Giza is most famous as the location of theGiza Plateau, the site of some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world, including a complex ofancient Egyptian royal mortuary andsacred structures, among which are theGreat Sphinx, theGreat Pyramid of Giza, and a number of other largepyramids and temples. Giza has always been a focal point in Egypt's history due to its location close to Memphis, the ancient pharaonic capital of theOld Kingdom.
Giza city is a municipal division and capital of Giza governorate with an appointed city head.[5] It comprises ninedistricts (ahya', singl.hayy) and fivenew towns(mudun jadidah) administered by theNew Urban Communities Authority (NUCA).
The districts/qisms fully subsume to the city head and according to the 2017 census had 4,872,448 residents:[4][6]
The new towns are mostly administered by the national levelNew Urban Communities Authority (NUCA), with some public services under the jurisdiction of Giza. They are confusingly namedmadina (city), however they are not administratively incorporated as such where many are formed of a single district or qism. Ones not in the 2017 census as they were not yet incorporated, or inhabited at that time are:
The city's population was reported as 2,681,863 in the 2006 national census,[12][13] while the governorate had 6,272,571 at the same census, without specifying what the city is. The former figure corresponds to the sum of nine districts/qisms.
Region
(Population)
Area km2
2006
Giza, 9 kisms (contiguous)
2,681,863
98.4
Giza, 10 kisms (not contiguous)
2,822,271
115.7
Giza, 10 kisms + Giza markaz (contiguous)
3,063,777
187
Giza, 10 kisms + Giza,Kerdasa, Ossim markaz (contiguous)
Giza's most famous landform and archaeological site, theGiza Plateau, holds some major monuments ofEgyptian history, and is home to theGreat Sphinx. Once thriving with theNile that flowed right into the Giza Plateau, thepyramids of Giza were built overlooking theancient Egyptian capital city ofMemphis, across the river from modern day Cairo. The Great Pyramid of Giza at one time was advocated (1884) as the location for thePrime Meridian, a reference point used for determining a base longitude.[14]
Giza experiences ahot desert likearid climate (Köppen: BWh). Its climate is similar to Cairo, owing to its proximity. Windstorms can be frequent acrossEgypt in spring, bringingSaharan dust into the city during the months of March and April. High temperatures in winter range from 16 to 20 °C (61 to 68 °F), while nighttime lows drop to below 7 °C (45 °F). In summer, the highs are 40 °C (104 °F), and the lows can drop to about 20 °C (68 °F). Rain is infrequent in Giza; snow is extremely rare.
Up to August 2013, the highest recorded temperature was 46 °C (115 °F) on 13 June 1965, while the lowest recorded temperature was 2 °C (36 °F) on 8 January 1966.[15]
The area in what is now Giza served as the necropolis of severalpharaohs who ruledancient Egypt, during the second millennium BC. Three of these tombs, in the form of giant pyramids, are what is now the famedGiza pyramid complex, featuring theGreat Pyramid of Giza.
As ancient Egypt passed under several conquests under the Persians, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines, so did the area in what is now Giza. A Byzantine village namedPhylake (Greek:Φυλακή) orTerso (Coptic:ϯⲣⲥⲱ, meaning "the fortress", nowTersa) was located south of Giza and should not be confused with it.[17][18][19]
AsMuslims of the fledglingIslamiccaliphate went on with their conquest of Egypt from the Byzantine Empire beginning in 639 AD, three years after their victory at thebattle of Yarmouk in 636 AD, they conquered all of the land by the time theycaptured the city ofAlexandria in 641 AD. A year later in 642 AD (year 21 in Islamic calendar), they founded the city of Giza. The exact etymology of its name is unknown.Al-Maqrizi suggested an irregular Arameo-Arabic root meaning "edge, side" to be the source. Everett-Heath suggestedAncient Egyptian:r-gs-ḥr "on the side of the height (pyramid)". Peust also suggests a Persian etymology of the word fromMiddle Persian:𐭣𐭦,romanized: diz,lit. 'fortress, castle', which Persians could have given to the pyramids or a fortress they found in the area.[26]
Giza has seen many changes over time. Changes in infrastructure during the different occupations ofEgypt by various rulers, including the British in the 18th and early 20th century, focused on the construction ofroads, streets, andbuildings in the area. Giza is a thriving centre ofEgyptian culture and is quite heavily populated, with many facilities and buildings in the current area. Giza saw much attention in particular to its vast amount ofancient Egyptian monuments found on theGiza Plateau, and has astonished thousands of visitors and tourists over the years. Giza's infrastructure saw much attention from both the British government prior to the 1952 coup d'état, as well as the current Egyptian government due to the city's importance in tourism. Giza's St. George Cathedral is theepiscopal see of theCoptic Catholic Eparchy of Giza.
