Cairo... the city whose name was given to 18 other cities around the world, it is (Al-Muizz's Cairo - the Protected City - the Capital of the World - the Crown of the Wilderness - the City of Cities - the City of a Thousand Minarets), these are the attributes and names that historians have given to this ancient city, whose location and site date back to the dawn of human civilization since it began as the capital of Egypt under the name "On", a symbol of the unity of the North and South of Egypt during the era of the Pharaohs, and today we review the history of this enchanting city.

Cairo, the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, is one of the most culturally and civilizationally diverse cities. It is also considered one of the most important centers of religious, cultural and political life in the world, and one of the largest cities in Africa. It has a strategic location, as it is located on the eastern bank of the Nile River and is bordered to the north by Qalyubia Governorate, to the east and south by the desert hinterland, and to the west by the Nile River and Giza Governorate. It also includes the main government headquarters, such as the Presidential Palace, the Prime Minister's Office, other ministries, the House of Representatives, the Central Bank, and other headquarters of power, until they are transferred to the new administrative capital. It is a city-governorate, meaning that it occupies the entire area of ​​a single city, and at the same time, it is a large city that constitutes a governorate in its own right. Although it is the largest city in Egypt, it is one of the smallest governorates in Egypt. It contains a number of ancient and modern landmarks dating back to different historical eras throughout the ages, including Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic monuments. We do not find anywhere else this quantity of religious, civil and military monuments. It is no wonder that Cairo, as described by the philosopher-historian Ibn Khaldun, “is more vast than anything imaginable.”

Cairo expanded in the modern era and formed what is called Greater Cairo in a semi-official administrative entity with Giza Governorate and some of its suburbs and Shubra El-Kheima in Qalyubia Governorate.

Cairo Governorate consists of (4) regions with a total of (38) neighborhoods:

The Northern Region, which includes eight neighborhoods.

The Eastern Region, which includes nine neighborhoods.

The Western Region, which includes nine neighborhoods.

The Southern Region, which includes twelve neighborhoods.

Cairo also includes three new cities: New Cairo, Shorouk City, and Badr City.

The estimated population of Cairo Governorate in January 2024 was approximately 10,299,821.

The total area of ​​Cairo Governorate is 3,085 km2.

Cairo celebrates its national holiday on July 6th, the day that marks the laying of the foundation stone of the city of Cairo by the leader Jawhar al-Siqilli in 969 AD, and its slogan is Al-Azhar Mosque, the beacon of Islam and its pulpit in the world.

The headquarters of the Cairo Governorate is part of Abdeen Palace, one of the most famous presidential palaces built during the rule of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Khedive Ismail ordered the construction of Abdeen Palace immediately after assuming power in Egypt in 1863. He wanted to build the palace to move the governor's headquarters from the Citadel, which had been the seat of government in Egypt since its construction by Saladin in 1171, to the center of his city. The construction of the palace took ten years and became known as Abdeen Palace. It was built as part of Khedive Ismail's plan to build a modern Cairo similar to European cities. The name of the palace goes back to Abdeen Bey, one of the military leaders during the reign of Muhammad Ali, who owned a small palace in the place of the current palace. Ismail bought it from his widow, demolished it, and added large lands to it, bringing the total area of ​​the palace to 24 acres. All of this was crowned by the construction of the current Abdeen Palace, which is a masterpiece of beauty and architectural art.

This palace was built by the engineer "De Correale del Rosso" and a number of Egyptian, Italian, French and Turkish workers and technicians. Construction took approximately 10 years and its cost was estimated at approximately 100,000 gold pounds, while the furnishings cost approximately 2 million pounds. Abdeen Palace remained the seat of government and a symbol of authority from 1873 to 1952. It witnessed some of the most influential events in modern Egyptian history, including the Urabi Revolt and the gathering of the Egyptian army in Abdeen Square in front of the palace in 1881. The current Abdeen Square was built over the stagnant "Pharaohs' Pond" in front of the palace site, covering an area of ​​approximately 9 acres, next to which is the Guard Barracks (currently the Cairo Governorate).