Fatimid-era Old Cairo built on ancient necropolis foundations

Fatimid-era Old Cairo built on ancient necropolis foundations. Old Cairo (Al-Qahira) founded by the Fatimid Caliphate starting in 969 CE Originally built as an administrative capital with defensive walls Walls initially constructed from mud brick, later upgraded with stone

Old Cairo was founded by the Fatimid Caliphate in 969 CE as an administrative capital, but excavations from the 2010s reveal it was built atop earlier urban layers. The defensive walls began as mud brick before being upgraded to stone — some sourced from fallen pyramids, still bearing hieroglyphs. Rammed earth layers uncovered show construction phases beneath the Fatimid city.

Key Facts

• Old Cairo (Al-Qahira) founded by the Fatimid Caliphate starting in 969 CE
• Originally built as an administrative capital with defensive walls
• Walls initially constructed from mud brick, later upgraded with stone
• Some stone was taken from fallen pyramids, still bearing hieroglyphs
• 2010s excavations uncovered rammed earth layers from the earliest walls

Source: This Egyptian Market was Built on a Cemetery by Wandering Wolf