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Biggest Muslim Cities by Century

Can you name the most populous Muslim cities in the world for each of the following years?
Some of these cities are no longer Islamic (in red) or only became Islamic later on in history.
Some of these cities no longer exist (in gray).
Kuala Lumpur does not have a Muslim majority.
Quiz by Dekkie
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Last updated: January 10, 2024
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First submittedJanuary 9, 2024
Times taken257
Average score55.6%
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2023
28.9m
Indonesia
Jakarta
22.2m
Egypt
Cairo
21.3m
Bangladesh
Dhaka
19.1m
Pakistan
Karachi
16.2m
Iran
Tehran
16.1m
Turkey
Istanbul
14.4m
Pakistan
Lahore
9.15m
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
7.50m
Iraq
Baghdad
6.90m
Indonesia
Bandung
 
 
 
1700
700k
Turkey
Istanbul
380k
India
Ahmedabad
350k
Iran
Isfahan
200k
India
Aurangabad
175k
Egypt
Cairo
150k
Bangladesh
Dhaka
135k
Turkey
İzmir
125k
India
Srinagar
100k
India
Patna
85k
Algeria
Algiers
 
 
 
1400
360k
Egypt
Cairo
150k
Iran
Tabriz
130k
Uzbekistan
Samarkand
125k
Morocco
Fez
90k
Iraq
Baghdad
90k
Egypt
Damietta
90k
Spain
Granada
90k
India
Kalaburagi
80k
Iran
Shiraz
75k
Syria
Aleppo
 
 
 
1100
150k
Iraq
Baghdad
150k
Egypt
Cairo
150k
Morocco
Marrakech
125k
Morocco
Fez
125k
Spain
Seville
110k
Egypt
Tennis
100k
Iran
Isfahan
100k
Turkmenistan
Merv
100k
Iran
Nishapur
85k
Iran
Ray
1900
900k
Turkey
Istanbul
595k
Egypt
Cairo
314k
Egypt
Alexandria
201k
Turkey
İzmir
200k
Pakistan
Lahore
180k
Uzbekistan
Tashkent
179k
Azerbaijan
Baku
175k
Iran
Tabriz
165k
Syria
Damascus
156k
Tunisia
Tunis
 
 
 
1600
700k
Turkey
Istanbul
500k
India
Agra
200k
India
Bijapur
200k
Egypt
Cairo
190k
India
Ahmedabad
150k
Turkey
Edirne
125k
Morocco
Marrakech
100k
Uzbekistan
Bukhara
100k
Morocco
Fez
100k
Iran
Isfahan
 
 
 
1300
400k
Egypt
Cairo
150k
Morocco
Fez
125k
Iran
Tabriz
108k
Egypt
Damietta
100k
India
Delhi
100k
India
Gauḍa
100k
Russia
Sarai-Berke
90k
Spain
Granada
75k
Morocco
Marrakech
65k
Egypt
Alexandria
 
 
 
1000
450k
Spain
Córdoba
135k
Egypt
Cairo
125k
Iraq
Baghdad
125k
Iran
Nishapur
110k
Saudi Arabia
Hofuf
100k
Iran
Isfahan
100k
Iran
Ray
90k
Spain
Seville
83k
Egypt
Tennis
80k
Tunisia
Kairouan
 
 
 
800
700k
Iraq
Baghdad
160k
Spain
Córdoba
100k
Iraq
Basra
100k
Egypt
Fustat
100k
Iran
Ray
95k
Egypt
Alexandria
80k
Saudi Arabia
Mecca
75k
Uzbekistan
Samarkand
65k
Syria
Damascus
65k
Iraq
Kufa
1800
570k
Turkey
Istanbul
186k
Egypt
Cairo
140k
India
Delhi
125k
Turkey
İzmir
106k
Bangladesh
Dhaka
95k
Indonesia
Surakarta
90k
Syria
Damascus
90k
Tunisia
Tunis
80k
Iraq
Baghdad
80k
Pakistan
Peshawar
 
 
 
1500
400k
Egypt
Cairo
250k
Iran
Tabriz
200k
Turkey
Istanbul
200k
India
Gauḍa
130k
Morocco
Fez
127k
Turkey
Edirne
100k
India
Ahmedabad
80k
India
Delhi
67k
Syria
Aleppo
65k
Tunisia
Tunis
 
 
 
1200
200k
Egypt
Cairo
200k
Morocco
Fez
150k
Morocco
Marrakech
150k
Spain
Seville
100k
Iraq
Baghdad
100k
Egypt
Damietta
90k
Syria
Damascus
80k
Iran
Ray
70k
Uzbekistan
Bukhara
70k
Turkey
Konya
 
 
 
900
900k
Iraq
Baghdad
200k
Spain
Córdoba
175k
Egypt
Alexandria
150k
Egypt
Fustat
100k
Uzbekistan
Bukhara
100k
Tunisia
Kairouan
100k
Iran
Nishapur
100k
Iran
Ray
80k
Uzbekistan
Samarkand
65k
Pakistan
Mansura
+2
Level 90
Jan 9, 2024
Fascinating!

Especially the changing nature of some of the Indian cities.

Great quiz, thank you.

+1
Level 55
Jan 9, 2024
Thanks! I had to think about how to portray India here, since India had been dominated by a Muslim ruling class for centuries on end while still ruling over a Hindu majority spread throughout the entire country.
+3
Level 67
Jan 9, 2024
Man, you are really pumping out the quizzes at the moment. Nice :)
+1
Level 55
Jan 10, 2024
Thanks! I've been quite motivated to create them lately.
+2
Level 61
Jan 10, 2024
How do you define an Islamic city? Is it a percentage situation?
+2
Level 55
Jan 10, 2024
By percentage at least down to 1800, e.g. Delhi used to be pre-dominantly Muslim before it was overtaken by Hinduism at least by time of the census of 1891: 56.11% Hindu against 41.15% Muslim. Today only 12.86% of the city proper population follows Islam.

Going back even further, it'd of course be nearly impossible to get these statistics and thus I've included the largest cities that were under Islamic rule for dates early than 1800.