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Islamic Cairo

Historic Cairo
UNESCO World Heritage Site
LocationCairo Governorate, Egypt
Includes
  1. Al-Fustat
  2. Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun, The Citadel Area, The Fatimid Nucleus of Cairo, Necropolis
  3. Al-Imam ash-Shaf'i Necropolis
  4. As-Sayyidah Nafisah Necropolis
  5. Qayitbay Necropolis
CriteriaCultural: (i), (v), (vi)
Reference89
Inscription1979 (3rd Session)
Area523.66 ha (1,294.0 acres)
Coordinates30°02′45.61″N 31°15′45.78″E / 30.0460028°N 31.2627167°E / 30.0460028; 31.2627167
Islamic Cairo is located in Nile Delta
Islamic Cairo
Location of Islamic Cairo in Nile Delta

Islamic Cairo (Arabic: قاهرة المعز, romanized: Qāhira al-Muʿizz, lit. 'Al-Mu'izz's Cairo'), or Medieval Cairo, officially Historic Cairo (القاهرة التاريخية al-Qāhira tārīkhiyya), refers mostly to the areas of Cairo, Egypt, that were built from the Muslim conquest in 641 CE until the city's modern expansion in the 19th century during Khedive Ismail's rule, namely: the central parts within the old walled city, the historic cemeteries, the area around the Citadel of Cairo, parts of Bulaq, and Old Cairo (Arabic: مصر القديمة, lit. 'Misr al-Qadima') which dates back to Roman times and includes major Coptic Christian monuments.[1][2]

The name "Islamic" Cairo refers not to a greater prominence of Muslims in the area but rather to the city's rich history and heritage since its foundation in the early period of Islam, while distinguishing it from with the nearby Ancient Egyptian sites of Giza and Memphis.[3][4] This area holds one of the largest and densest concentrations of historic architecture in the Islamic world.[3]: 7  It is characterized by hundreds of mosques, tombs, madrasas, mansions, caravanserais, and fortifications dating from throughout the Islamic era of Egypt.

In 1979, UNESCO proclaimed Historic Cairo a World Cultural Heritage site, as "one of the world's oldest Islamic cities, with its famous mosques, madrasas, hammams and fountains" and "the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century."[5]

  1. ^ The Boundaries and Preservation Codes of Historic Cairo (PDF) (in Arabic). National Organisation for Urban Harmony. 2022.
  2. ^ "Historic Cairo – Maps". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Planet, Lonely. "Islamic Cairo in Cairo, Egypt". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  5. ^ UNESCO, Decision Text, World Heritage Centre, retrieved 21 July 2017