Cairo (WOD)

Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Middle-East and second-largest in Africa after Lagos. Its metropolitan area is the 16th largest in the world. Located near the Nile Delta, it was founded in AD 969.

Overview
"The city rules over vast territories and fertile lands, is brimming with inhabitants and can be proud of its beauty and splendor. A meeting-point for travelers and itinerants, a place for weak and strong."

Sometimes called Umm el-Dunya ("Mother of the World"), Egypt's capital was once also the heart of the Fatimid Empire. This ancient cosmopolitan city is a true anomaly, where East and West blend with traditional and progressive. It is a melange of cultures: Almost every major culture that dominated Egypt has made its mark on the city. Originally the town of Fustat, the region was built upon by Persians, Romans, Byzantines and finally the Arabs, who christened it Al Qahira ("The Victorious").

At Cairo's very heart is Midan Tahrir, or Liberation Square. Near it is the Egyptian Museum, founded in the 19th century and dedicated to the preservation of Pharaonic antiquities. To the southeast lie Cairo's Muslim cemeteries and necropoli, including the City of the Dead, where Cairenes actually live and mingle among the mausoleums of their dead. To the north lie the densely populated urban neighborhoods of Bulaq and Shubra, as well as Ramses Station, the city's train station. Gezira Island, in the middle of the Nile, is the home of Cairo's rich and elite. Just south of Midan Tahrir is Garden City, with more residences and embassies. Further south is Old Cairo, the city's Coptic center.

Cairo is a rarity in the world of the Kindred. Its supernatural community has been lorded over since the 14th century by Mukhtar Bey, a Turkish Mamluk who has successfully negotiated centuries of political strife. His rule is stable but not without challenge: The Setites constantly attempt to take Cairo from him, and the city occasionally erupts in supernatural violence. Cairo is very much an open city under his reign; many Kindred who have no place left to flee frequently find themselves in Cairo, surrounded by saints and sinners alike. Although a Camarilla city, recognized Sabbat vampires have been seen walking its streets at night, and the Black Hand is purportedly quite interested in the city's future.