The city hosts the first zoo on the entire African continent and one of the oldest in theMediterranean region, theGiza Zoo. In addition, there are several parks, the most famous among them is Orman Park, which means "Forest Park" in theTurkish language.
TheGiza Zoo (حديقة حيوان الجيزة,Ḥadīqat Ḥaywān Al-Gīzah), established on March 1, 1891, holds the distinction of being Africa's first zoo and the world's third oldest zoological garden.[27] Located on approximately 80 acres (32 hectares), the zoo was originally designed as a botanical garden and features several historical architectural elements.[28]
Transportation in Giza comprises an extensive road network, rail system, subway system, and maritime services. Road transport is facilitated by personal vehicles, taxi cabs, privately owned public buses and microbuses.
Giza shares with Cairoa subway system, officially called the "Metro (مترو)", a fast and efficient way of getting around. An extensive road network connects Giza with6th of October City, Cairo and other cities. There are flyovers and bridges such as the 15th. Traffic in Giza is known to be overwhelming and overcrowded.
Industries here include movies,chemicals, Giza cotton, machinery and cigarettes. In addition, Giza has many luxury apartment buildings along theNile, making it a popular place to live.
Access to the city of Giza, which has its owngovernorate adjacent to the Governorate of Cairo, is dependent on theCairo International Airport. Another local airport is found in Giza, called theImbaba Airport, but recently the Egyptian government has decided to shut down the area and turn it into a cultural or an athletic area.
Sphinx International Airport was opened in 2018 as an alternative to the already congested Cairo International Airport, but also to improve accessibility to the Giza necropolis as well as to theGrand Egyptian Museum.
Giza's learning institutions includeCairo University, which was moved to Giza in 1924. The city is a hub of education and educational services not only for Egypt but also for the entireMediterranean Region. Giza has numerous schools, kindergartens, and institutes of higher learning.
The city hosts the second most successful sports club in Egypt and Africa,El Zamalek, which is located in theMeet Okba neighbourhood near theMohandesin neighbourhood. Beside El Zamalek there are other clubs like ElTersana and Seid Shooting Club which is one of the elite clubs in Egypt.
Maher El-Kady (born 1983), scientist, known for his work in nanotechnology, particularly in graphene-based materials, energy storage, and advanced materials.
Nora Armani, actor and film-maker of Armenian descent
^"Giza, Egypt".Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved21 February 2019.
^"The Canary Islands and the Question of the Prime Meridian: The Search for Precision in the Measurement of the Earth", Wilcomb E. Washburn.linkArchived 29 May 2007 at theWayback Machine
^"TM Places".www.trismegistos.org.Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved18 April 2019.
^موسوعة " القاموس الجغرافى للبلاد المصرية " – محمد رمزى بك (قسم ثانى ج3 – ص4): مركز وثائق وتاريخ مصر المعاصر الهيئة المصرية العامةللكتاب ط 1994
^جغرافية مصر في العصر القبطى – الفرنسى أميلينو : الهيئة المصرية العامة للكتاب2013 ترجمة ميخائيل مكسى إسكندر – استدراكات العلامة محمد رمزى على الكتاب في الجزء الثالث من ص 274: نشر المعهد العلمى الفرنسى
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Hawass, Zahi A. 2010.Wonders of the Pyramids: The Sound and Light of Giza. Cairo: Misr Company for Sound, Light, & Cinema.
--. 2011.Newly-Discovered Statues From Giza, 1990–2009. Cairo: Ministry of State for Antiquities.
Magli, G. 2016. "The Giza 'written' landscape and the double project of King Khufu."Time & Mind-the Journal of Archaeology Consciousness and Culture 9, no.1: 57–74.
Khattab, Hind A. S., Nabil Younis, and Huda Zurayk. 1999.Women, Reproduction, and Health In Rural Egypt: The Giza Study. Cairo, Egypt: American University in Cairo Press.
Kormysheva, Ė. E., Svetlana Malykh, and Sergey Vetokhov. 2010.Giza, Eastern Necropolis: Russian Archaeological Mission In Giza. Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences.
Lawton, Ian, and Chris Ogilvie-Herald. 2000.Giza: The Truth: the People, Politics and History Behind the World's Most Famous Archaeological Site. Rev. ed. London: Virgin.
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