Cairo, the cradle of civilization，the Melting Pot1 of Ancient and Modern Egyptian Civilizations. It is the largest city in the Middle East and lies at the center of all routes leading to and from the three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. It is the city where past and present meet. On its west side lies the Ancient Egyptian city of Memphis2, and the site of the Pyramids, the only wonder surviving of the Seven Wonders of the World. Indeed, a journey through Cairo is a journey through time.
In spite of a thousand years of history, Cairo is young by Egyptian standards, because modern Cairo emerged3 only with the Arab conquest of Egypt.
The most famous of Cairo''s sights is the string4 of 60 pyramids that stretches along the western border of the desert. Contrary to5 the common belief, only the Great Pyramid of Khufu, not all three Great Pyramids, is on the list of Wonders. The monument6 was built by the Egyptian pharaoh7 Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty around the year BC 2560 to serve as a tomb when he died. When it was built, the Great pyramid was 145.75 m high. Over the years, it lost 10 m off its top. It ranked as the tallest structure on Earth for more than 43 centuries. Throughout their history, the pyramids have stimulated8 human imagination. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his pride was expressed through his famous quote9: “Soldiers! From the top of these Pyramids, 40 centuries are looking at us.”
Cairo has been the most important arts center in the Islamic10 world for a thousand years. Cairo''s long history and rich heritage11 are revealed in its many museums. The famous sights in this area are the Entomological12 Society Museum, with an excellent collection of Egyptian insects and birds. Also in the area is the museum housing the mysterious Sun Boat, only discovered in 1954 near the south side of the pyramid. The boat is believed to have been used to carry the body of Khufu in his last journey on earth before being buried inside the pyramid.
This is Cairo—radiant13 with a long and glorious past; adorned with14 the achievements of a distinguished15 present.
This is Cairo—a cradle of civilization, a wellspring16 of culture, and a meeting-place of the Asian, African, and European World.
This is Cairo—An international center for social, economic, and political activity, which is making the noblest17 efforts aimed at peace among all nations and the benefits of all mankind.
魅力城市掠影：开罗--古文明的摇篮
开罗，文明的摇篮，埃及古老文明和现代文明的大熔炉。作为中东地区最大的城市，它是亚洲、非洲和欧洲的交通枢纽。过去和现在在这座城市里交汇成一体。在开罗西部，坐落着埃及古城孟斐斯和世界七大奇迹中惟一幸存下来的奇迹金字塔。的的确确，穿越开罗的旅行就是一次穿越时空的旅程。
尽管已有千年历史，在埃及人眼中，开罗依然年轻，因为阿拉伯人征服埃及之后，现代开罗才开始出现。
开罗最著名的景观是沿沙漠西部边缘一溜排开的60座金字塔。和人们的普遍想法相反，并非三大金字塔而只有胡夫大金字塔才被列入七大奇迹。这座金字塔是埃及第四王朝的法老胡夫大约在公元前2560年建造的，用作死后的坟墓。大金字塔在建成时高145.75米。随着岁月的流逝，它的高度已经降低了10米。世界最高建筑物的桂冠在它头上戴了4,300年之久。金字塔在历史上曾经激发了人们无数的想象。拿破仑在1798年进军埃及时，他的骄傲之情溢于言表："士兵们，4,000年的岁月在金字塔的顶端注视着我们啊！"
千年以来开罗一直是穆斯林国家最重要的艺术中心。开罗众多的博物馆展示着它悠久的历史和丰富的文化遗产。这里的著名景观是昆虫世界博物馆，里面收藏了埃及丰富多采的昆虫和鸟类标本。这里还有收藏着神秘太阳船的博物院，该船直到1954年才在金字塔的南面被人发现。人们认为胡夫入葬金字塔前，曾用它做最后的旅行。
这就是开罗，悠久而光荣的历史放射着迷人的光辉，现代卓越的成就更增添了这个城市的魅力。
这就是开罗，文明的摇篮，文化的源泉，亚洲、非洲以及欧洲的交融之地。
这就是开罗，一个社会、经济和政治活动的国际化大都市，正在为世界各国的和平和全人类的利益而积极不懈地努力着。
