Many believe that Cairo is a city. It is in fact a grouping of mini-states and emirates connected by strong historical, economic and social ties, but each one is completely independent. These mini-states are linked by a complex network of roads that only Cairenes can understand. The traffic in Cairo is considered to be of the wonders of the world, which astounds physicists. It is said that in history it was named Al Qahira (“The Conqueror”) because the vast majority of the invading armies fell on the 6th October Bridge, on Al Batal Ahmed street to be precise.

In spite of the fact that the historical language of Cairo is Arabic, the language has evolved differently in each of Cairo’s mini-states to the point that it has become difficult for the residents of one mini-state to understand the residents of another. As a result Cairenes have resorted to a new form of communication using car horns, whistling, hissing, winking, staring and double-flashing [with car headlights]. Customs and traditions have developed in each mini-state quite differently from its neighbours. It has become easy to identify the mini-state in which a person lives by his or her clothes. This has led to all the residents of a mini-state to withdraw into their area and greatly fear the residents of other mini-states because they eat small children.

There have been some attempts over the years by some of the mini-states to secede from Cairo. Amongst them was an attempt by Imbaba in the nineties of the last century to become independent and establish an Islamic emirate, as well as the daily secession of the mini-state of Mohandiseen from the rest of Cairo between one o'clock in the afternoon and midnight, when you cannot enter or exit it except if on a delivery motorcycle.

Cairo’s mini-states allow freedom of movement and transport of goods between each other, and even intermarriage. However, in spite of the law allowing marriage between mini-states, many families don’t let their children marry the residents of other mini-states, for economic or social reasons. But in most cases the principal reason is traffic.

Cairenes can be distinguished by their conviction that the state is Cairo. They call Cairo “Egypt”, and everywhere else “the provinces”. This has led the rest of the population of Egypt to feel contempt for Cairo and consider it to be below them, to the extent that the term for going to Cairo is “I'm going down to Cairo”.

No one knows what the real boundaries of Cairo, and its population cannot be calculated. The world has lost hope that one day this information will be known. Cairo is expanding so rapidly that a population census would be valid for just a quarter of an hour. Cairo is noteworthy because it is expanding in three directions: lengthways, extending as far as Wahet Omar in the north and Beni Suef in the south; widthways, capturing the governorates of Giza and Qalyoubiya (and some predict that within four years Cairo will occupy Suez, Ismailia, Fayoum and Ain Sokhna); and vertically, with the time needed to demolish a villa and build a residential tower in Cairo now less than eleven hours.