Cairo is the capital of Egypt and one of the largest cities in Africa & the Middle East. It has stood for more than 1,000 years on the same site on the banks of the Nile, primarily on the eastern shore. Located in the northeast of the country, Cairo is the gateway to the Nile delta, where the Nile separates into two branches. Metropolitan Cairo is made up of the Cairo governorate as well as other districts, some of which belong to neighboring governorates such as Giza and Qalyubiyya.

The city juxtaposes ancient and new, East and West. A city where you can see the 4500-year old pyramids of Giza alongside modern landmarks of Western-style high-rise hotels and apartment buildings overlook the Nile River. Between these extremes are other architectural monuments, dating from Roman, Arab, and Ottoman times. In addition to department stores, cinemas, hotels, and town houses, Cairo contains a large functioning bazaar and an extensive, semi-walled medieval city endowed with around 400 registered historic monuments including mosques, mausoleums, and massive stone gates.