Under the Fatimids, tribute flowed into Egypt rather than out of it

Evidence

His capital city, Cairo, was the thriving centre of this vast realm. The tribute of empire now flowed into Egypt, not out of it. The material prosperity of the country was sustained by a flourishing agriculture and an extensive commerce; the opportunities of Cairo attracted men of talent and ambition from all over the Fatimid domains and beyond. Policy and circumstance combined to encour­ age a great flowering of intellectual and artistic life. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 385

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Relates to the theme of foundational cities as infrastructure drawing talent and wealth, as explored in the trees-as-infrastructure piece on Cairo’s role as a magnet.