Fustat SpacePol

As part of the broader SPACEPOL initiative, this project investigates the historical and spatial transformations of Fustat, Cairo’s first Muslim capital established in CE 641. Once celebrated as the “wealthiest city in the world” and later listed as a site of “extreme danger,”The research carried out by Bureau Gladys team critically examined  Fustat’s evolution not as a linear chronology, but as an entangled narrative of politics, power, economy, and culture. The study employed archival research, ethnographic walk-alongs, sensory engagement, GIS mapping, and the analysis of media narratives, master plans, and historical and anthropological literature. This multifaceted approach explores how the politics of power transform spaces, and how Fustat has shifted from being a capital city to a site of capital investment. The project culminated in an illustrated monograph and a set of analog and digital maps that collectively trace the layered history of Fustat and its shifting spatial logics.