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Cairo, Egypt
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Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is a city of profound contrasts where the ancient sharply collides with the new. Its site on the banks of the Nile River has been occupied for thousands of years, but it was during the 10th century’s Fatimid dynasty that the walled city arose as the capital of an empire. (Cairo’s Arabic name, Al Qahirah, means “victorious.”) Partly because of its key role in the lucrative spice trade, Cairo gained fame as one of the great cities of the medieval world. This period of glory during the Middle Ages was followed by invasions and decline until the latter half of the 19th century. Then a new European-style city, based on Baron Georges Haussmann’s grand plans for renovating Paris, was built next to the old one. Phenomenal population growth in the 20th century has spawned suburb upon suburb to accommodate the vast number of residents, called Cairenes. Cairo is one of the 100 cities worldwide being studied using ASTER data to map and monitor urban growth. This image was acquired October 29, 2001, and covers an area of 40.3 x 44.9 km.
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