Founded by Rome as Babylon-in-Egypt at the site of a Pharaonic river crossing of the Nile River. In the eighth century conquering Muslims started a tent city and mosque to the north of the Roman walls and called the city Fustal. In 750 a permanent city was built further to the north and named Al-Quatai. In 969, a fortified city , Al-Quahira, was built just to the north of the former. Capital of Egypt since the tenth century. Population 10,534,000 (UN 2005); greater urban area 11,487,000 (UN 2005). According to UN estimates, Cairo will reach 14.7 million inhabitants by 2015 and rank sixteenth among the world's largest cities.
Peter C. Bosselmann, Sarah Moos, John Doyle, Jassu Singh, Katie Standke, Corinne Stewart, Briesh Bhata, Deepak Sohane
Understanding City Design and Form, Peter Bosselmann, 2008
