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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

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Fustat was the capital of Egypt. It was first a garrison town built during the conquest of Egypt under Umar. There were a large number of Arab settlers and as the city grew, the Arabs and Egyptians became more intermingled. In 969, the Fatimids conquered Egypt and established their capital as al-Qahira (Cairo), just north of Fustat. Fustat/al-Qahira was extremely important for its economic power. It had economic ties throughout the Mediterranean, Africa, and even into Europe. Thus, Fustat/al-Qahira was filled with markets selling goods from around the world. Al-Qahira was really the court of the Fatimids, complete with palaces, mosques, gates, etc., whereas Fustat was the city when most people lived and where trade was conducted. Fustat also apparently had apartment buildings of several stories, though none survive. By the end of the Fatimid period, al-Qahira began to become more of a true city, as opposed to just a caliphal city, and eventually al-Qahira supplanted Fustat.