Al-Qata'iʿ

Abstract

The city of al-Qata’iʿ was founded by Ahmad Ibn Tulun in 870 AD, a few years after he established his status in Egypt. The city was the third capital of Islamic Egypt, after those of al-Fustat and al-ʿAskar. Historical sources tell us that it had splendid buildings never seen before in Egypt, since the time of the Romans. It had a great palace complex and an open parade ground known as al-Maydan. The latter had a triumphal arch from which the main ceremonial street of the city, called Shariʿal-Aʿzam, started. The city reached its ultimate splendor during the reign of Ibn Tulun’s son, Khumarawiya, who built beautifully decorated pavilions and developed great botanical and zoological gardens that replaced his father’s Maydan. Other important buildings were the “bimaristan”, or hospital, as well as the oldest aqueduct in Egypt, part of which still survives. In addition, there were religious shrines and even a grand tomb of Ibn Tulun and his son. The city flourished for a period of 35 years, until it was seized and destroyed by the ʿAbbasids in 905 AD. The only building that was left to survive was the mosque of Ibn Tulun, for its religious sanctity. The city is well described by contemporary historians. The chapter revisits earlier work on the city, offering a more substantial discussion of what is known versus what is not known about the city of al-Qata’iʿ, offering a newly updated imaginary of the buildings and urban fabric of the city.