypt, meaning Cairo was Egypt's most important and most influential city (Ibn Battuta, 2009). Ibn Battuta also acknowledges the importance of the Nile river to all of Egypt, including Cairo, as he often travelled via boat to arrive at Cairo and to leave to continue his journey. The Nile was not just a means for transportation, it was the source of a plethora of other tangibles as well.
The Nile's most influential attribute was its ability to sustain rich soil for agriculture. Part of the Agricultural Revolution thrived in Egypt, predominantly off the back of the Nile. The Nile also served as a source of food and a pathway for trade. Without it, the Egypt we know today wouldn't have been the same. One of Ibn Battuta's most detailed accounts in Cairo involves a plague that was devastating the city. Today, this plague is known as the, or the Black Death. It is believed to have arrived in Egypt in 1347, and as Ibn Battuta recalls, the Bubonic plague was responsible for the deaths of between 1 and 20,000 people a day in Cairo (Berkeley ORIAS, 2018) (Ibn Battuta, 2009).
Kairo is an award-winning, data driven, creative marketing and communications agency. The agency is built to challenge certainties and work with brands to grow their businesses in a supersonic changing world. Our new desktop experience was built to be your music destination. Listen to official albums & more.
The plague originated in Asia and spread via fleas on rodents, such as rats (Berkeley ORIAS, 2018). The plague would end up spreading to all of Eurasia and wiped out any civilizations that were in its path. It is estimated that somewhere between 75 and 200 million people total died from the plague.Ottoman rule. Illustration of Cairo in the 19th century.Although Cairo avoided 's stagnation during the, it could not escape the, which struck the city more than fifty times between 1348 and 1517. During its initial, and most deadly waves, approximately 200,000 people were killed by the plague, and, by the 15th century, Cairo's population had been reduced to between 150,000 and 300,000.
The city's status was further diminished after discovered a sea route around the between 1497 and 1499, thereby allowing spice traders to avoid Cairo.Cairo's political influence diminished significantly after the supplanted power over in 1517. Ruling from, relegated Egypt to a, with Cairo as its capital. For this reason, the history of Cairo during Ottoman times is often described as inconsequential, especially in comparison to other time periods.
However, during the 16th and 17th centuries, Cairo remained an important economic and cultural centre. Although no longer on the spice route, the city facilitated the transportation of and, primarily to, and the. Cairene merchants were instrumental in bringing goods to the barren, especially during the annual to. It was during this same period that al-Azhar University reached the predominance among Islamic schools that it continues to hold today; pilgrims on their way to hajj often attested to the superiority of the institution, which had become associated with Egypt's body of. By the 16th century, Cairo also had where the two lower floors were for commercial and storage purposes and the multiple stories above them were out to.Under the Ottomans, Cairo expanded south and west from its nucleus around the.
The city was the second-largest in the empire, behind Constantinople, and, although migration was not the primary source of Cairo's growth, twenty percent of its population at the end of the 18th century consisted of religious minorities and foreigners from around the. Still, when arrived in Cairo in 1798, the city's population was less than 300,000, forty percent lower than it was at the height of Mamluk—and Cairene—influence in the mid-14th century.The was short-lived as and Ottoman forces, including a sizeable contingent, recaptured the country in 1801. Cairo itself by a British and Ottoman force culminating with the French surrender on 22 June 1801.
The British vacated Egypt two years later, leaving the Ottomans, the Albanians, and the long-weakened jostling for control of the country. Continued civil war allowed an Albanian named to ascend to the role of and eventually, with the approval of the, viceroy of Egypt in 1805. Modern era. Until his death in 1848, instituted a number of social and economic reforms that earned him the title of founder of modern Egypt.
However, while Muhammad Ali initiated the construction of public buildings in the city, those reforms had minimal effect on Cairo's landscape. Bigger changes came to Cairo under (r. 1863–1879), who continued the modernisation processes started by his grandfather. Drawing inspiration from, Isma'il envisioned a city of and wide avenues; due to financial constraints, only some of them, in the area now composing, came to fruition. Isma'il also sought to modernize the city, which was merging with neighbouring settlements, by establishing a ministry, bringing and lighting to the city, and opening a theatre and opera house.The immense debt resulting from Isma'il's projects provided a pretext for increasing European control, which culminated with the in 1882. The city's economic centre quickly moved west toward the, away from the historic section and toward the contemporary, European-style areas built by Isma'il.
