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The Middle Years

The Next stage that Cairo went through was the medieval stage. This period grew during the Mamuluk period.

In 971 the fatimids conquered egypt and established the walled city al-Qahira(The Victorious) Which is what translates into Cairo. This then became the place of government and palaces, while fustat was used primarily for commercial purposes. As the city grew they eventually had to build a second wall surronding the first. Palace life continued withing these enclosure. Unwalled fustat later became destroyed in the 12th century and Cairo became the principle settlement. The city then just grew north and outward from there. While the orriginal Fustat was destroyed, a place of the same name still exists today. That is the site of trhe orriginal settlement as it once was.

 

During this whole period there was a canal called the Khaling canal which was their water supply. It has since been turned into a road.

 

Extensions were primarily occuring as new rullers entered and wanted to establish their own place. Under Saladin the city grew more to the east and south east to include old Fustat and the deserted area between fatimid city and Tulan.

 

By the 11th or 12th century, most of the inhabitants of the Middle Eastern cities had converted to Islam creating a truley Islamic Urban Society.

 

By the middle ages Cairo became dominated by an alien slave-military dynasty known as teh Mamuluks. The Mamuluks were only interested in colelcting taxes and ignored the wellfare of the inhaboitants. Byt the 14th century it became the capital city of the Mamuluks and was a city of 1/2 a million.

 

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