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The historic city of Cairo (القاهرة) is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world. Cairo is associated with ancient Egypt, as the Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in its geographical area. Located near the Nile Delta, Cairo was founded in 969 CE during the Fatimid dynasty.
Cairo is also home to the world's second-oldest institution of higher learning, al-Azhar University.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo was the first purpose-built museum in the Middle East and North Africa. The museum is unique in its presentation of the whole history of Egyptian civilization, especially of antiquities of the Pharaonic and Greco-Roman periods. On the ground floor are a number of large and heavy objects, including colossal figures situated inside the middle atrium. At the peak of its collection, the museum stored more than 100,000 items. Treasures include reliefs, sarcophagi, papyri, funerary art and the contents of various tombs, jewelry, ornaments of all kinds, and other objects.
