Al-Qata'i

An award-winning Egyptian novelist brings alive the lost history of Ibn Tulun and his vision for a diverse and unified Egypt that is brimming with intrigue, adventure, and romance

Al-Qata'i: The Ibn Tulun Trilogy tells the epic story of visionary Egyptian leader Ahmad Ibn Tulun who built Al-Qata'i, which became the foundation of Cairo, into a thriving multicultural empire. This gripping story follows the intertwined histories of Al-Qata'i and its people including the voices of those often unrepresented in history books, from the strong female characters to those with diverse of religious identities, social classes, and ethnic and cultural origins.

Bassiouney gives voices to traditionally marginalized people weaving their perspectives into the narrative offering an unusual lens on centuries old history. The stories of Ibn Tulun's secretary, wife, and arch-enemy, for instance, reveal a different side of the successful ruler and a fresh way of looking at the historical record. They recount a leader fully focused on achieving his goals, but unable to see the impact his single-mindedness has on his own family or how it threatens to be his undoing. As his empire grows, this trouble brews at home.] When a betrayal speeds Ibn Tulun's demise, the Abbasid caliph soon threatens to regain control of Al-Qata'i'. In the aftermath of her father's death, Ibn Tulun's daughter Aisha emerges as a pivotal figure bravely taking a stand against the Abbasids. She must not only fight for her life but preserve what she can of the city, especially Al-Qata'i's treasured and iconic mosque—a mosque which still stands today, providing a throughline for timeless and universal themes of diversity and equality that have played out in Egypt since Ibn Tulum's time.

This vibrant portrait of medieval Egyptian life explores Egypt's identity and pre-Islamic past — and shows how the past shapes who we are today.