Terrified locals have taken to social media in the minutes following the quake to share how they were shaken awake inside their own homes in the busy world city

An earthquake has struck one of the world's oldest major cities, with the quake coming in at a magnitude of 5.9 as locals reported being shaken from their beds in the middle of the night.

The Egyptian capital of Cairo was shaken awake shortly after 3am local time, with the epicentre of the quake striking in Suez - a mere 25 miles from the city centre.

As per the German Research Centre for Geosciences, the quake came in at a revised magnitude of 5.3. It hit at a depth of six miles, GFZ added. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has also reviewed the quake down to a 5.3 Richter scale rating.

There have been no reports of damage or injuries as of yet.

But, despite a slight downgrade in magnitude, the shallow had a depth of only 6.2 miles into the Earth's crust meant the people of Cairo were jostled about by stronger than normal tremors for a quake of its scale. Typically, the shallower the depth in the earth sees stronger shakes on the surface.

That rule of thumb has rung true, with rumbles felt in Gaza, Israel, and the Dead Sea area, as well as significant tremors in Cairo which, were widely reported.Terrified locals said residences and buildings were "shaking in an unnatural way", while others called upon God for protection during the relatively rare geological event for Egypt.

Another person said it has "been a while since I’ve experienced an earthquake this strong", adding that "the whole house was shaking".

Footage shared online also quake captured the moment the quake struck, with a terrible rumbling heard coming from deep within the Earth, barely seconds before the ground shuddered and roiled underfoot. An eerie wobbling sound could also be heard.

Several Android users have since receiving an earthquake warning on their phones seconds before the shaking began, while several iPhone users said they were caught off-guard.

The Egyptian Red Crescent has confirmed that it had activated its emergency response procedures in areas where tremors had been felt. While there have been no reports of injuries or damage so far, the organisation urged residents to avoid any buildings showing signs of earthquake damage. A Red Crescent spokesperson also advised people to follow official updates as Egyptian authorities continue to assess the situation.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Israel's Home Front Command Centre said there were no warnings suggesting any further earthquakes were expected to hit Israel or its surrounding areas.

While it is not uncommon for tremors from earthquakes to be felt in Egypt, earthquakes of this strength are relatively unusual for the African nation.

One of Egypt’s deadliest modern earthquakes struck near Cairo in 1992, with the magnitude 5.8 quake killing more than 500 people as well as causing widespread damage across the city.

In more recent history, the monster 7.8 earthquakes that struck at the borders of Turkey and Syria back in 2023 were also felt across parts of Egypt, especially Alexandria in the north.