Fustat

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical settlement that served as a military encampment and administrative center in early Islamic Egypt
2. A site established in the 7th century, recognized for its strategic significance and role in early Islamic governance
3. A location noted for its archaeological importance, contributing to the understanding of Islamic history in North Africa

Etymology: Fustat is the old settlement that grew up beside the Nile in what is now southern Cairo, and its name is simply the Arabic word for a tent. The Arabic "al-fusṭāṭ" literally means "the tent," and the name recalls the military camp that the Arab conquerors of Egypt pitched in the 640s, when the first garrison was set up on the riverbank. The camp outgrew its canvas. Over the following centuries the settlement became a dense city of markets, mosques and houses, and it remained Egypt's capital until the Fatimids founded Cairo nearby in 969. The older town gradually faded as its neighbour rose, which is why the name now belongs to a district rather than a city of its own.

Synonyms: Fustat city