Posted at Nov 26/2007 09:10AM:
Elisa Foster: Fustat was the amsar (garrison/frontier city) of Egypt and considered the predecessor to Cairo, although these cities co-existed during part of the medieval period. It was built east of the Nile as to not separate the army from the caliph. Fustat appears to have been planned on the khittat, or tribal arrangement of urban planning but also possessed a central core with an orthoganal (Roman) plan. Thus, the city displays a mix of traditions. The site of Fustat was built adjacent to the pre-existing site of Byzantine Babylon (qsar-al-Shama). While this Christian community maintained their presence in this area, it was not incorporated into the urban fabric of Fustat itself, which was built de novo. Past archaeological investigations of this region have not provided ample evidence of the origins of Fustat but excavations of the urban street plans of the city have been conducted throughout the twentieth century by Ali Bahgat (1920s/30s - first Islamic-period excavation), George Scanlon (60s/70s) and others. These archaeologists have demostrated that the urban network of Fustat was constantly changing. For example, during the Fatimid period (10th c)., Fustat possesed several courtyard houses that were inhabited by multiple families. (I have these houses under my notes for Fustat but I think they also existed in Cairo as discussed in the Geniza documents - please feel free to add/correct this information....