Europeans accounted for five percent of Cairo's population at the end of the 19th century, by which point they held most top governmental positions. Nile view from the Cairo Marriott Hotel.The British occupation was intended to be temporary, but it lasted well into the 20th century. Nationalists staged in Cairo in 1919, five years after Egypt had been declared a British. Nevertheless, while this led to Egypt's, British troops remained in the country until 1956. During this time, urban Cairo, spurred by new bridges and transport links, continued to expand to include the upscale neighbourhoods of,. Between 1882 and 1937, the population of Cairo more than tripled—from 347,000 to 1.3 million —and its area increased from 10 to 163 square kilometres (4 to 63 sq mi).The city was devastated during the 1952 riots known as the or Black Saturday, which saw the destruction of nearly 700 shops, movie theatres, casinos and hotels in Downtown Cairo. The British departed Cairo following the, but the city's rapid growth showed no signs of abating.
Seeking to accommodate the increasing population, redeveloped and the Nile, and improved the city's network of bridges and highways. Meanwhile, additional controls of the Nile fostered development within and along the city's waterfront. The metropolis began to encroach on the fertile, prompting the government to build desert and devise incentives for city-dwellers to move to them.Cairo's population has doubled since the 1960s, reaching close to seven million (with an additional ten million in its ). Concurrently, Cairo has established itself as a political and economic hub for and the, with many multinational businesses and organisations, including the, operating out of the city.In 1992, Cairo was hit by an causing 545 deaths, 6,512 injuries and 50,000 people homeless. 2011 Egyptian revolution.
A protester holding an Egyptian flag during the that started on 25 January 2011.Cairo's was the focal point of the against former president. Over 2 million protesters were at Cairo's Tahrir square. More than 50,000 protesters first occupied the square on 25 January, during which the area's wireless services were reported to be impaired. In the following days Tahrir Square continued to be the primary destination for protests in Cairo as it took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and continued until June 2013.
The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil disobedience, and labour strikes. Millions of protesters from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Despite being predominantly peaceful in nature, the revolution was not without violent clashes between security forces and protesters, with at least 846 people killed and 6,000 injured.
The uprising took place in Cairo, Alexandria, and in other cities in Egypt, following the that resulted in the overthrow of the long-time. On 11 February, following weeks of determined popular protest and pressure, Hosni Mubarak resigned from office.Post-revolutionary Cairo Under the rule of President, in March 2015 plans were announced for another yet-unnamed to be built further east of the existing satellite city of, intended to serve as the.
Geography. Aerial view looking south, with the Zamalek and Gezira districts on, surrounded by theCairo is located in northern, known as, 165 kilometres (100 mi) south of the and 120 kilometres (75 mi) west of the. The city lies along the, immediately south of the point where the river leaves its desert-bound valley and branches into the low-lying region. Although the Cairo metropolis extends away from the Nile in all directions, the city of Cairo resides only on the east bank of the river and two islands within it on a total area of 453 square kilometres (175 sq mi).Until the mid-19th century, when the river was tamed by dams, levees, and other controls, the Nile in the vicinity of Cairo was highly susceptible to changes in course and surface level.
Over the years, the Nile gradually shifted westward, providing the site between the eastern edge of the river and the highlands on which the city now stands. The land on which Cairo was established in 969 (present-day ) was located underwater just over three hundred years earlier, when was first built.Low periods of the Nile during the 11th century continued to add to the landscape of Cairo; a new island, known as Geziret al-Fil, first appeared in 1174, but eventually became connected to the mainland. Today, the site of Geziret al-Fil is occupied by the district. The low periods created another island at the turn of the 14th century that now composes. Efforts by the and further contributed to expansion on the east bank of the river.Because of the Nile's movement, the newer parts of the city—, and Zamalek—are located closest to the riverbank. The areas, which are home to most of Cairo's, are surrounded on the north, east, and south by the older parts of the city., located south of the centre, holds the remnants of and the heart of Egypt's community,. The district, which lies in the northern part of the city, was born out of a major 16th-century port and is now a major industrial centre.
