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Fustat (Template:Lang-ar), also spelled Fostat, was the first capital city of Egypt under Arab rule. It was built by Amr ibn al-As right after the Arab conquest of Egypt in 641 CE. The city was eventually absorbed by Cairo, which was built to the north of Fostat during the Fatimid era. Fustat is now part of the 'Old Egypt' District in Cairo. The city was Egypt's first on-Nile capital since the time of the Pharaohs, when Thebes and Memphis had been the capitals. Under Roman rule it was known as Misr, and then its Muslim conquerors renamed it as Fustat in 641.

History

After Alexander the Great's invasion and conquest of Egypt, Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, became Egypt's capital for hundreds of years. When Alexandria fell in September 641, a new capital was needed. Alexandria could not be used because Caliph Umar did not want a capital on the western side of the Nile -- he did not want a body of water separating it from Arabia. So the capital was founded on the eastern side, centered on the tent of the commander of the conquering army.

The city's name comes from the Arabic word Fustat (فسطاط) which means tent. According to tradition, the location of Fustat was chosen by a bird: A dove laid an egg in the tent on Amr ibn al-'As, the Muslim conqueror of Egypt, just before he was to march on Alexandria. He declared the site of the egg sacred, and when he returned from battle, he told his soldiers to pitch their tents around his, giving his new capital city its name, "Town of the tents", Misr al-Fustat. Egypt's first Islamic mosque, the Mosque of Amr was later built on the same site in 642, and the name "Misr" because the Arabic name for Egypt.

Layout

The early population was composed almost entirely of soldiers and their families, and the layout of the city was similar to that of a garrison. It grew into a series of tribal areas, khittas around the central mosque and the nearby administrative buildings. The majority of the settlers came from Yemen, with the next largest grouping from western Arabia, along with some Jews and Roman mercenaries.

Fustat was renowned for its beauty, with shaded streets, gardens, and markets with houses that were seven stories tall, and could accommodate hundreds of people. The markets were renowned for wonderful wares: iridescent pottery, crystal, and many fruits and flowers available, even during the winter months. Modern archaelogical digs have turned up artifacts from as far away as China, Vietnam, and Spain. Many objects can be seen in the Museum of Islamic Art.

Fustat was the beautiful capital and home of the Caliph and his court, and was considered the center of power in Egypt, but the nearby city of Cairo was growing as well. Eventually Caliph al-Mo'ezz decided to move his Court to Cairo, and Fustat's power diminished, but many of its buildings remain visible in Cairo's "Old City."

Modern Fustat

Little remains of the grandeur of the old city. In 1168 it was completely burned by the order of Egypt's own vizier, Shawar.

Resources

• Amitav Ghosh, In an Antique Land (Vintage Books, 1994). ISBN 0-679-72783-3
• Janet L. Abu-Lughod, Cairo: 1001 Years of the City Victorious (Princeton University Press, 1971), ISBN 0691030855
• Irene Beeson (September/October 1969). "Cairo, a Millenial". Saudi Aramco World. pp. 24, 26–30. Retrieved 2007-08-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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30°00′N 31°14′E / 30.000°N 31.233°E / 30.000; 31.233

1. Alison Gascoigne. "Islamic Cairo". egyptvoyager.com. Retrieved 2007-08-13.

• Egypt geography stubs
• Cities in Egypt