Before the first settlement on the location of modern Cairo by the Romans, the city center was located south at Memphis, which was then the capital of Ancient Egypt. After Arabs captured the Roman fort, the settlement slowly grew into a small city. The construction of the Suez Canal in 1863 brought a significant number of Westerners to the city. Since 1952 Cairo’s population has more than tripled, and several satellite cities have become the suburbs of Cairo. Even the desert is colonized as modern infrastructure evolves to master any environment.