Cairo,
(Arab. Musr el Kaherah, "the victorious capital"), the capital of modern Egypt, situated in a sandy plain between the right bank of the Nile and the ridge of Mokattam, near the point of the delta of the Nile.
The remarkable edifices of Cairo comprise many of the finest remains of Arabian architecture, all dating from the time of the ancient sultans of Egypt. Among these, besides mosques, chapels, and Coptic churches, are several of the ancient gates, an aqueduct for conveying water from the Nile to the citadel, the works of the citadel, and the palace and well of Joseph. At Old Cairo are the seven towers, still called the "Granary of Joseph," and serving their ancient purpose. In the island of Rhoda is the celebrated Nilometer. On the S., Mamelukes, and on the N.E. the obelisk of Heliopolis. There are also a magnetic observatory, and the College of El Ahzar, the principal university of the Mohammedan world. Pop. (1897) 570,062.
Entry from Everybody's Cyclopedia, 1912.