Milestone·Abbasid
Cairo Founded by the Fatimids
- Date
- July 969 CE358 AH1,057 years ago
- Place
- Cairo, Egypt
- People
- Jawhar al-Siqilli, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah
The Fatimid general Jawhar al-Siqilli founded a new city north of old Fustat in 969 CE, on behalf of the caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah. The city was named al-Qahira, meaning the Victorious. Its first palaces and mosques were built as the seat of the Fatimid court. In 973 CE it became the capital of the Fatimid caliphate. Over the following centuries it grew into one of the largest cities of the world.
Why it matters
Cairo became the Fatimid capital and later the center of Egyptian and Islamic learning.