Babylon/Qaṣr al-Shamʿ: Continuity and Change at the Heart of the New Metropolis of Fusṭāṭ

doi:10.1017/9781009170031.015

Chapter 14 - Babylon/Qaṣr al-Shamʿ: Continuity and Change at the Heart of the New Metropolis of Fusṭāṭ

from Part III - Social and Cultural Connections

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 December 2022

Peter Sheehan and

Alison L. Gascoigne

Edited by

Jelle Bruning ,

Janneke H. M. de Jong and

Petra M. Sijpesteijn

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Summary

The Roman fortress of Babylon, Qaṣr al-Shamʿ or Qaṣr al-Rūm in medieval sources, and now known as Miṣr al-Qadīma or Old Cairo, is a logical place to begin in “setting the scene,” chronologically and topographically, for the foundation of the early Islamic miṣr of Fusṭāṭ. However, the fortress represents much more than merely an exotic historical backdrop to later events, and it is the aim of this chapter to explore some aspects of the central role it played in the foundation and subsequent development of Fusṭāṭ following the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641 CE. In particular, we will argue that archaeological evidence for the original size of the fortress and the layout of its buildings and streets shows how these explicitly dictated the form of the centre-ville of Fusṭāṭ. The northern half of the fortress with its large, high-status buildings was integrated into the elite areas at the core of the new city, arranged around an administrative and ceremonial space created by the Friday mosque of ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ and the governor’s residence. We will also demonstrate that much of the space for the central quarters of the new city was only made available by a major rerouting of the Red Sea Canal, and that archaeological evidence from the Church of Abū Sarga indicates the significant part played by the Christian population in the overall urban project.

Type: Chapter
Information: Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean World
From Constantinople to Baghdad, 500-1000 CE
, pp. 446 - 464

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009170031.015 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2022

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