Cairo

Cairo,

officially al-Qahirah but popularly and normally referred to as Misr (pron. Masr), the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The city occupies a triangular plain with the narrowest point to the S on the East Bank of the River Nile where the Muqattam Hills make their closest approach to the river.

 In Cairo the older areas in the main still retain their medieval form, and many of the streets are known from descriptions of them given by early chroniclers. The Ottomans made little contribution to the design of the city but during the 19C it expanded and developed at an unprecedented rate.

The newer areas thus have much in common with European cities in general and specific areas with French or English town planning in particular. The architecture, however, is a combination of Ottoman and European elements, commercial building owing more to the latter, especially in the city centre.