Cairo (in Babylonia)
- Ancient name
- (Fort) Babylon
- Modern name
- Fustat, Old Cairo
- Modern country
- Egypt
- Coordinates
- 30.01, 31.23
- World Historical Gazetteer
- https://whgazetteer.org/places/portal/8364247
Capital of the Mamluk sultanate of Egypt and Syria in Dati’s time, Cairo was already a sprawling city encompassing both the Ummayad capital of Fustat (est. 641 CE) and the nearby Fatimid capital of Cairo (est. 973); together these form the historical center of modern Cairo. Note that medieval European sources often referred to Cairo as Babylonia due to the Roman fortress of Babylon on the east bank of the Nile: the Sfera maps label Cairo variously as Cairo, Babilonia, Cairo-and-Babilonia, and Cairo-in-Babilonia. It is not, however, to be confused with the actual city of Babylon in Mesopotamia.
The toponym Cairo (in Babylonia) appears in La Sfera in the following places:
Click on any citation to view it in context in the edition.
Map of the location P029
Variant spellings of Cairo (in Babylonia) in Sfera manuscripts
| Variant | Manuscripts |
|---|---|
| [C]airo | Pnc5 |
| Ba[n]bilonia | Par3 |
| babbillonia | Vat2 |
| BABBILLONIA | Wie1 |
| babbilonia | MB |
| Babbilonia | MB |
| BABBILONIA | Wie1 |
| babillonia | Vat2 |
| BABILONIA | Med3 |
| Babylonia | Parm2 |
| BANBILONIA | Med3 |
| BANBILonia | Ashb3 |
| C[...] | He3 |
| Cagliero | Con3 |
| Cagliero Babilonia | Con3 |
| cairo | Bal, ME2, NYPL3, Pal5, Ricc12, Ricc15, Ricc8, Spe, Urb1 |
| Cairo | BL02, Fo, He2, Morg, Pal5, Ricc14, Ricc6, Vat3 |
| Cairo de babilonia | He1 |
| cairo de bambilonia | Bos |
| Cairo di banbillonia | Pal5 |
| Cairus | Clas2 |
| canriu [???] | Pnc3 |
| CARIO & BABILLONIa | Ricc6 |
| CARO | BL01 |
| Caro | Barb3, Barb4, Borg, Chig1, New, Parm2 |
| caro | NB, Ricc12 |
| caro di babilonia | Ashb2 |
| Caro di babilonia | Magl4 |
| cayro | Barb4 |
| Cayro | Pnc4, Urb2 |
| CAYRO | NYPL1 |
| Chagliero | Con3 |
| CHAIRO | Chig2, Par4 |
| Chairo | He1 |
| chairo | Fn6, Laur5, Pal6, Pal8, Urb1, Yale4 |
| chairo de babilonia | Par4 |
| chairo de banbillonia | Fn6 |
| Chairo di babillonia | Med1 |
| chairo di babilonia | Magl4 |
| Chairo dibabilonia | Luc2 |
| chairo e [...]bilonia | Par1 |
| chairo e Babilonia | Par1 |
| chario babilon[ia] | Pnc3 |
| CHARIO dbanbillonia | Fn8 |
| chario di babilonia | Fn3 |
| CHARIO dibanbilonia | Fn8 |
| charo | Chig2 |
| chayro | Pad1 |
| ckario | He3 |
| elchairo | Pad1 |
| Hairo | Ricc1 |
| K'ro | Ricc9 |
| k[a]iro babilonia | Tre |
| Kairo | Ricc14, To2 |
| kairo | Ashb4, Magl2 |
| Kairo et babilonia | Med2, Ricc13 |
| Kario | Pnc5 |
| Kario di babilonia | Fn3 |
| Karo | BL01, Con1, Con4, Cs1, Fn9, Laur3 |
| karo | Barb3, Fn9, New |
| KAYRO | BL02 |
| Kayro | Magl2, Morg, Pnc4 |
| kio | NB |
| Kiro | Cap1, Cors2, Marc2 |
| kiro | Per2 |
| Kiro ebabilonia | Ricc11 |
| kiro ebambell[...] | Ro2 |
| kiro ebanbilonia | Ricc13 |
| Kiro et balionia | Ro2 |
| Kro | Borg, Ricc9 |
| kro | Con1, Con4 |
| KRO et balilonia | Ricc11 |
| Kyro | Marc1, NYPL2, Ricc17 |
| Rio | Chig1, Ricc8 |
- Suggested citation
- Beneš, Carrie. “Cairo (in Babylonia).” Gregorio Dati’s La sfera = The Globe: A Digital Edition, November 13, 2026. https://la-sfera-staging-a8db029690a6.herokuapp.com/toponyms/cairo/.