Islamic Cairo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Islamic Cairo* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| State Party |  Egypt |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, v, vi |
| Reference | 89 |
| Region† | Arab States |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Islamic Cairo is a part of central Cairo often visited by tourists because of its high proportion of historically important mosques and other Islamic monuments. It is overlooked by the Cairo Citadel. In 640, a Muslim army commanded by the Arabian general Amr ibn al-A'as, laid siege to the Fortress of Babylon near what is today Cairo. It was a matter of time before the Byzantine governor of Egypt agreed to peacefully surrender the fortress, and less than a year later, the capital city Alexandria as recorded in the Treaty of Misr. Amr became the first Arab ruler of Egypt and remained so until his death.
Even though the Arabs admired Alexandria's glamor and wealth, they decided to abandon the city. The reason is simple: no body of water was to separate the Egyptian Capital from the Caliph's residence in Medina. Al-Fustat was therefore founded on the East bank of the Nile, outside the walls of the Fortress of Babylon. Deriving its name from the Arabic word for "camp" or "tent", the town was built at the spot where the Arabs camped during the Fortress siege. Here, the first mosque in Africa was built, carrying the name of the Arab general, Amr.
The new capital grew slowly as Alexandria and other Byzantine cities went into decline. With the re-opening of the Red Sea Canal, Al-Fustat became the linking bridge between the East and the West.
later on several smaller capitals were established by every dynasty that takes power, one next to each other have created a big city, with the Fatimids connecting the capitals of Egypt into one greater Capital called Al-Qahira, or the Victorious, making the previous capitals more of neighborhoods. It was not until 1170's that a wall was built around the city to protect it, it was built by Saladin to protect the city from the Crusaders attacks.
the Islamic Area includes the First mosque in Africa, Amr Ibn El Ass, and the Biggest in Egypt, Ibn Tulun, and the oldest University in the World, Al Azhar, which is also a mosque.
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