Just to the south of modern Cairo stands the historic enclave known as Old Cairo, which grew up in and around the Roman fortress of Babylon, and which today hosts a unique collection of monuments that attest to the shared cultural heritage of ancient Egyptians, Christians, Jews, and Muslims. In this lavishly illustrated celebration of a very special place, renowned photographer Sherif Sonbol’s remarkable images of the fortress, churches, synagogue, and mosque illuminate the living fabric of the ancient and medieval stones, while the text describes the history of Old Cairo from the time of the ancient Egyptians and the Romans to the founding of the first Muslim city of al-Fustat, focusing on the Jewish history of the area (exploring the famous Genizah documents found in the Ben Ezra Synagogue that tell so much about everyday life in medieval Egypt), the early Coptic Christian churches, some of the oldest in the world, and the arrival of the Muslims in the seventh century, their establishment of al-Fustat on the edge of Old Cairo, and the building of the oldest mosque in Africa.
The History and Religious Heritage of Old Cairo
Its Fortress, Churches, Synagogue, and Mosque
Just to the south of modern Cairo stands the historic enclave known as Old Cairo, which grew up in and around the Roman fortress of Babylon, and which
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<p><strong>Carolyn Ludwig </strong>is the author of <em>Jewels in Our Crown: Churches of Los Angeles</em> (2003) and editor of <em><a href="https://www.aucpress.com/p-3241-the-churches-of-egypt.aspx">The Churches of Egypt</a> </em>(AUC Press, 2007). She lives in Los Angeles and is a frequent visitor to Egypt.</p>
Sherif Sonbol
Sherif Sonbol is a highly regarded Egyptian photographer. He has contributed photographs to numerous illustrated books, including The Churches of Egypt (AUC Press, 2008), The Nile Cruise: An Illustrated Journey (AUC Press, 2010), and The History and Religious Heritage of Old Cairo (AUC Press, 2013)
