Fustat reconsidered : urban housing and domestic life in a medieval Islamic city
The domestic architecture of Fustat, Egyptâs first capital under Muslim rule, has been revealed through various large-scale archaeological excavations over the preceding century. The archaeological remains represent an exceptional resource for understanding urbanism and daily life in one of the foremost cities of the early Islamic world. This thesis explores the potential use and meaning of domestic space in the excavated houses of Fustat. An assessment of previous scholarship on the houses reveals that their form has principally been understood as a style of architecture imported to Egypt by foreign Ă©lites. While certain assumptions about life in the houses have been made based on generalised notions of the traditional âArab houseâ, there has been little critical consideration of the activities and agency of inhabitants by archaeologists. This study therefore aims to re-interpret the architecture in terms of how inhabitants conceptualised and used the space. Fustat represents a highly problematic dataset due the circumstances of its excavation and recording, its vast size and longevity, and the extensive modern depredation of the archaeological remains. Thus, the potential of a range of archaeological
Harrison, Matthew
Fustat reconsidered : urban housing and domestic life in a medieval Islamic city. The domestic architecture of Fustat, Egyptâs first capital under Muslim rule, has been revealed through various large-scale archaeological excavations over the preceding century. The archaeological remains represent an exceptional resource for understanding urbanism and daily life in one of the foremost cities of the early Islamic world. This thesis explores the potential use and meaning of domestic space in the excavated houses of Fustat. An assessment of previous scholarship on the houses reveals that their form has principally been understood as a style of architecture imported to Egypt by foreign Ă©lites. While certain assumptions about life in the houses have been made based on generalised notions of the traditional âArab houseâ, there has been little critical consideration of the activities and agency of inhabitants by archaeologists. This study therefore aims to re-interpret the architecture in terms of how inhabitants conceptualised and used the space. Fustat represents a highly problematic dataset due the circumstances of its excavation and recording, its vast size and longevity, and the extensive modern depredation of the archaeological remains. Thus, the potential of a range of archaeological
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