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Cairo Famine
In 1088, insufficient Nile flooding caused poor harvests in Egypt, leading to severe famine in Cairo and the Delta region.
Timeline
- 1088Nile Delta · Nile DeltaThe Nile flood that year was low, leaving Delta farmland under-irrigated. Wheat and legume yields dropped sharply, and rural populations flocked to cities like Cairo seeking relief.
- 1088Cairo · Nile DeltaGrain prices in Cairo's markets soared. The authorities drew on the treasury and religious endowments to relieve the poor, but supply still could not meet demand, raising the risk of urban poverty and unrest.
Sources
- Famine in Egypt and Nubia: The Iqbāl al-aʿwān of ʿAbd al-Raḥīm ibn al-Ḥusayn al-ʿIrāqī — G. Rex Smith (trans.) (2012)
- The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1 — Carl F. Petry (ed.) (1998)