Cairo evolved from a camp of tents in the 7th century to a metropolis in the late medieval ages. In the 19th century a Western city emerged. Even before the 4th century, the area was an old strategic location. Christianity became the religion of the state in the 4th century. From the 5th to the 7th century there was a war with the Persians. From the 7th century on wards Egypt became part of the Arabic empire. The Copts stayed a majority until the end of the medieval ages. Copts and Judes had their own neighborhoods in the metropolitan area, near the Nile. Fustat became the capital of Egypt, acting as a connection between the Nile delta in the North and the South. First it served to supply the army, later it had its own mosque, administrative center and political headquarter. In 661 Fustat was no longer the capital of the Arabic Empire, but only te province Egypt. The port became important and in the 8th century the population boomed, due to immigration. Neighboroods, streets and roads emerged. In 750 the Arabic capital moved from Damascus to Iraque. To the North-East of Fustat an army camp was founded. with a city center and facilities. Fustat kept on growing during the 8th and 9th century and the army camp blended in eventually. In 868 The Iraquese caliphate had a political crisis. In Egypt there was a switch of power to the Tulunites until 905. Thel founded a new palace city to the North-East. The Abasides took control over Egypt in 905 en the palace city was demolished. In 969 a new palace city was founded. Until the 11th century, Fustat kept on growing and was an economical center and propor metropolis. Up until the 12th century it was one of the biggest cities in the mediteranian world with 120 000 inhabitants. Back then the same size as Constantinople in the Christian world. In Fustat multi-storied buildings emerged and awed visitors. The fruit trees on the side of the Nile were the economic heart. Lower social classes lived there. The richer families lived to the East at the Mosque of Amr. There was a garbage collection system and a sewage system. Fustat was known as a smelly, noisy city. because of the production of glass, earthworks, paper, carpets,... Shiped to the mediteranian world through the port. 2 crisises led to a downward spiral. In the 11th century black troops fought against Turkish troops. On top of that in 1065 there were severe floods, causing failed harvest, famine, inflation and diseases. Bad neighberhoods were walled. Later on they were cleared to rebuild the rest of the city. Afterwards it stayed as a ruine. In 1168 Some churches were torched because of a conflict between the Copts and Muslims, due to the crusaders. Until the end of the 13th century Fustat was the most important port town. Afterwards a new palace city arose in the North: Caïro. As Caïro grew, Fustat empied. The Nile went more to the West and took Fustat partly. After the plague in the 14 th century, only 50 000 inhabitants were left. It stayed as a small town near Caïro with ruins. Because of the churches and the mosque, it was never empty. In the 10th century the Abassid Caliphate of Baghdad had a political and economical crisis. In 969 Egypt took power by the Fatimids. They raised a new palace city, to the North of the previous palace cities. It was the first walled city in Egypt. The city wall was strategic and symbolic. Near the 2 palaces, residences were built for the elite. Broad squares for rituals were foreseen. The city was mainly ritual and symbolic importand. The only inhabitants were the elite, each origin had his neighborhood. Fustat revived, because of its efficient tax collection. Because of the trade, intellectual and artistic people came to the city. The Fatimids were tolerant to other minorities. because of the crisises in the 11th century, the caliphate needed the help of an Armenian emperor. A new political center witch walls arose, with more focus on the militarian aspect. The Fatimidic regime ended in 1171. In 1169 the Shiitical Fatimidical weakened Egypt asked the help of neighboring Sunnis countries, to fight the Crusaders. But the Sunnis (Syria and Iraque) stayed and took control. They eliminated the Shiites elite. Egypt became part of the Sunnis caliphate of Baghdad. In the 14th century it was the center of the world and new enormous city walls were built, with a total length of 20 km. The walls were never finished but they were partly a border to the east. Also the Citadel was build 1183-1218. The old palaces lost allure and were reused as a hospital and a temporary replacement before the ctadel was finished. In 1262 the last Fatimids died and the palace city was further demolished. The city transformed. In 1169 the last Fatimid warriors were killed during a city war in the South. This caused the first redevelopments in the South, replacing what was destroyed. So the Palaces were not demolisched. Because of the Citadel center for military and power, the palaces were places for the people. In 1200-1201 people moved from Fustat to Caïro because of famine. The transformation from Shiites to Sunnis was radical. Sunnis schools were founded to teach the culture. The old palace city became the Sunnis religion center. Funded by the new powers that be. New streets and neighborhoods were build disorderly. Cairo kept on growing because of private initiatives by the elite. In 1258 Bagdad, the capital of islam, was demolished by the Mongolians. Cairo came under the reign of the Mamlucs. Because of interregional trade, stability was seen. No militarian dangers any more and huge building projects were built. Cairo had 200 000 inhabitants by then. Only Constantinople had more. In 1348 the plague arrived and 1 in 3 were killed, leading to a huge crisis. After 1412 the city and the empire started to revive again and mediteranisation started. The empire was more focused on the West and resulted in florishing trade with Europe. Rural population migrated to the city. City development was no longer private driven, but state driven. So public spaces were ordened. Commercial activities and the city organisation increased. In 1517 the Ottomans conquired Egypt and ended the independence of Egypt and Cairo as a center of the world. Cairo stayed 2nd city of the Ottoman empire during the 16th, 17th and 18th century. In the 19 th century a new city neighborhood was created like a modern European city. The old city was preserved and Cairo grew to a noisy metropolis. Urban development and planning was mostly crisis management. Now Cairo has 20 000 000 inhabitants.