In what year was Cairo founded?

In what year was Cairo founded?

• A. 876
• B. 969
• C. 1055
• D. 1150

Answer: (B)

Founding here means when Cairo was established as a deliberate capital city by a ruling power. In 969 CE the Fatimid Caliphate moved the capital to Egypt and built a new city on the Nile, naming it Al-Qahirah, from which the name Cairo comes. This marks Cairo’s beginning as a planned urban center around the older Fustat area. The other dates refer to different events in the region’s history (earlier projects near the area or later historical periods) and do not represent the city’s founding. So 969 is the year historians recognize as the founding of Cairo.

Founding here means when Cairo was established as a deliberate capital city by a ruling power. In 969 CE the Fatimid Caliphate moved the capital to Egypt and built a new city on the Nile, naming it Al-Qahirah, from which the name Cairo comes. This marks Cairo’s beginning as a planned urban center around the older Fustat area. The other dates refer to different events in the region’s history (earlier projects near the area or later historical periods) and do not represent the city’s founding. So 969 is the year historians recognize as the founding of Cairo.