Cairo



 

Teacher's Notes for Introduction to the Modern City

This lesson is a simple introduction to the geographical layout of the city. If you did not use the unit on Historical Cairo, you may want to briefly review this section:

The city of Cairo was founded in 969 CE by the Fatimids, a Shi'i dynasty originally based in Tunisia who conquered Egypt as part of a plan to spread Shi'ism to the greater Islamic world. There was already a major city in the Cairo area, named Al-Fustat, that had been founded by the first Muslims to come to Egypt in 640 CE. The Fatimids did not need to house the population at large, and so they built al-Qahira, meaning "The City Victorious," as a royal enclave for themselves. It was not until the 11th century that al-Fustat was destroyed in part by the Caliph al-Hakim and al-Qahira was opened to the masses as a place to live and do business. The city of al-Qahira, corrupted to "Cairo" by the European traders remained geographically centered around the Fatimid royal city until the 19th century, when the Turkish governor Muhammad Ali began a series of programs to build a new European city on the former swampland between al-Qahira and the Nile River.

This lesson also sets up the next few lessons, which will take a look at the problems that are effecting the Cairo area at the present day.

Activities:

  1. If you did not use the Historical Cairo unit, you may want to talk about the history of your own city. When and why was it founded? Have your students trace the development of your town in a series of maps depicting former settlements in the area, and the way in which the city expanded over time. Pay close attention to when the most rapid expansion took place and talk about what factors contributed to such rapid growth at that time.


  2. Talk about your students' impressions of Cairo before you get started. What do they think about Egyptian culture? What people wear? What people eat? How people get around? What is the religion of most Egyptians? Write your students' answers down on a chart or poster and keep them until you are finished with this unit in your class. Then ask your students the same questions again and compare the answers. What has changed? Why?

The suggested follow up to this lesson is "Challenges for the Future."