Cairo, the capital of Egypt, was founded in 969 BC by Jawhar al-Siqilli, the general of the Fatimid Caliph al-Mu’izz. As the city grew over time, it came to absorb the older capitals that had been founded nearby since the Arab conquest in 20 AH/641 AD, such as al-Fustat. Modern Cairo thus conceals within it the many sites and monuments of its complex past. The following were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979: Al-Fustat, which includes the Nilometer on Rawdah Island, the Mosque of ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, the Hanging Church, and the Ben ‘Ezra Synagogue; the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, the Citadel, the Fatimid nucleus of Cairo and its necropolis; al-Imam al-Shaf’i Necropolis; al-Sayyidah Nafisah Necropolis; and the Qaytbay Necropolis.
