metropolis

About Giza

Giza is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Lagos, Kinshasa and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governate with a total population of 8.8 million as of October 2018. It is located on the west bank of the Nile, 4.9 km southwest of central Cairo, and is a core city of the Greater Cairo metropolis. Giza is most famous as the location of the Giza Plateau, the site of the some of the most imporessive and ancient monuments in the world. Giza is a plateau southwest of modern Cairo which served as the necropolis for the royalty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Most famous for the pyramids of Khufu(completed in c. 2560 BCE) and the Great Sphinx(built 2500 BCE),recent excavations on the plateau have revealed numerous private tomb complexes and workers' quarters. The original necropolis of Giza was laid out with amazing precision and skill but, once it became associated with the great kings of Egypt and their pyramids, attracted the attention of less prominent officals of lower rank. These officials had enough money and prestige to buy their way into burial plots at Giza but had no regard for the symmetry of the original schematics and had their tombs dug wherever they found available space. This resulted ina number of grave complexes throughout Giza which would not have been authorized by the kings who built the famous pyramids which, thorughout history, have drawn vistors from around the world.

Cuisine

The Egyptians ate a low-fat, high-fiber diet with a lot of grains. They ate a variety of plant oils and fats, bread, milk, lentils, cottage cheese, cakes, onions, meat, dates, melons, milk products, figs, ostrich eggs, almonds, peas, beans, olives, pomegranates, grapes, vegetables, honey, garlic and other foods. The Egyptians ate a variety of grains, including barely and emmer-wheat. The Egyptians cultivated barley, emmer wheat, beans, chickpeas, flax, and other types of vegetables. Barley was used for making beer. Emmer wheat was used to make bead. Lentils were discovered in an Egyptian tomb dating back to 2000 B.C.). Tombs with mummies were often packed with food such as snails for the afterlife. Rice arrived in Egypt in the 4th century B.C. and around that time India was exporting it to Greece.The 4,900-year-old tomb of King Aha had three chambers and was stocked with oxen meat, waterbirds, cheese, dried figs, bread and many vessels of beer and wine for the afterlife journey. A small box found in tomb of King Tut contained 25 varieties of barely, each in its own compartment.

Economy

Major imports and exports

Egypt’s economic freedom score is 55.7, making its economy the 130th freest in the 2021 Index. Its overall score has increased by 1.7 points, with improvements in 9 of the 12 categories of economic freedom. Egypt is ranked 11th among 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages. Although the Egyptian economy has been in the mostly unfree category since the inception of the Index in 1995, the country improved its economic freedom score this year for the third year in a row. To maintain that momentum, the government should pursue policy reforms to reduce public debt and upgrade institutional performance to strengthen the three rule-of-law indicators: property rights, judicial effectiveness, and government integrity. IMPACT OF COVID-19: As of December 1, 2020, 6,666 deaths had been attributed to the pandemic in Egypt, and economic growth was forecast to decline to 3.5 percent for the year. Egypt has nine preferential trade agreements in force. The trade-weighted average tariff rate is 9.0 percent, and 157 nontariff measures are in effect. A recently adopted investment code consolidated investment-related rules, but investment in several sectors remains restricted. The banking sector is well capitalized and stable, with local banks attaining continued profitability and rating upgrades. The vibrant credit market is open to foreigners.

Geography

Neighborhoods

New districts appeared with Schools, hotels, restaurants, banks, schools and commercial establishments. In the early 20th century the ambitious project of the University of Cairo was born. A land located near of the western bank of the Nile was chosen to be the New Cairo University, but actually and geographically it is situated in the land of the city of Giza. This university is considered the Mother University not only in Egypt but also in the Arab and African world. Then many embassies were built in the city, especially in the city center and El Duqqi neighborhood. For geographic and demographic reasons, today the city of Giza is a part of Greater Cairo, but administratively are two separate provinces and each has its independent mayor and council: Greater Cairo contains the entire Cairo, most of Giza and a part of Al-Qalyubia province located in the north of the present Cairo. This region has about 20 million inhabitants.

History

Notable Events

Giza city is the capital of Giza governorate. Officially, it was founded in the fourth century BC. It was probably a small village since ancient times of Egyptian history that located in the center of the way between Heliopolis and Memphis on the western bank of the Nile. The large capital “Memphis” was the southern city of current Giza. Memphis was a major cultural and commercial center throughout the time of Ancient Egyptian history. When Christianity flourished in Egypt, Memphis lost much of its importance. After the Islamic conquest, Memphis was abandoned, but Giza received more value. It was well-fortified by orders of the commander of the troops of the Arab conquest Amr Ibn Al-As. Great mosques were built at Giza, but unfortunately, there was nothing left of them. Most of this area was agricultural lands, and still has a considerable part of vegetation and agriculture activities in the province because of the fertile land. From time to time, it was a target of floods of the Nile throughout its history, especially in the low lands. For centuries, Giza was just a small town surrounded by rural villages and small communities of farmers and fishermen.

Major Attractions

Great Sphinx of Giza

The Great Sphinx of Giza, commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza or just the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature. Facing directly from West to East, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx is generally believed to represent the pharaoh Khafre. Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of blocks. It measures 73 m long from paw to tail, 20 m high from the base to the top of the head and 19 m wide at its rear haunches.

Giza Necropolis

The Giza Pyramid Complex, also called the Giza Necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure, along with their associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx of Giza. All were built during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. The site also includes several cemeteries and the remains of a workers village. The site is at the edges of the Western Desert, approximately 9 kilometres west of the Nile River in the city of Giza, and about 13 kilometres southwest of the city centre of Cairo.

The Egyptian Museum

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or Museum of Cairo, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display and the remainder in storerooms. Built in 1901 by the Italian construction company, Garozzo-Zaffarani, to a design by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon, the edifice is one of the largest museums in the region. As of March 2019, the museum was open to the public. In 2021, the museum is due to be superseded by the new Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza.