City guide · القاهرة Cairo
Cairo
'The Victorious City': Islamic Cairo, Khan el-Khalili and the pyramids of Giza
Cairo, with the Nile flowing through it, is one of the largest cities in the Arab world. Islamic Cairo bristles with mosques, and the spices and copperware of Khan el-Khalili continue the commerce of the Mamluk era; on the Giza plateau west of the city, the three Great Pyramids have stood for 4,500 years.
History
How the city came to be
After conquering Egypt in 641, the Arab general Amr ibn al-As founded a new town, Fustat, beside the fortress of Babylon. In 969 the Fatimids founded a new city to its north and made it their capital in 973; Caliph al-Mu'izz named it 'al-Qahira', meaning 'the Conqueror' or 'the Victorious' — the origin of the name Cairo. Under the Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties (12th–16th centuries) Cairo replaced Fustat as the centre of Egypt. Around 1382 al-Khalili, master of the stables to the Mamluk sultan, built a great caravanserai in the heart of the old city, which grew into today's Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
- c. 2580–2510 BCThe three Great Pyramids of Giza were built
- 641Amr ibn al-As founded Fustat
- 969The Fatimids founded Cairo
- 973Cairo became the Fatimid capital
- 1382The Khan el-Khalili caravanserai was built
Stories
Stories of the city
History · The Giza pyramids and the Sphinx
The pharaoh who built the largest pyramid left behind only a tiny ivory statue
Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty and is generally thought to have ordered the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Yet astonishingly few records of his reign survive: his only fully preserved portrait is a small ivory statuette found in 1903 in the ruins of a later temple at Abydos; his other statues and reliefs survive only in fragments.
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Old Cairo: Khan el-Khalili bazaar
One of the oldest markets in the Middle East, dating from 1382, where spice and copper workshops continue the commercial fabric of the Mamluk er…
The Giza pyramids and the Sphinx
The three Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and the Sphinx — humanity's first great state project, 4,500 years ago.
Local life
Food and local daily life
Before you go
Rules to know in Cairo
Egypt: drink only at licensed venues
- Drink in licensed restaurants, bars or within resorts
- Drinking in the street or other public places
Drinking outside licensed premises is illegal and can lead to arrest.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice
Egypt: no drones without a permit
- Leave your drone at home
- Bringing in or using a drone without Ministry of Defence permission
Up to 7 years in prison, or a fine of EGP 5,000 to 50,000.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice
Egypt: ask before photographing people, and don't photograph children
- Ask local people before photographing them
- If in doubt, ask before taking a photo
- Photographing children
- Photographing military installations (including the Suez Canal)
- Taking or sharing photos that could harm the country's image
Tourism ministry rules require written permission to photograph Egyptian citizens, and photographing children is banned; photographing military installations is illegal.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice
Egypt: dress modestly and avoid public displays of affection
- Dress conservatively in villages, mosques and markets
- Kissing or hugging in public (holding hands is usually fine)
Behaviour accepted in resorts may be seen as offensive elsewhere.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice