These 10 African capital cities have interesting stories behind their names

Cairo

Cairo comes from the Arabic Al-Qahirah which means “The Conqueror” or “The Victorious One”. But the name also derives from the Arabic reference for the planet of Mars an-Najm al-Qāhir, “the Conquering Star”.

The astronomical symbolism here is also compared to the city’s founder, the Fatimid caliph Al-Mui’zz, whose coming saw the triumph that secured the land in the 9th century.

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