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Where the whole city began — ancient Fustat and the Coptic quarter around the Roman fortress of Babylon, one of the oldest Christian quarters on Earth.حيث بدأت المدينة كلّها — الفسطاط القديمة والحيّ القبطي حول حصن بابليون الروماني، أحد أقدم الأحياء المسيحية على وجه الأرض.
Long before medieval Cairo or the modern metropolis, the city began here, in the cluster of ancient streets now called Old Cairo. This is where the Arab conquerors founded Fustat, Egypt's first Islamic capital, around the old Roman fortress of Babylon — and where, even earlier, one of the oldest Christian communities on Earth took root. Today it is a deeply atmospheric quarter where churches, a synagogue, and Africa's first mosque stand side by side in remarkable harmony.
قبل القاهرة الوسيطة أو الحاضرة الحديثة بزمنٍ طويل، بدأت المدينة هنا، في عنقود الشوارع القديمة المسمّى اليوم مصر القديمة. فهنا أسّس الفاتحون العرب الفسطاط، أول عاصمة إسلامية لمصر، حول حصن بابليون الروماني القديم — وهنا، قبل ذلك، تجذّرت إحدى أقدم الجماعات المسيحية على الأرض. واليوم هو حيٌّ مفعمٌ بالأجواء، تقف فيه الكنائس ومعبدٌ يهودي وأول مسجدٍ في أفريقيا جنبًا إلى جنبٍ في تناغمٍ لافت.
Where Cairo Began · حيث بدأت القاهرة
Egypt’s first Islamic city.أول مدينةٍ إسلامية في مصر.
In 641 AD, the Arab general Amr ibn al-As founded Fustat beside the Nile, making it Egypt's first Islamic capital and the seed from which Cairo would grow. At its heart he built the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, the first mosque in Egypt and in all of Africa. For centuries Fustat thrived as a great commercial city, and though later capitals rose to its north, this is the true birthplace of Cairo.
The Coptic Quarter · الحيّ القبطي
Churches around a Roman fort.كنائسُ حول حصنٍ روماني.
Older still is the Christian quarter clustered around the Roman Fortress of Babylon, one of the oldest Christian areas anywhere. Within its lanes stand treasures of Coptic Egypt: the famous Hanging Church, suspended above an old gatehouse; the ancient Church of Abu Serga; the medieval Ben Ezra Synagogue; and the Coptic Museum, home to the world's greatest collection of Coptic art.
A Sacred Crossroads · ملتقًى مقدّس
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism together.المسيحية والإسلام واليهودية معًا.
What makes Old Cairo so special is its peaceful blend of faiths: within a few hundred metres, ancient churches, a synagogue, and the first mosque in Africa stand together. The area is also bound up with the tradition of the Holy Family's journey through Egypt, said to have sheltered here. Quiet, walkable, and steeped in history, this is one of Cairo's most moving quarters — a living crossroads of the great traditions that have shaped Egypt.
Quick Facts · حقائق سريعة
Sources include standard histories of Cairo. Some traditions are religious in nature; dates are approximate.