# Cairo font

> An Arabic and Latin sans serif with Kufi-based Arabic, variable in weight from 200 to 1000 with a slant axis.

Cairo is an Arabic and Latin sans serif family by Mohamed Gaber, who added a Kufi-based Arabic to the Latin of Titillium Web. Cairo is a variable font with a weight axis from 200 to 1000 and a slant axis from -11 to 11. It is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and suits bilingual interfaces and headlines.

## Facts

- Classification: [Sans Serif](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/sans-serif)
- Designed by: Mohamed Gaber, Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 8 (ExtraLight 200, Light 300, Regular 400, Medium 500, SemiBold 600, Bold 700, ExtraBold 800, Black 900)
- Variable font: Yes (wght 200–1000, slnt -11–11)
- Glyphs: 822
- Character sets: arabic, latin, latin-ext
- Last updated: 2025-09-16
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Cairo
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/cairo
- Tagged for: Headlines, Body text, Interfaces, Branding, Bold

## About Cairo

Cairo is a sans serif family for Arabic and Latin. Mohamed Gaber, a Cairo-based type designer, took the Latin family Titillium Web and extended it to the Arabic script with a design rooted in Kufi calligraphy; the Arabic glyph set also serves Farsi and Urdu, according to the official notes. The specimen shows the Latin side: squarish curves, open counters and compact ascenders and descenders, which keep lines tight. Cairo is a variable font with two axes, weight from 200 to 1000 and slant from -11 to 11. The named weights run from ExtraLight 200 to Black 900, and there is no separate italic file; slanted forms come from the slant axis. The font holds 822 glyphs covering Arabic, Latin and Latin Extended. The name table also credits the Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino. The license is the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright 2009 The Cairo Project Authors (https://github.com/Gue3bara/Cairo)

Allowed:
- Use the fonts in personal and commercial work, in print, on the web and in apps.
- Modify the fonts and build new versions from them.
- Redistribute the fonts, on their own or bundled with software, as long as the license text and copyright notice go with them.

Conditions:
- The fonts cannot be sold by themselves.
- A modified version must stay under the same license and cannot use a Reserved Font Name without the copyright holder's permission.
- The authors' names cannot be used to promote a modified version without permission.

Summary only, not legal advice. Full text: https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/

## Where it works

- **Arabic and English websites**: Arabic and Latin are designed as one family, so both directions of text share weight and proportions.
- **Arabic headlines**: The official notes recommend the heavier weights for headlines and display typography, and the axis reaches past Black to 1000.
- **Body text in lighter weights**: Light and Regular are named in the official notes as suited to running text.
- **App interfaces**: Short ascenders and descenders, seen in the specimen, allow tight line spacing in lists, buttons and menus.
- **Farsi and Urdu content**: According to the official notes, the Arabic glyph set extends to Farsi and Urdu.

## Things to know

- **Weight axis reaches 1000**: The heaviest named weight is Black 900, but the weight axis continues to 1000.
- **Slant axis instead of italics**: Cairo has no italic file. A slant axis from -11 to 11 leans the letters in either direction.
- **One variable file**: The package contains a single variable font with both axes.

## FAQs

### Is Cairo free for commercial use?

Cairo can be used in commercial work at no cost under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. The license also permits modification and redistribution, but the font files cannot be sold on their own and derivatives must stay under the same license.

### Who designed Cairo?

Cairo was designed by Mohamed Gaber, who leads the project from Cairo, Egypt. The font files also credit the Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino.

### How many weights does Cairo have?

Cairo has eight named weights, from ExtraLight 200 to Black 900, and its weight axis extends to 1000.

### Is Cairo a variable font?

Yes. Cairo is a variable font with a weight axis from 200 to 1000 and a slant axis from -11 to 11.

### Does Cairo support Arabic?

Yes. Cairo is an Arabic and Latin family; its Arabic follows the Kufi style and, per the official notes, also serves Farsi and Urdu.

### What fonts pair well with Cairo?

Cairo matches Titillium Web, because the Latin letters of Cairo were extended from that family.

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Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/cairo (trendhub)