The Fatimid Caliph al-Mu‘izz li-Din Allah (358–365 AH / 969–975 AD) commissioned his vizier, Jawhar al-Siqilli, to build a mudbrick wall surrounding Fatimid Cairo. Later, it was expanded and rebuilt in stone by Vizier Badr al-Jamali in 480 AH / 1087 AD, during the reign of Caliph al-Mustansir Billah (427–487 AH / 1036–1094 AD).

The Fatimid wall originally included eight massive gates, some of which have vanished while others still stand today. To the north were Bab al-Futuh and Bab al-Nasr; to the south, Bab Zuwayla and Bab al-Faraj; to the east, Bab al-Qaratin and Bab al-Barqiyya; and to the west, Bab Sa‘ada and Bab al-Qantara.

Salah al-Din’s Expansion
Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (567–589 AH / 1171–1193 AD) ordered the expansion of the wall to encompass Egypt’s four Islamic capitals: Fustat, al-‘Askar, al-Qata‘i, and Cairo. The “Citadel of Salah al-Din” then became the stronghold of the Ayyubid wall, serving as the city’s main defensive fortress.

There is a close connection between education and digital technology, especially at this moment in our world’s history. The relationship between the two is multifaceted: both concern shaping the future, and both determine the extent to which humanity can take the initiative in directing its destiny.

At present, the rapid pace of digital technological advancement seems increasingly difficult to control, as though it moves independently of human will. Regaining initiative and directing this technological evolution—rather than merely trying to keep up with it—has become a necessity for human survival. The only path forward is to prepare new generations to live in a digital world guided by human will, and the key to this lies in education. At the same time, digital technology itself is the very tool that can enable the development of an educational system capable of equipping new generations with the means to master this technology.

In Egypt, however, the state of the education sector seems disconnected from this global equation. Decades of continuous decline have left the system resistant to reform, making it difficult to entrust it with a responsibility as enormous as preparing future generations for the digital age. Yet, despite the challenges it creates, digital technology also offers solutions that transcend the traditional limits of reality.

In other words, this technology provides possibilities that—if properly harnessed—can make the seemingly impossible achievable. Through conscious and innovative use of digital tools, Egypt can overcome decades of deterioration in its education sector and transform it into a system capable of preparing new generations to meet the challenges of our digital future.