Historical Cairo
There were some cities were established to serve as capitals for the arabs when they came to Egypt just before building cairo. Those capitals were built north for Bablyon and the ruins still remaining in the area south of cairo. Al – fustat was built by the first group who came 641 AD and they were believed of the prophet Muhammad.
Then another capital was built north of it and was called Al – Askar 750 AD, then a third capital was built by Ahmed ibn Toulon,it was called Al – Katae 870 AD.
Historical Cairo
Let us talk about the Fatimid state, which is described as a model of the sectarian state in Islamic history. It is a Shiite state, Shiite thought is based on Muhammad the prophet of God through Ali Ibn Abi Talib and Fatima al-Zahra, headed by the Imam as a guide to religion and derives her strength from God.
Historians have divided Fatimid history into two phases, the first covering North Africa, which lasted more than 60 years from 358 AH / 909 AD. Until the conquest of Egypt in 358 AH / 969 AD, and turning the seat of the caliphate to there.
The second covers about 120 years from 362 AH / 973 AD until the death of Caliph Al-Mustansir and the period of weakness of the Fatimid state.
The Fatimids succeeded in spreading Shiite thought through preachers, so they were able to conquer the Islamic world intellectually and spiritually.
Fatimids' attempets to control Egypt
The Fatimids wanted to expand their conquests and wanted egypt, but they failed In three attempts, starting in 301 AH / 913 AD, and the fourth time was in the era of al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah in 952 AD, who was the successor of his father al-Mansur, the third caliph in the list of Fatimid caliphs. Al-Mu'izz was the fourth caliph In the Fatimid state, he succeeded in building a strong army and did not lose sight of the importance of Egypt as the center of the caliphate state. He mobilized an army of more than 100,000 soldiers, most of them Berber tribes. Led by Jawhar Sicilian, the most efficient leaders
Juwhar Sicilian was born in 928 AD, he is of Greek origin, then took a Greek mamluk to north Africa. During the era of Al-Mu'izz, he was freed and became the commander of the armies.
When and How did Al-Muizz Li Din Allah enter Egypt?
The army did not find it difficult to enter the country in 16 Sha'ban 358 AH / 6 July 969 AD. They succeeded in entering Egypt through Alexandria, After giving safety to the Egyptians, Juwhar al-Sicili sent Caliph al-Mu'izz to come to Egypt. Al-Muizz came out of his capital Al-Mansuriya on August 5, 972 AD and carried his ammunition, money and coffins of his fathers to bury them in Cairo, which they dreamed of entering, and Al-Muizz went to Cairo on June 11, 972 AD. He resided in the palace built by Juwhar al-Siqili. The Fatimid state began to end at the end of the reign of al-Mustansir, as things became in the hands of the ministers, so the ruling dynasty ended.
The purpose of building the city
There were two purposes for building the city.
Aristocrat's purpose
Juwhar al-Siqli wanted to plan a city that would be fortified, as well as building palaces for the caliph and his sons to Isolate himself from the public
War purpose
This purpose Is divided into two opinions,
the first opinion was, juwhar al-Siqili wanted to fight his enemies from a city fortified by the wall of a building around it.
Building the city with a wall is related to the Shiites and it's the Fatimid doctrine
It is the first and only one that was built with a wall around it.
The second opinion Is that he took the opinion of astrologers when he entered Alexandria to build the city and there was no suitable place except north of the city of Al-katea, the old capital.
Description of the city
The city was built In the form of a square, the length of each side Is about 1200 m and each side has two gates, equal to 8 gates. The width of the wall Is about 2.5 square meters wide for two horsemen to walk side by side. Its walls were made of mud bricks . The city was built in a fortified site by nature bordered to the east by Mount Mokattam, to the west by the Gulf of the Commander of the Faithful, to the south by the city of Al-katae and Fustat and to the north by a sandy plain and there was a monastery called monsatery of Al-Azem and currently occupied by the Al-Aqmar Mosque.
He also built two palaces In the city, Cairo. The small Western Palace and the big Eastern Palace.
