<Tr> <Th> State Party </Th> <Td> Egypt </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Region </Th> <Td> Arab States </Td> </Tr> <P> Cairo (/ ˈkaɪroʊ / KYE - roh; Arabic: القاهرة ‎ ‎ al - Qāhirah, pronunciation (help info), Coptic: ⲕⲁϩⲓⲣⲏ Kahire) is the capital and largest city of Egypt . The city's metropolitan area is the largest in the Middle East and the Arab world, and the 15th - largest in the world, and is associated with ancient Egypt, as the famous Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in its geographical area . Located near the Nile Delta, modern Cairo was founded in 969 CE by the Fatimid dynasty, but the land composing the present - day city was the site of ancient national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo . Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life, and is titled "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture . Cairo is considered a World City with a "Beta +" classification according to GaWC . </P> <P> Cairo has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab world, as well as the world's second - oldest institution of higher learning, Al - Azhar University . Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city; the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence . </P>

Cairo is situated on the bank of which river