The Architecture of Cairo
MIT OpenCourseWare traces the architectural history of Cairo from its founding in 634 CE as an Islamic military outpost through the Fatimid caliphate and into the Mamluk period, 1250 to 1517, when the city became the model for the Islamic urban form. Lectures cover mosques, madrasas, mausolea, and urban fabric, drawing on the 1951 Survey of the Islamic Monuments of Cairo, which registered 456 monuments, many now endangered or lost. The course materials include readings, image sets, and assignments analyzing specific buildings and urban patterns, situating Cairo within its roles as a center of the Arab world, Africa, and the broader Islamic world. Students examine how political power, religious institutions, and building technology shaped the city's distinctive architectural character across centuries. Free to audit through MIT OpenCourseWare, with no certificate offered.