The is located east of the city centre around, which dates back to the era and the foundation of Cairo. While western Cairo is dominated by wide boulevards, open spaces, and of European influence, the eastern half, having grown haphazardly over the centuries, is dominated by small lanes, crowded tenements, and.Northern and extreme eastern parts of Cairo, which include, are among the most recent additions to the city, as they developed in the late-20th and early-21st centuries to accommodate the city's rapid growth. The western bank of the Nile is commonly included within the urban area of Cairo, but it composes the city of and the. Giza has also undergone significant expansion over recent years, and today the city, although still a suburb of Cairo, has a population of 2.7 million. The Cairo Governorate was just north of the from 2008 when some Cairo's southern districts, including and, were split off and annexed into the new governorate, to 2011 when the Helwan Governorate was reincorporated into the Cairo Governorate. A panorama of the Nile in central Cairo showing the west side of, located in the middle of the Nile, with the in the middle, the on the far left and on the far rightAccording to the, the level of air pollution in Cairo is nearly 12 times higher than the recommended safety level Climate In Cairo, and along the Nile River Valley, the climate is a ( BWh according to the system ). Wind storms can be frequent, bringing into the city, from March to May and the air often becomes uncomfortably dry.
High temperatures in winter range from 14 to 22 °C (57 to 72 °F), while night-time lows drop to below 11 °C (52 °F), often to 5 °C (41 °F). In summer, the highs rarely surpass 40 °C (104 °F), and lows drop to about 20 °C (68 °F). Rainfall is sparse and only happens in the colder months, but sudden showers can cause severe flooding.
The summer months have high humidity due to its coastal location. Snowfall is extremely rare; a small amount of, widely believed to be, fell on Cairo's easternmost suburbs on 13 December 2013, the first time Cairo's area received this kind of precipitation in many decades.
Dew points in the hottest months range from 13.9 °C (57 °F) in June to 18.3 °C (65 °F) in August. See also:Cairo, as well as neighbouring Giza, has been established as Egypt's main centre for medical treatment, and despite some exceptions, has the most advanced level of in the country. Cairo's hospitals include the -accredited As-Salaam International Hospital—Corniche El Nile, Maadi (Egypt's largest with 350 beds), Hospital, as well as.Education has long been the hub of education and educational services for Egypt and the region.Today, Greater Cairo is the centre for many government offices governing the, has the largest number of educational schools, and among other cities and governorates of Egypt.Some of the International Schools found in Cairo. Departures area of Cairo International Airport's Terminal 1Cairo has an extensive road network, and maritime services. Road transport is facilitated by personal vehicles, taxi cabs, privately owned public buses. Cairo, specifically Ramses Square, is the centre of almost the entire Egyptian., officially called 'Metro (مترو)', is a fast and efficient way of getting around Cairo. Metro network covers and other suburbs.
It can get very crowded during. Two train cars (the fourth and fifth ones) are reserved for women only, although women may ride in any car they want.and Cairo trolleybus are former modes of transportation but were closed.An extensive road network connects Cairo with other Egyptian cities and villages. There is a new that surrounds the outskirts of the city, with exits that reach outer Cairo districts. There are flyovers and bridges, such as the Sixth of October bridge that, when the traffic is not heavy, allow fast from one side of the city to the other.Cairo traffic is known to be overwhelming and overcrowded. Traffic moves at a relatively fluid pace.
Drivers tend to be aggressive, but are more courteous at junctions, taking turns going, with police aiding in of some congested areas.In 2017 plans to construct two monorail systems were announced, one linking October City to suburban Giza, a distance of 35 km (22 mi), and the other linking Nasr City to New Cairo, a distance of 52 km (32 mi). Other forms of transport. Cairo Taxi/Yellow Cab.
Cairo Nile FerrySports. With 75,100 seatsis the most popular sport in Egypt, and Cairo has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and regional leagues. The best known teams are,. And annual is perhaps the most watched sports event in Egypt as well as the African-Arab region. Both teams are known as the 'rivals' of Egyptian football, and are the first and the second champions in Africa and the. They play their home games at or Naser Stadium, which is Egypt's 2nd largest stadium, Cairo's largest one and one of the largest stadiums in the world.The Cairo International Stadium was built in 1960 and its multi-purpose sports complex that houses the main football stadium, an indoor stadium, several satellite fields that held several regional, continental and global games, including the, U17 Football World Championship and was one of the stadiums scheduled that hosted the which was played in January 2006.
