Rod El Farag is currently an administrative region forming about one third of Shobra

Shobra

Shubra is one of the largest districts of Cairo, Egypt and it is administratively divided into three areas: Shubra, Road El Farag, and Elsahel.-Etymology:...

 in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. Rod El Farag neighbours the River Nile to the west, Boulaq

Boulaq

Boulaq is a district of Cairo, Egypt. It neighbours Downtown Cairo, Azbakeya, and the River Nile.The name Boulaq comes from the French 'Bon Lac', which literally means 'Good Lake'. The name was arabised into Bolaq, which in Egyptian dialect is pronounced 'Bolaa'.-History:Following the Baybars’s...

 to the south, Shobra (administrative region)

Shobra (administrative region)

Shobra is an administrative region and forms a relatively small area that represents about one quarter of the district with the same name in Cairo, Egypt....

 to the east and Elsahel

Elsahel

Elsahel is an administrative region forming more than half of Shobra in Cairo, Egypt. Rod Elfarag neighbours the River Nile to the west, Road El Farag and Shobra to the south, Sharabeya to the east and separated by El Ismaeleya water canal from Qalyubia to the north.Elsahel hosts two of Cairo's...

 to the north. Rough guides

Rough Guides

Rough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...

 notes that like neighbouring districts, Rod El Farag is generally overcrowded (170,000 residents per square kilometre).

Historically, Rod El Farag has been a residential area for centuries and was known in the early twentieth century for its night clubs. For many years, Rod El Farag was home to Cairo's biggest fruit and vegetable market and the world famous El-Nozah candy shop, started in 1940. This candy shop was famous for its home-made ice cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

, though it relocated to an area on outskirts of Greater Cairo

Greater Cairo

Greater Cairo is the largest metropolitan area in Egypt and the third largest urban area in the Islamic World after Jakarta and Greater Istanbul. It is the largest urban area in Africa. It is the world's 16th largest metropolitan area, consisting of governorates Cairo, Giza and Shubra El Khiema of...

.

The Rod El Farag market used to be the largest in all of Egypt, drawing regional farmers and traders to settle in the area. The area where the market used to stand now hosts Rod El Farag Cultural Palace.

This district also contains good infrastructure, including the French school "Notre Dame des Apotres." Located on the corniche

Corniche

The word corniche typically refers to a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side of the road and falling away on the other...

 is the Arkadia Mall, which contains stores such as Mobcco and the Trianon

Trianon

Trianon may refer to:* Le Grand Trianon, a palace near Versailles, France* Le Petit Trianon, a château near Versailles, France* Le Trianon , a theatre and concert hall at 80, boulevard de Rochechouart in Paris...

confectionery and cafe.