Chapter 2
Cairo and the Seven Layers of Civilization
OVERVIEW
Cairo has its roots in the ancient city of Memphis. It was officially established as the city of Fustat in the 10th century. Cairo is famous for its history that is preserved in the Coptic quarter in Old Cairo as well as in the legendary medieval Islamic city. This chapter will provide interesting background information through Wikipedia texts and authentic newspaper excerpts about Cairo’s history and about Cairo as the home to the three monotheistic religions represented in the various monuments.
لقاهرة لها جذورها في مدينة ممفيس القديمة. وقد تأسَّسَت تاريخياٍ باسم مدينة الفسطاط في القرن العاشر الميلادي. تشتهر القاهرة بتاريخها القبطي المحفوظ في حي مصر القديمة وكذلك في القاهرة الإسلامية او ما يُعرَفُ بقاهرة العصور الوسطى. ستجد في هذا الفصل الكثير من المعلومات الشيّقَة من خلال نصوص ويكيبيديا ومقتطفات صحفية حول تاريخ القاهرة باعتبارها موطن الديانات السَّماويَّة الثلاثة الممثلة في آثار القاهرة المختلفة.
ACTFL PROFICIENCY BENCHMARKS
What I can do after working through the chapter:
I can …
- read an old map of Cairo and locate Its most important historical regions and talk about them;
- identify key historical events in a history text;
- summarize main points of Cairo’s history;
- understand an authentic media article on the historical transformations of an ancient city;
- define what is meant by religious tourism and give appropriate examples;
- understand Wikipedia texts about historical monuments in Cairo and answer questions about them;
- research and write accurate descriptions of historical monuments and tourist attractions in Cairo using specialized and diverse vocabulary.
