Giza
- "Gizeh" redirects here. For the name of a German brand of cigarette rolling papers, see Mascotte (rolling papers).
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Giza
الجيزة | |
|---|---|
| File:Giza Landmark.png | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Giza |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,681,863 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
Giza (Template:Lang-ar Al J(Ǧ)īza), sometimes spelt G(J)izah, is the third largest city in Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River, some 20 km (12.43 mi) southwest of central Cairo. Along with Shubra El-Kheima, Cairo and Helwan, the four cities form the Province of Greater Cairo metropolis. The city of Giza is the capital of the Giza Governorate, and is located near the northeast border of this governorate in coordinates. It is located right on the banks of the River Nile. The city's population was 2,681,863 in the 2006 national census, while the governorate had 6,272,571 at the same census. Its large population makes it the second largest suburb in the world, tied with Incheon, South Korea and Quezon City, Philippines, second only to Yokohama, Japan.
Giza is most famous as the location of the Giza Plateau: the site of some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world, including a complex of ancient Egyptian royal mortuary and sacred structures, including the Great Sphinx, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and a number of other large pyramids and temples. The plateau and its monuments have been recorded in the Giza Plateau Mapping Project run by Ancient Egypt Research Associates, directed by Dr. Mark Lehner.[1] AERA's 2009 field season was recorded in a blog.[2]
The Great Pyramid of Giza at one time was advocated (1884) as the location for the Prime Meridian, a reference point used for determining a base longitude.[3]
History
"Mn Nefer" (Memphis, in Greek) - which means "the beautiful wall" in the ancient Egyptian language -, the capital city of the first unified Egyptian state since the days of Pharaoh King Narmer, lies nearly 20 km (12.43 mi) south of Giza. Giza's most famous archaeological site, the Giza Plateau, holds some of the most astonishing monuments in Egyptian history. Once thriving with the Nile that flowed right into the Giza Plateau, the pyramids of Giza were built overlooking the ancient Egyptian capital city of Memphis, which was near modern day Cairo.
The Giza Plateau is also home to many other ancient Egyptian monuments, including the tomb of Pharaoh Djet of the First Dynasty, as well as that of Pharaoh Ninetjer of the Second Dynasty.
Infrastructure
Giza has seen many changes over time. Changes in infrastructure during the different occupations of Egypt by various rulers, including the British in the 18th and early 20th century, focused on the construction of roads, streets, and buildings in the area. Giza is a thriving centre of Egyptian culture and is quite heavily populated, with many facilities and buildings in the current area. Giza saw much attention in particular to its vast amount of ancient Egyptian monuments found on the Giza Plateau, and has astonished thousands of visitors and tourists over the years. Giza's infrastructure saw much attention from both the British government prior to the 1952 coup d'etat, as well as the current Egyptian government due to the city's importance in tourism.
The city hosts the first zoo on the entire African continent and one of the oldest in the Mediterranean region, the Giza Zoo. In addition, there are several parks, the most famous among them is Orman Park which means "Forest Park" in the Turkish language.
Health
Giza has advanced level of medical care just like its elder twin Cairo.
A list of famous hospitals in Giza:
- Agooza in Agouza district.
- Al Salam in Mohandessin neighbourhood.
- Badran in Dokki district.
- El Safa.
- Haram Hospital in Haram.
- El Shoruk Hospital.
- Cairo Medical Lab
In addition to hospitals there are numerous medical facilities, private clinics, medical check laboratories, etc.
Transportation
Transportation in Giza comprises an extensive road network, rail system, subway system, and maritime services. Road transport is facilitated by personal vehicles, taxi cabs, privately owned public buses, and microbuses.
Giza shares with Cairo the subway system, officially called the "Metro (مترو)", a fast and efficient way of getting around. An extensive road network connects Giza with 6th of October City, Cairo and other cities. There are flyovers and bridges such as the 15th of May bridge. Giza traffic is known to be overwhelming and overcrowded.
Districts and Neighbourhoods of Giza
- Dokki District: 93,660 93,025
- Agouza District: 174,460 162,851
- Giza District: 180,568 246,325, Kism Al Jizah 238,567 248,897
- Bulaq ad Dakrur: 453,884 564,791
- Imbabah: 287,357 389,049, Kism Imbabah 523,265 597,160
- Haram District200,076 295,704
- Omrania
- Monib
- Kafr Tuhurmus
The centre of the city is Giza Square.
Climate
Giza experiences an arid climate (Koeppen BWh), but often with high humidity due to the Nile River Valley's effects. Wind storms can be frequent, bringing Saharan dust into the city during the months of March and April. High temperatures in winter range from 12 °C (54 °F) to 17 °C (63 °F), while nighttime lows drop to below 7 °C (45 °F), often to 5°C; the lowest recorded temperature was 0.8 °C (33 °F). In summer, the highs rarely surpass 40 °C (104 °F), and the lows drop to about 20 °C (68 °F). Rainfall is sparse, but sudden showers do cause harsh flooding. Hail and sleet might take place.
Economy
Industries here include movies, chemicals, machinery and cigarettes. In addition, Giza has many luxury apartment buildings along the Nile, making it a popular place to live.
International access
Access to the city of Giza, which has its own governorate adjacent to the governorate of Cairo, is dependent on the Cairo International Airport. Another local airport is found in Giza, called the Imbaba Airport, but recently the Egyptian government has decided to shut down the area and turn it into a cultural or an athletic area.
Education
Giza's learning institutions include the University of Cairo which was moved to Giza in 1924. The city is a hub of education and educational services not only for Egypt but also for the entire Mediterranean Region. Giza has numerous schools, kindergartens, and institutes of higher learning.
Sports
The city hosts the second most successful club in Egypt and Africa, El Zamalek, which is located in the Mit Oqba neighbourhood near the Mohandesin neighbourhood. Beside El Zamalek there are other clubs like El Tersana and Seid Shooting Club which is one of the elite clubs in Egypt.
Sister Cities
Los Angeles, United States
Rinkeby, Stockholm, Sweden
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam,(Start since 02 August 2011)
See also
Giza Images gallery
Notes & references
- ^ "The Giza Plateau Mapping Project", Lehner, Mark; Hunt, Brian V. link
- ^ "An archaeology blog from the Giza Pyramids in Egypt", 2009 Hunt, Brian V. link
- ^ "The Canary Islands and the Question of the Prime Meridian: The Search for Precision in the Measurement of the Earth", Wilcomb E. Washburn. link
External links
30°01′N 31°13′E / 30.017°N 31.217°E
