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Africa > Egypt > Cairo > Introduction
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| Cairo is the stuff of sequin-spangled
tales. As the Roman settlement of Babylon, as Al Qahira –‘the victorious’,
and as Cairo, this city of calm mosques, chaotic bazaars and colourful streets has been on
every traveller’s lust list. Whatever your fantasies may have conjured, Cairo
won’t disappoint. Whether it’s dusty streets in mad markets you’ve thought
up, or slinky skyscrapers by shiny roads – you’ll find they all mark space in
this city of many faces, including one that used to ask every wanderer a riddle. |
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'What creature walks on four limbs in the morning,
on two in the noon and on three in the evening’. Cairo has much to live up to: the
legacy of Byzantium, the wonder of the pyramids, and the mystery of the Nile, and it
acquits itself with grace. By the way, in case the Sphinx asks, the answer is Man. As
toddlers will tell, Man walks on all fours in childhood, on his two legs in his prime, and
with the aid of a stick in his old age.
Cairo can be divided
into the old and new parts, with the old part being more than 1,000 years old, and some
bits of this dating back to the time of the Pharaohs. In the 19th century, under the
influence of the then ruler Khedive Ismail and the British occupation of Cairo in 1891,
Cairo was refashioned as a European- style city. Today, Cairo is one of the world's most
densely populated cities, with major commercial and residential activity in the new city.
The Nile River is the major source of water supply in Cairo.
Cairo feels warm-hot
for most of the year, with temperatures ranging from 20 ºC to 36 ºC. The hottest months
are July and August. A hot, dry, sand-laden wind called the ‘khamsin’ blows
between February and April – dive into a cool café when this happens. Being close to
the desert, nights in March and April can get chilly.
For detailed country
information see Egypt. |
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