El-Fustat

Egypt's first Islamic capital since 641 AD — city ruins in southern Cairo, adjacent to the Coptic Quarter

Fustat was Egypt's first Islamic capital, founded in 641 AD following the Arab conquest of the country. The Arab general Amr ibn al-As established a camp here that grew into the first planned Islamic city in North Africa. Until the founding of Cairo in 969, Fustat served as the administrative and commercial center of the country. The city was burned by its own inhabitants in 1168 to prevent the Crusaders from taking it. Today, the ruins of Fustat are accessible in southern Cairo as an archaeological site, surrounded by what is known as Coptic Cairo with its early churches and the Coptic Museum.