Historical background of the site

The proposed site for the museum lies in the south-east of the area forming the historic city of Cairo. The site lies to the north and west of the junction between Sharia Ain el-Sira and Sharia Masr al-Qadima and is thus located at a key point within both the current and planned future development of the Cairo road network.

Historically the site lies in the upland area of Fustat. To the east of the River Nile the limestone valley rises in a series of terraces or plateaux to the steep scarps of al-Muqattam. This higher ground was extensively colonized during the great expansion of Fustat in the 7-9th centuries AD, following the Arab Conquest of Egypt in 641AD. The continued occupation of the site into at least the first century of the Fatimid period (969-1171 AD) is suggested by analogy with the parts of the city excavated to the west and south, as well as by the presence of the Fatimid masbagha or tannery exposed at the western edge of the museum site. Like much of the southern part of Fustat this area was probably abandoned after the political, economic and social upheavals that affected the Egyptian capital during the reign of al-Mustansir in the 11th century AD. Thus for much of the past thousand years the area formed part of the southern area of the great al-Kharab or ‘ruins’ which was used first as a source of building material for the medieval city and then in turn as a vast dumping ground for its rubbish and debris. The archaeological significance and national importance of the site should be noted in the context of the destruction in relatively recent times of much of the upland area of the city of Fustat, first during the excavation of huge quarries in this area from the late nineteenth/early twentieth century onwards, and more latterly by the rapid growth of both planned and informal housing during the past twenty years.

A preliminary assessment of archaeological remains at the area proposed for the construction of the NMEC, was made by UNESCO in April 2001, based on the limited existing information available for the site, supplemented by observations made during visits to the site. This assessment concluded that parts of the site have been affected by quarrying in the 19th and 20th century. The soil in these parts consists of modern refill and building debris up to 20 m and is of no archaeological interest. Large parts of the proposed NMEC are located in this area.

The other part remained intact, e.g. unaffected by quarrying, and yields an approximate 3m of archaeological material above natural bedrock levels.

Broadly, the assessment concluded:

1. That the extents of any surviving archaeology on the site would be limited to the areas not affected by 19th/20th century quarries on the site.

2. That efforts should be made to locate as much of the construction work for the museum within the archaeologically sterile area of the former quarries. This idea was accepted by the Egyptian authorities and led to a slight shift northwards in 2001 of the museum building into the Fustat Gardens. This had implications for the other site boundaries, which were adjusted from their initial limits in consultation with the Cairo Governorate.

3. That efforts be made to ensure that the archaeology of the site be investigated and recorded to an acceptable international standard.

Archaeological investigations

Boreholes carried out on the site during November 2000 confirmed the picture provided by physical observations at the site and by a review of the available map information. Boreholes in the western part of the site indicated the survival of the natural rock plateau beneath 2-3m of archaeological mounds, whilst others clearly indicated modern quarry backfill.

In addition to the boreholes a number of archaeological test pits were excavated by the Fustat inspectorate of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in 2002. These testpits clearly indicated that this is a complex archaeological site preserving important evidence for the early settlement of Fustat.

Subsequently between March and May 2003 further test pits were carried out by the Fustat inspectorate of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The next stage of archaeological work on the site will also include proposals and guidelines for the long-term conservation and presentation of the medieval Fatimid masbagha or dyehouse/tannery on the site, as well as its adequate protection during the museum construction schedule.

The proposed inclusion of archaeology as one of the themes of the NMEC makes its physical link with other nearby archaeological sites an issue of great importance.