Fustat was the first capital of Muslim Egypt, founded by the Arab general Amr ibn al-As soon after his forces conquered the country from the Byzantines. It was built beside the old Roman fortress of Babylon, on the east bank of the Nile, in what is now Old Cairo. The Mosque of Amr, one of the first mosques in Africa, stood at its heart. Fustat grew into a large commercial city with a mixed population of Muslims, Copts and Jews, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue preserved the Cairo Geniza, a trove of medieval documents. Later rulers founded new settlements nearby, and Cairo was founded to the north. Fustat was set on fire to stop it from falling to the Crusaders.
Before and after
- from 16 November 636 CE to 19 November 636 CEBattle of al-Qadisiyyah
- 637 CEConstruction of Potala Palace
- from August 637 CE to October 637 CESiege of Aleppo
- from 639 CE to 642 CEArab conquest of Egypt
- from 641 CE to 1168Origins of El-Fustat
- from 642 CE to 744 CEArab conquest of Armenia
- from 642 CE to 799 CEArab–Khazar Wars
- 642 CEOrigins of sumo
- 3 November 644 CEDeath of Umar ibn Al-Khattāb
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 537 CEConstruction of Hagia Sophia
- 778 CEConstruction of Kiyomizu-dera
- 802 CEConstruction of Angkor Wat
- 1193Origins of Chernobyl
- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
- 1373Construction of Leaning Tower of Pisa
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 7th century.