al-‘Askar العسكر | |
|---|---|
Capital of Egypt, 750–868 | |
| Nickname: City of Cantonments or of Sections | |
  al-‘Askar Historical location in Egypt | |
| Coordinates:30°01′26″N31°14′52″E / 30.02389°N 31.24778°E /30.02389; 31.24778 | |
| Currently part of | Old Cairo |
| Abbasid Caliphate | 750–868, 905-969 |
| Tulunid Emirate | 868–905 |
Al-‘Askar (Arabic:العسكر) was thecapital of Egypt from 750–868, whenEgypt was a province of theAbbasid Caliphate.
After theMuslim conquest ofEgypt in 641,Fustat was established, just north ofCoptic Cairo and the regional capital of Egypt was moved fromAlexandria to the new city on the eastern side of theNile.[1]
The Rashiduns were followed by the Umayyads, who ruled until they were overthrown by the Abbasids in 750,[2] when the Umayyad regional capital of Fustat was replaced with an Abbasid city slightly north of it, al-‘Askar. Its full name wasArabic:مدينة العسكري,romanized: Madinatu l-‘Askari,lit. 'City of Cantonments or City of Sections'.[3][dubious –discuss] Intended primarily as a city large enough to house an army, it was laid out in a grid pattern that could be easily subdivided into separate sections for various groups, such as merchants and officers.
The peak of the Abbasid dynasty occurred during the reign ofHarun al Rashid (r. 786-809), along with increased taxes on the Egyptians, who rose up in a peasant revolt in 832 during the time of Caliphal-Ma'mun (r. 813-833).[4]
Local Egyptian governors gained increasing autonomy, and in 870, governorAhmad ibn Tulun declared Egypt's independence (though still nominally under the rule of the Abbasid Caliph). As a symbol of this independence, in 868 ibn Tulun founded yet another capital,al-Qatta'i, slightly further north of al-‘Askar.[4]
Al-‘Askar, Fusṭāṭ,[4] and, after the 1168 fire that destroyed old Fustat, nearbyal-Qāhirah (Cairo) became capitals of Egypt, the latter keeping this position to this day. Cairo's boundaries grew to eventually encompass the three earlier capitals of al-Fusṭāṭ, al-Qatta'i and al-‘Askar, the remnants of which can today be seen in "Old Cairo" in the southern part of the city.
| Preceded by | Capital of Egypt 750-868 | Succeeded by |