Egypt later won the competition and went on to win the next edition In Ghana (2008) making the Egyptian and Ghanaian national teams the only teams to win the African Nations Cup Back to back which resulted in Egypt winning the title for a record number of six times in the history of African Continental Competition. This was followed by a third consecutive win in Angola 2010, making Egypt the only country with a record 3-consecutive and 7-total Continental Football Competition winner.
This achievement had also placed the Egyptian football team as the #9 best team in the world's FIFA rankings.Cairo failed at the applicant stage when bidding for the, which was hosted in Beijing, China. However, Cairo did host the.There are several other sports teams in the city that participate in several sports including el Gezira, el Shams Club, el Seid Club, Heliopolis Club and several smaller clubs, but the biggest clubs in Egypt (not in area but in sports) are. They have the two biggest football teams in Egypt. There are new sports clubs in the area of New Cairo (one hour far from Cairo's down town), these are Al Zohour sporting club, Wadi Degla sporting club and Platinum Club.Most of the sports federations of the country are also located in the city suburbs, including the.
The headquarters of the (CAF) was previously located in Cairo, before relocating to its new headquarters in, a small city away from Cairo's crowded districts.In October 2008, the Egyptian Rugby Federation was officially formed and granted membership into the.Egypt is internationally known for the excellence of its squash players who excel in both professional and junior divisions. Egypt currently has seven players in the top ten of the PSA men's world rankings, and three in the women's top ten. Mohamed El Shorbagy held the world number one position for more than a year before being overtaken by compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad, who is currently number two behind Gregory Gaultier of France. Ramy Ashour and Amr Shabana are regarded as two of the most talented squash players in history.
Shabana won the World Open title four times and Ashour twice, although his recent form has been hampered by injury. Egypt's Nour El Sherbini has won the Women's World Championship twice and has been women's world number one for 16 consecutive months. On 30 April 2016, she became the youngest woman to win the Women's World Championship which was held in Malaysia. On April 2017 she retained her title by winning the Women's World Championship which was held in the Egyptian resort of El Gouna.Culture.
Main article:Cairo held its first international 16 August 1976, when the first was launched by the Egyptian Association of Film Writers and Critics, headed by Kamal El-Mallakh. The Association ran the festival for seven years until 1983.This achievement lead to the President of the Festival again contacting the with the request that a competition should be included at the 1991 Festival. The request was granted.In 1998, the Festival took place under the presidency of one of Egypt's leading actors, who was appointed by the, after the death of Saad El-Din Wahba.
Four years later, the journalist and writer Cherif El-Shoubashy became president.Cairo Geniza. Main article:The is an accumulation of almost 200,000 Jewish manuscripts that were found in the genizah of the synagogue (built 882) of Fustat, Egypt (now Old Cairo), the Basatin cemetery east of Old Cairo, and a number of old documents that were bought in Cairo in the later 19th century. These documents were written from about 870 to 1880 AD and have been archived in various American and European libraries. The Taylor-Schechter collection in the runs to 140,000 manuscripts, a further 40,000 manuscripts are at the.Food The majority of Cairenes make food for themselves and make use of local produce markets. The restaurant scene includes traditional as well as local staples such as.
The city's most exclusive restaurants are typically concentrated in and around the luxury hotels lining the shore of the Nile near the district. Influence from modern society is also evident, with American chains such as, and being easy to find in central areas. Places of worship. This section needs additional citations for. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: – ( March 2020) Cairo accounts for 11% of Egypt's population and 22% of its economy (PPP). The majority of the nation's commerce is generated there, or passes through the city. The great majority of and media outlets and nearly all are there, as are half of the nation's hospital beds and universities.
This has fuelled rapid construction in the city—one building in five is less than 15 years old.This growth until recently surged well ahead of. Homes, roads, electricity, telephone and sewer services were all in short supply. Analysts trying to grasp the magnitude of the change coined terms like 'hyper-urbanization'.Cairo's automobile assembler and manufacturer. Egyptian Light Transport Manufacturing Company (Egyptian NSU pedant).
