Functions+-+Cairo,+Egypt

__ Functions: Cairo, Egypt __ With an estimated 16 million inhabitants, and at once the largest city in the Arab world, and the largest of any Mediterranean country, Cairo is the “Megalopolis of the Nile”. Of course, as the size of a city increases, so does its functions.

To list these functions, they are**: Protection ; Food Production ; Harvesting Resources ; Transportation Nodes ; Religious Center ; Administrative ; Tourism ; Residential ; Service Center .**

We will now explore each of these functions, with respect to Cairo, in detail. //__ Protection __// Protection is one of the fundamental requisites of any settlement. Militaristically, this need for protection is quite well met. The Armed Forces of Egypt are among the finest in the world, ranked 11th on a global scale. They consist of the: Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy, Egyptian Air Force and Egyptian Air Defense Command.

In addition to the standard military forces, there is a prominent paramilitary force under the control of the Ministry of Interior. These forces, approximately 350,000 strong, are known as the “Central Security Forces”, ensure “protection and stability” in and around Cairo. Notably, a lot of Egypt military support and development has arisen from the involvement of the United States within the region. In fact, Egypt’s military technology is quite well-advanced; being the only Arab country with a Spy Satellite. Resultantly, Egypt retains military superiority in the region; rivaled only by Israel’s military forces. Needless to say, external military threats are virtually non-existent, and “protection” is granted to Egypt’s, and Cairo’s, inhabitants.

Importantly, we must take note that Protection comes in two forms: external threat protection, and internal threat protection. While external threats take the form of guerilla attacks, and war with other countries, internal threats are more inherent. A clear example is the degraded standard of living in many parts of Cairo. However, such internal threats to health will be addressed underneath other functions of Cairo.

However, simultaneously, it must be acknowledged that Military is not a direct function of Cairo. In fact, Military provisions are more a function of Egypt. In terms of protection, provided by Cairo, factors such as "City Walls", and perhaps local law enforcement agencies, such as the police force, must be taken into consideration.

__//Food Production//__

Egypt, like most countries, depends on agricultural prowess as an economic support; the city of Cairo being no exception. Due to its proximity to the Nile river, and the lack of alternative water resources, Cairo’s agricultural development has long been fueled by the Nile river. In fact, most of the residents of Cairo depend on irrigated agriculture for their livelihood. We see that Food Production is a prominent function of Cairo.



Looking at the Graph above, we see how Egypt’s food production always meets the necessity of the host population. We notice that, at any given point on the graph, the food produced is above the necessity of the population.

Thus, Cairo is able to ensure there is enough food to sustain the entire population. However, more importantly, as the food production primarily surpasses the necessity of the population, it can be used for economic purposes as well. Resultantly, it can be established that the role of Food Production is both a physical requisite of the population, as well as a form of economic sustenance; a function that Cairo provides for its populace.

Of course, one must recognize that, while Cairo does provide the function of Food Production, no food is //actually produced// within Cairo. Thus, while it serves as channel for the produced food, it does not directly sustain the "creation of Food".

//__Harvesting Resources__//

The ability to provide resources is an integral function of any settlement, and the same is true of Cairo. Deemed the “Gift of the Nile”, Cairo’s, and thus Egypt’s, main resource is the water from the Nile River.



Observing this map, we see that the Nile River is the most vital resource in the area, and the primary resource harvested in Cairo, Egypt. The proximity of the settlements to the Nile River…clustered all around it.. indicates the priority of water from the Nile River as a resource.

The Nile River provides the inhabitants of Cairo and Egypt with a clean, safe drinking source. Not only this, but the river, as discussed previously, also sustains the agricultural industry of Cairo. This industry takes the form of both sustenance farming, as well as the farming of non-edible agriculture such as cotton. Thus, harvesting the resource of the Nile is an extremely important function of Cairo, Egypt.

However, to completely understand the role of the Nile, it is important to notice that Cairo is not the //only// source of water from the Nile. Nile water is harvested in many areas along the Nile. Thus while Cairo does play an important part in gathering water resources from the Nile, it is by no means the sole source for water collection.

//__Transportation Nodes__//

Cairo, in terms of a transportation node, serves an extremely important function. Quite simply, it is the most centralized area in Egypt; acting as the center of communication of the country. In fact, this centralization is one of the main contributors to Cairo’s extremely rapid growth.

Unfortunately, the efficiency of the transportation networks restricts the flow of development; leaving Cairo contrasting greatly, in terms of development, with other parts of Egypt. Another important aspect, adding to Cairo’s primacy, is its function as a global transportation node. This aspect manifests itself in the form of the Suez Canal, as well as the Suez and Port Said ports. Through this important control over trade routes, Cairo, and thus Egypt, maintains an important role in the world economy; furthering Cairo’s growth, and functions as a settlement.

Notably, when the aforementioned ports and canals were first opened, Egypt went into debt with several foreign private banks. Resultantly, the British were forced to occupy the country in 1882, allowing for the creation of strong connections between Cairo and England; yet, again, furthering Cairo’s development.

