where do most of the people in egypt live?
Cairo
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 Russel estimated the Egyptian village population to be 3 @.@ 3 million in 2 @,@ 300 villages , a high density for rural populations in the time period . He attributes it to the high productivity of Egyptian soil which allowed for increased agricultural growth . The urban population was much lower , 233 @,@ 100 , consisting of 5 @.@ 7 % of the total Egyptian population . The largest cities were Cairo ( pop . 60 @,@ 000 ) , Alexandria ( pop . 30 @,@ 000 ) , Qus ( pop . 25 @,@ 000 ) , Damietta ( pop . 18 @,@ 000 ) , Fayyum ( pop . 13 @,@ 000 ) , and Bilbeis ( pop . 10 @,@ 000 ) . Numerous smaller cities dotted the Nile River . Among the latter were Damanhur , Asyut , and Tanta . Cities in Egypt were also densely populated , mainly because of greater urbanization and industrialization than elsewhere . 

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 The domestic dwellings of elite and ordinary Egyptians alike were constructed from perishable materials such as mud bricks and wood , and have not survived . Peasants lived in simple homes , while the palaces of the elite were more elaborate structures . A few surviving New Kingdom palaces , such as those in Malkata and Amarna , show richly decorated walls and floors with scenes of people , birds , water pools , deities and geometric designs . Important structures such as temples and tombs that were intended to last forever were constructed of stone instead of bricks . The architectural elements used in the world 's first large @-@ scale stone building , Djoser 's mortuary complex , include post and lintel supports in the papyrus and lotus motif . 

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 Egypt 's wealth , however , made it a tempting target for invasion , particularly by the Libyan Berbers to the west , and the Sea Peoples , a conjectured confederation of seafarers from the Aegean Sea . Initially , the military was able to repel these invasions , but Egypt eventually lost control of its remaining territories in southern Caanan , much of it falling to the Assyrians . The effects of external threats were exacerbated by internal problems such as corruption , tomb robbery , and civil unrest . After regaining their power , the high priests at the temple of Amun in Thebes accumulated vast tracts of land and wealth , and their expanded power splintered the country during the Third Intermediate Period . 

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 For thousands of years , the capital of Egypt was moved with different cultures through multiple locations up and down the Nile , such as Thebes and Memphis , depending on which dynasty was in power . After Alexander the Great conquered Egypt around 331 BC , the capital became the city named for him , Alexandria , on the Mediterranean coast . This situation remained stable for nearly a thousand years . After the army of the Arabian Caliph Umar captured the region in the 7th century , shortly after the death of Muhammad , he wanted to establish a new capital . When Alexandria fell in September 641 , Amr ibn al @-@ As , the commander of the conquering army , founded a new capital on the eastern bank of the river . 

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 After Egypt 's central government collapsed at the end of the Old Kingdom , the administration could no longer support or stabilize the country 's economy . Regional governors could not rely on the king for help in times of crisis , and the ensuing food shortages and political disputes escalated into famines and small @-@ scale civil wars . Yet despite difficult problems , local leaders , owing no tribute to the pharaoh , used their new @-@ found independence to establish a thriving culture in the provinces . Once in control of their own resources , the provinces became economically richer — which was demonstrated by larger and better burials among all social classes . In bursts of creativity , provincial artisans adopted and adapted cultural motifs formerly restricted to the royalty of the Old Kingdom , and scribes developed literary styles that expressed the optimism and originality of the period . 