(Fuso, Hyundai and Volvo). (a part of the ). (Modern Motors: Nissan, BMW (formerly); El-Mashreq: Alfa Romeo and Fiat). (former Daewoo Motors Egypt;, ). General Motors EgyptCityscape and landmarks. Main article:was founded during the mid 19th century with the establishment of modern downtown Cairo.
It was first named Ismailia Square, after the 19th-century ruler, who commissioned the new downtown district's 'Paris on the Nile' design. After the the square became widely known as Tahrir (Liberation) Square, though it was not officially renamed as such until after the which eliminated the monarchy.
Several notable buildings surround the square including, the 's downtown campus, the governmental administrative Building, the headquarters of the, the Nile Ritz Carlton Hotel, and the. Being at the heart of Cairo, the square witnessed several major protests over the years. However, the most notable event in the square was being the focal point of the against former president.Egyptian Museum. Remains of the fortress of Babylon, in.This area of Cairo is so-named as it contains the remains of the ancient Roman and also overlaps the original site of, the first Arab settlement in Egypt (7th century AD) and the predecessor of later Cairo. The area includes the, which holds a high concentration of old Christian churches such as the, the, and other Christian or Coptic buildings, most of which are located over the site of the ancient Roman fortress.
It is also the location of the, which showcases the history of from to times, and of the, the oldest and best-known in Cairo, where the important collection of were discovered in the 19th century. To the north of this Coptic enclave is the, the first mosque in Egypt and the most important religious centre of what was formerly, founded in 642 AD right after the but rebuilt many times since.
Islamic Cairo. A historic house and mansion off al-Muizz street.Cairo holds one of the greatest concentrations of historical monuments of in the world. The areas around the old city and around the are characterized by hundreds of, tombs, mansions, and fortifications dating from the Islamic era and are often referred to as ', especially in English travel literature. It is also the location of several important religious shrines such as the (whose shrine is believed to hold the head of ), the Mausoleum of Imam (founder of the, one of the primary schools of thought in Islamic ), the, the, and others.The first mosque in Egypt was the in what was formerly, the first Arab-Muslim settlement in the area.
However, the is the oldest mosque that still retains its original form and is a rare example of architecture from the. It was built in 876–879 AD in a style inspired by the Abbasid capital of in.
It is one of the largest mosques in Cairo and is often cited as one of the most beautiful. Another Abbasid construction, the on, is the oldest original structure in Cairo, built in 862 AD. It was designed to measure the level of the, which was important for agricultural and administrative purposes.The settlement that was formally named Cairo (Arabic: al-Qahira) was founded to the northeast of Fustat in 959 AD by the victorious army. The Fatimids built it as a separate palatial city which contained and institutions of government.
It was enclosed by a circuit of walls, which were rebuilt in stone in the late 11th century AD by the, parts of which survive today at in the south and and in the north.One of the most important and lasting institutions founded in the Fatimid period was the, founded in 970 AD, which competes with the in for the title of oldest university in the world. Today, is the foremost Center of Islamic learning in the world and one of Egypt's largest universities with campuses across the country. The mosque itself retains significant Fatimid elements but has been added to and expanded in subsequent centuries, notably by the sultans and and by Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda in the 18th century.Other extant monuments from the Fatimid era include the large, the, and the.The most prominent architectural heritage of medieval Cairo, however, dates from the, from 1250 to 1517 AD. The Mamluk sultans and elites were eager patrons of religious and scholarly life, commonly building religious or funerary complexes whose functions could include a mosque, (for ), a (water dispensary), and a mausoleum for themselves and their families.Among the best-known examples of Mamluk monuments in Cairo are the huge, the, the (whose twin minarets were built above the gate of ), the, the in the, and the trio of monuments in the area comprising the, the, and the. Some mosques include (often columns or ) from earlier buildings built by the, or.The Mamluks, and the later, also built wikalas or to house merchants and goods due to the important role of trade and commerce in Cairo's economy. The most famous example still intact today is the, which nowadays also hosts regular performances by the Al- Egyptian Heritage Dance Troupe. The famous is a commercial hub which also integrated caravanserais (also known as khans).Citadel of Cairo.
