Cairo: Where history lives

Cairo's Arabic name, al-Qahirah, means the Victorious, a title given when the Fatimid dynasty founded the city in 969 to serve as their new capital after conquering Egypt. Some accounts also link the name to Mars, called the Conqueror in Arabic astrology at the time.

Not technically. The Great Pyramids sit on the Giza Plateau, a separate city just southwest of Cairo, not within the capital's official limits. Because Giza has grown into Cairo's urban sprawl, most people lump the two together and call it all Cairo.

Cairo is in Africa. Geographically, the city sits in northeastern Egypt, a country whose entire landmass lies on the African continent. Culturally and economically, Cairo is closely tied to the Middle East through shared language and religion, which is why guidebooks and rankings often group it with that region instead.

Yes. Cairo is the largest city in Africa, with a metropolitan population that dwarfs every other city on the continent. The scale comes from centuries as Egypt's political and economic hub, drawing people from across the country long before it grew into one of the world's biggest urban areas.