Cairo' s ancient roots are rich in history. The city is a sage of the world, especially since it was founded in AD116 by the Romans when they rebuilt an old Persian fortress along the Nile (then known as Babylon-in-Egypt ).
From the late ninth century onwards, a succession of Arab rulers made their mark on the city: Ibn Tulun built his royal city el-Qatai, the Fatimids built the walled city of el-Qahira, from which Cairo takes it name. In the 13th century, the Mameluks, a caste of Turkish soldier-slaves, rose to power. They were succeeded by the Ottomans, the French under Napoleon and finally the British. The birth of modern Cairo came in 1863, when the ruler Ismail expanded the city along the Nile in the style of the great European cities. After the country returned to Egyptian rule in 1952, Cairo rose to the forefront as the capital of the Arab world.