Thus, we see that Cairo most definitely serves the function of a transportation node, both within Egypt, and globally; keeping in mind that much of Cairo’s accelerated growth stems from this centrality.

//__Religious Center__//

Cairo, and Egypt, has always served a strong function as a religious center. Most recently, it serves as a prominent center for the religion Islam. For example, since Islam first came to Egypt in the 7th Century C.E., Egypt has given birth to many famous Islamic scholars, such as Imam Shaf’i.

Not only this, but Cairo also houses religious landmarks such as the “Al Azhar University”. The Al Azhar University, in fact, is one of the oldest and most respected institutions of Islamic education in the world; greatly furthering Cairo’s prominence as a center of religion.



Though, admittedly, Cairo does not play too large a role as a “global religious center”, it does serve the definition quite literally. Simply, it is home to a mix of religions that coexist with relative harmony. For example, although most of the inhabitants of Cairo are Muslim, approximately 10 percent of the population is Coptic Christian. Cairo officially recognizes the holidays of both religions.

Finally, on a side note, while Cairo may not be the Islamic capital of the world, it is renowned for the remarkable number of mosque’s it possesses. In fact, Cairo is often referred to as “The City of a Thousand Minarets”.

Consequently, we see that while Cairo does not act as a global religious center, is it most certainly a center for religion; both Islamic and Christian.

__//Administrative//__

Cairo serves an important function as the political capital of Egypt; a fact that greatly aids its development as a city. Firstly, it is important to note that the government of Egypt is centralized almost entirely in Cairo. This means that all the elite class of Egypt, including the political crème, as well as the financial giants, reside within Cairo. This concentration of power leads to the extreme, yet highly concentrated, development of Cairo.

The primary reason is elitism. As the elite of the Egyptian society reside within Cairo, they manipulate the decisions made in favor of their abode; resultantly furthering the development of Cairo city. Contrastingly, this arbitrary imbalance of power leads to the rest of Egypt being underdeveloped. Thus, treating Cairo as an isolated city, the benefits of the Administrative function are undeniable; Cairo, in most of its areas, displays extravagant quality of life. On the other hand, however, areas where the “elite class” chose to ignore, for any given reason, are extremely primitive and underdeveloped.

//__Tourism__//

Tourism, simply, is a huge function of Cairo.

Firstly, there is the renowned “Egyptian Museum”. Formally known as the “Egyptian Museum of Antiquities”, the museum houses the most extensive collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world. With approximately 136,000 items on display, with hundreds of thousands more artifacts stored within its basement.

Another important tourist attraction is the Khan El Khalili; an ancient market place that is one of the best shopping areas in Cairo. In addition to the market place, certain areas even incorporate small factories and workshops; making for an interesting display of Egyptian culture.

Other sites to visit in Cairo are the Cairo Tower and Old Cairo; contributing to the overall tourism income. The enormous economic gains from the Cairo’s touristic attractions are undeniable, and they represent an intrinsic support of the Egyptian economy. Looking at the above chart, we notice that tourism contributes approximately 30% of Egypt’s yearly earnings; telling us the importance of Tourism, and how it is a vital function of Cairo.

//__Service Centers__//

In addition to tourism, there is also the function of “services”. Though there are many examples of Cairo fulfilling this function, we will focus on the medical. A new area of medicine is known as “Medical Tourism”; a practice rapidly growing in popularity.

As waiting lists and medical expenditures mount in their home countries, more and more people are considering treatment abroad. This is where Cairo comes in, as its high level of medical services, and relatively inexpensive prices, are highly appealing to foreigners. In fact, one in 10 EU citizens is said to be opting for “medical tourism”, and Cairo is one of the primary destinations of such people. It is expected that, within the next three years, Medical Tourism will boom enormously within Cairo; a growth indicative of Cairo’s important function in delivering services to the populace.

//__Residential__//

Cairo has a huge contrast when it comes to Residential settlements. Some parts are very nice, clean, and green; but others are a total contrast. There is a very well-known ‘city’ well mostly migrants and people who couldn’t get the status of refugee live, The City of the Death. Is a huge Muslim cemetery, where most of the tombs are small houses with one or two windows and a door. People live here because is much more cheaper (and it’s actually cleaner than other apartments in other areas of Cairo). One of the many ‘downs’ of this city is that the nearest water source is one kilometer away from it; and also its location isn’t the best.

The other side of the residential settlements in Cairo are Heliopolis, Maadi, and Katameya (even though the last two are in the Metropolitan Area). These areas clearly show how unbalanced is the wealth in Cairo. In this areas you see nice, clean house (or mostly apartments, if you are in Maadi) and a lot of green areas. A huge advantage of these is that you don’t have to travel a long way just to get to a special service that you like, you have everything you need near you, and the biggest mall in Cairo (and one of the biggest ones in the Middle East) is in Heliopolis.

//__Sources__// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo#Tourism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo

http://www.smi.uib.no/paj/Myllyla.html

http://www.treatmentabroad.net/medical-tourism/news/january-2008/egypt-offers-quality-medical-tourism387/

http://menic.utexas.edu/cairo/modern/religion/religion.html

www.egyptmyway.com/articles/cityofthedead.html