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Cairo (Ayyubid Capital)
Under Saladin and his successors, Cairo became the Ayyubid dynasty's core capital in Egypt, shifting the political center from Fustat to a new distri…
Timeline
- c. 1176–1189Cairo · EgyptSaladin built the Citadel of Cairo at the foot of the Mokattam Hills, concentrating administrative, military, and religious institutions in the new city, which gradually replaced Fustat as the Ayyubids' principal city in Egypt.
- 1190–1193Cairo · EgyptDuring the Third Crusade, Saladin coordinated forces and supplies on the Syrian and Egyptian fronts from Cairo; he died there of illness in March 1193, making Cairo the key stage for the dynasty's succession.
- 1193–1200Cairo · EgyptAfter 1193, Saladin's sons, including al-Afdal, contested the sultanate in Cairo; the city remained the capital of the Egyptian Ayyubid branch, sustaining diplomatic and financial support for the Levant front.
Sources
- Saladin: The Life, the Legend and the Islamic Empire — John Man (2015)
- Cairo: Histories of a City — Nezar AlSayyad (2011)