History of Cairo Trivia Quiz

Answer: Babylon

The Babylon Fortress was the first major permanent settlement in the area that is now Cairo. At that point in time, Memphis was a separate city (today some parts of Memphis are considered to be part of Cairo). Memphis was the seat of the pharaohs when the area was conquered by the Romans. Memphis was declining in favor of Alexandria so the Romans built up Babylon around the Nile River as a new place of strategic importance.

Parts of the Roman built fortress are still in existence today. There was once a Persian built fortress in the area as well but the Romans knocked it down as it was inferior in design.

Answer: Fustat

The name Fustat (also called Misr al-Fustat) literally means City of Tents. It was the military headquarters for Amr Ibn al-As who led the conquest and was a close friend to the Prophet Mohammed. Amr Ibn al-As was also the first governor of Egypt during this era. He is also well known for building Africa's first mosque: Mosque of Amr Ibn al-As.

Answer: The nave hangs over a street

Since at least the third century AD, a church has been at the location of the Hanging Church. It was Coptic Pope Abraham who rebuilt the church into its now famous design which gave it its name. The church was built above the Babylon Fortress and the nave of it hangs above the street. The Hanging Church is also sometimes called the Suspended Church for that reason or the Staircase Church because of its many steps.

Pope Abraham wrote extensively about the many visions of Mary he received in the Hanging Church after it was rebuilt. For three hundred years, beginning in the mid 11th century, this church was the seat of the Coptic Church.

Answer: The Second Crusade

In the years leading up the Second Crusade, Cairo was a growing city but Fustat (which at this time was still a separate city from Cairo) remained the capital and center of business. Shawar, the vizier, set Fustat on fire so its treasure would not be taken by crusaders and to protect Cairo from invasion.

The plan worked. After the Crusade, Saladin became vizier and then sultan and made Cairo his capital. Under his rule, Cairo became a center of learning and a stop along the spice route.

Answer: European invaders

During this time period, Cairo and Egypt were relatively free from European invasions. The main problem facing Cairo was its poor economy. Cairo was a popular stop along many trade routes but with da Gama's discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, ships and trade goods went that way and skipped Cairo. Another problem was a series of devastating plague outbreaks over the course of nearly two centuries beginning in 1348. The city was never able to recover from one wave before the next hit. The population was halved as a result.

Cairo's problems allowed the Ottoman Empire to seize Egypt in 1517. Egypt essentially became a province of the Ottoman Empire and its status was greatly reduced, though some of the trading did return during this period.

Answer: France

Napoleon invaded Cairo in 1798 but was forced out by 1801. After losing Cairo, the French retreated into Alexandria which they also soon lost.

In order to defeat the French forces, the Ottomans aligned with the British. The French surrendered after they were overwhelmed and outnumbered by the British-Ottoman alliance. The alliance occupied Cairo for two years until the British withdrew.

Answer: Muhammad Ali

Muhammad (or Mehmet) Ali Pasha ruled Egypt starting in 1805 first as Pasha and then as Wali (basically a king). However, Mamelukes or Mamluks (Ottoman slave soldiers who occupied Cairo since the 13th century) were still in the city and posed a great threat to Muhammad Ali.

Mameluke leaders were invited to a procession at a citadel in Cairo where they were murdered by firing squads. Other Mamelukes were rounded up and murdered or departed. This event was called the Massacre at the Citadel and it allowed Muhammad Ali to gain nearly total control over Cairo and Egypt.

Answer: The Cairo Fire

The Cairo Fire started in response to the killing of Egyptian police officers by British forces. Britain had invaded Egypt in the 1880s but Egypt was independent by 1922. However, British forces still occupied Egypt well into the 1950s. There was tension between the British and Egyptians that erupted with the killing of the police officers.

The fire started during a riot in which Egyptians targeted British owned business and buildings. Hundreds of buildings, mostly restaurants and coffee houses, were destroyed and over two dozens people were killed.

Answer: Cairo Tower

Nasser's Pineapple is a nickname for the Cairo Tower, Egypt's tallest building. When it was built, it was the tallest building in all of Africa. It is called Nasser's Pineapple because its lattice work looks like the spikes of a pineapple. The tower was built with money donated by the U.S. Government (which Nasser claims was either a gift or a bribe).

The building provides the Cairo skyline with a modern piece of architecture that contrasts itself with the antiquity Cairo is usually associated with such as the Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx.

Answer: Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square was always a place of protest in Cairo. It's name means Liberation Square in English and is also sometimes called Martyrs' Square. It became internationally known during the Arab Spring and during the Egyptian protests of 2011. The protests were against the presidency of Hosni Mubarak and against police brutality.

Other issues were crackdowns on freedom of speech and civil rights. The protests were started by students, women and other typically liberal-leaning groups. The protests expanded to other cities and groups, including the more conservative Muslims. Mubarak resigned in February 2011, two weeks after the protests began.

He was replaced by Mohamed Morsi in 2012 who was then overthrown in 2013.