Main article:The Citadel is a fortified enclosure begun by in 1176 AD on an outcrop of the as part of a large defensive system to protect both Cairo to the north and to the southwest. It was the centre of Egyptian government and residence of its rulers until 1874, when moved to. It is still occupied by the military today, but is now open as a tourist attraction comprising, notably, the, the 14th century, and the 19th century which commands a dominant position on Cairo's skyline.Khan el-Khalili. A medieval gateway in.is an ancient, or marketplace adjacent to the.
It dates back to 1385, when Amir Jarkas el-Khalili built a large caravanserai, or khan. (A caravanserai is a hotel for traders, and usually the focal point for any surrounding area.) This original carvanserai building was demolished by, who rebuilt it as a new commercial complex in the early 16th century, forming the basis for the network of existing today. Many medieval elements remain today, including the ornate -style gateways. Today, the Khan el-Khalili is a major tourist attraction and popular stop for tour groups. Society Today, Cairo is heavily urbanized and most Cairenes now live in apartment buildings. Because of the influx of people into the city, lone standing houses are rare to find, and apartment buildings accommodate for the limited space and abundance of people. Single detached houses are symbolic of the wealthy.
Formal education has also become very important. There are twelve years of formal education, and Cairenes also take an apprehension test similar to the SAT to help them further their education and become accepted to a higher institution. However, most children do not finish school and opt to pick up a trade to enter the work force. Egypt still struggles with poverty, with almost half the population living on $2 or less a day From the income the country does make, most of it does come from Cairo, as the majority of the countries manufacturing headquarters are located there. Women's rights The civil rights movement for women in Cairo and Egypt has been a long battle for years.
Women are reported to face constant discrimination, harassment, and abuse throughout Cairo. A 2013 study found that over 99% of reported experiencing sexual harassment at some point in their lives. The problem has persisted in spite of new national laws since 2014 defining and criminalizing sexual harassment. The situation is so severe that in 2017 Cairo was named by one poll as the most dangerous for women in the world. Pollution Cairo is an expanding city, which has led to many environmental problems.
The in Cairo is a matter of serious concern. Greater Cairo's volatile levels are higher than many other similar cities. Air quality measurements in Cairo have also been recording dangerous levels of, and concentrations due to decades of unregulated, urban industrial operations, and chaff and trash burning. There are over 4,500,000 cars on the streets of Cairo, 60% of which are over 10 years old, and therefore lack modern emission cutting features. Cairo has a very poor dispersion factor because of its lack of rain and its layout of tall buildings and narrow streets, which create a bowl effect.
Smog in CairoIn recent years, a mysterious (as Egyptians refer to it) and causes serious respiratory diseases and eye irritations for the city's citizens. Tourists who are not familiar with such high levels of pollution must take extra care.Cairo also has many unregistered lead and which heavily pollute the city. The results of this has been a permanent haze over the city with particulate matter in the air reaching over three times normal levels. It is estimated that 10,000 to 25,000 people a year in Cairo die due to air pollution-related diseases. Lead has been shown to cause harm to the and neurotoxicity particularly in children. In 1995, the first environmental acts were introduced and the situation has seen some improvement with 36 air monitoring stations and on cars.
Twenty thousand buses have also been commissioned to the city to improve congestion levels, which are very high. Traffic in CairoThe city also suffers from a high level of. Cairo produces 10,000 tons of waste material each day, 4,000 tons of which is not.
This once again is a huge and the Egyptian Government is looking for ways to combat this. The Cairo Cleaning and Beautification Agency was founded to collect and recycle the waste; however, they also work with the (or Zabaleen), a community that has been collecting and recycling Cairo's waste since the turn of the 20th century and live in an area known locally as. Both are working together to pick up as much waste as possible within the city limits, though it remains a pressing problem. is also a serious problem in the city as the tends to fail and overflow.
On occasion, has escaped onto the streets to create a health hazard. This problem is hoped to be solved by a new sewer system funded by the, which could cope with the demand of the city. The dangerously high levels of in the city's water system has officials concerned over related health risks.International relations The of the is located in, near the of Cairo.Twin towns and sister cities.