Gates of the city
There were 8 gates of the city:
Gates of the northern side "al- Nasr Gate – Gate of al- Futuh"
The gates of the southern side" Gate of Zuweila – gate of Al-Faraj"
The gates of the eastern side" gate of Al barqia – gate of al- qarratin"
The gates of the western side "Bab Al-Qantara – Bab Al-Saada"
Each of these gates had a small gate called Khokha. The large gates were only open for occasions and celebrations.
names of the city and the reasons for calling it by this name
- Mansouriyya: Relative to the city built by al-Mansur Billah, the third Fatimid caliph, outside Kairouan, Tunisia
- The city of "Al- Muizz ": mentioned on coins that struck with the arrival of Al- Muizz to Egypt, found on a dinar dating back to the year 362 AH
- Cairo "Mahrousa": The first name of the word Cairo was in the era of the Fatimids and compared to the word Mahrousa found on the coins of "Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah" 398 AH
- Cairo: It was known only during the era of "Jawhar al-Siqli" after 4 years of Its construction. It is a name derived from oppression and victory that Indicates strength and victory, so the "Caliph Al-Muizz" admired it and chose It. According to the historian "Ibn Taghra". There is another version that "juwhar al- Siqili" relied on astrologers to choose a happy fortune to put the fence and made circles of wood lists, including bells and ordered the workers to wait to hear the sound of bells to throw mud on the stones، a "crow" stood on the generations and the bells shook, the workers thought it was the time of work, and the star of Cairo was in the horoscope from here the name of Cairo came.
Development of the walls of Cairo
100 years have passed since Cairo was built and its walls were made of mud bricks. But after the European threat to seize part of the "Levant" of the Egyptian Empire
Badr Al-Jamali built the walls with heavy limestone in 1092, and 1093AD during the era of Caliph Al-Mustansir. Badr al-Jamali was the vizier of Caliph al-Mustansir and commander of the armies.
The walls are also supported by marble columns that connect them to the ground.
The gates that currently exist from this wall
- Gates of the northern side "al- Nasr Gate – Gate of al- Futuh"
- Gates of the southern side" Gate of Zuweila.
- On the eastern side: gate of al-Barqia was discovered in 1955:1957AD during the removal work In the governorate with the supervision of the Ministry of Antiquities.
Gate of Al-Nasr:
AL-Nasr Gate was built In 480 AH / 1087 AD. It is located on the eastern side of the northern wall built by Badr Al-Jamali. It is the first gate created by Badr al-Jamali as found In its founding text.
Architectural Description:
It consists of two square towers, the width of the façade of the door is 24 m, its depth is 20 m, and its height is 25 m. One-third of the block is protruding outside, the other two-thirds inside the wall. A small corridor between the two towers leads to the entrance gate, from here we reach a wide square space covered by a cross vault roof.
Two-thirds of the height of the towers consists of a flattened building, while the upper third is a defense chamber with holes for throwing arrows, whether forward or to the sides. The towers are confined by the entrance block, with a precious wooden door in the middle, surmounted by a square of Kufic texts, representing the founding text. Between the space confined to the top of the wooden door and the corridor leading to the defense chamber are square openings intended to throw flammable material at the enemies.
It should be mentioned that the southeastern part of Al-Nasr gate has a spiral staircase of stone.
Gate of AL-Futuh
The gate of Al Futuh meaning the gate of conquest. It is one of the three remaining gates of Cairo. It was built out of limestone bricks in order to protect Cairo against any possible attack by crusades. In 1087 AD – 480 AH Badr Eldin a Jamali took the mission to build this gate which was designed as two beautiful towers connected with a decorated semicircular arch. The towers were provided with all defense means of that time.
Architectural Description:
Al-Futuh Gate was established in the same year in which Al-Nasr Gate was established, but it differs in planning, the base of the two towers is arched and takes a semicircular shape.
The width of the block is 22 m, its depth Is 25 m, Its height is 22 m. One-third of the block protrudes outside the wall and the other two-thirds inside the city, two-thirds of the towers are flattened while the upper third has a defense chamber with holes for throwing arrows either from the sides or from the front.
The two towers are on the middle of the entrance block, which is a deep square spaciousness topped by a semicircular cross roof and decorated with different vegetal and geometric landscapes, its a Fatimid influence that came from North Africa, on the middle of this entry is the opening of the thick wooden door slapped with iron, surmounted by a lintel above it a necklace, this contract is characterized by dysmetals, and this architectural configuration of the entrance opening determines the frame of a prominent room in the form of a lobed necklace, and we find the separator that is located between the entry and the door opening, through which caustic materials are located on the enemies as there are soldiers who raise the materials Caustic throughout the day and ready for any attack.
The prominence in the entrance is also surmounted by 6 triangles with rams to indicate strength and victory
As well as star decorations because It was an Islamic art pattern.
The answering about the crosses on the gate, because the supervisor of the building at that time was a Christian.