Fatimid

The Fatimid or Fatimid Caliphate is the Ismaili Shiite dynasty that ruled North Africa from A.D. 909 to 1171. Under the Fatimids, Egypt became the center of an empire that included at its peak North Africa, Sicily, Palestine, Syria, the Red Sea coast of Africa, the Yemen, and the Hejaz. Under the Fatmids Egypt flourished and developed an extensive trade network in both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean which eventually determined the economic course of Egypt during the High Middle Ages.

Related Topics:
Ismaili - Shiite - North Africa - 909 - 1171 - Egypt - Empire - Sicily - Palestine - Syria - Red Sea - Yemen - Hejaz - Mediterranean - Indian Ocean - High Middle Ages

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The term "Fatimite" is sometimes used to refer to citizens of the Empire/Caliphate.

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The name Fatimid is derived from the name of the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, Fatima az-Zahra. The dynasty and its followers belonged to the Shiite branch of Islam and to a sect called Isma'ili. The dynasty was founded in 909 when the Syrian Said ibn Husayn was released from house arrest in Sijilmasa by armies of his supporters, raised by his missionaries (da`is) among the Kutama Berbers of eastern Algeria. He declared himself the Mahdi ("divinely guided one") and the khalifa, taking the regional name Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah. He legitimized his claim by his descent from the Prophet by way of the Prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and her husband Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was a cousin of the Prophet. Soon his control extended over all of central Maghreb, an area consisting of the modern countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, which he ruled from a newly built capital in Tunisia, named Mahdia after himself.

Related Topics:
Prophet - Muhammad - Fatima az-Zahra - Shiite - Islam - Isma'ili - 909 - Said ibn Husayn - Sijilmasa - Kutama - Berber - Algeria - Mahdi - Khalifa - Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah - Ali ibn Abi Talib - Maghreb - Morocco - Tunisia - Libya - Mahdia

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The Fatimids entered Egypt in 972, conquering the Ikhshidid dynasty and founding a new capital at al-Qahira al-Mu'izziya (Cairo), meaning "Mu'izz's Cairo/Conqueress (i.e. feminine of "Conqueror", as Al-Qahira means the conquerning city). They continued to conquer the surrounding areas until they ruled from Tunisia to Syria, and even crossed over into Sicily and southern Italy.

Related Topics:
Egypt - 972 - Ikhshidid dynasty - Cairo - Syria - Sicily

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Unlike other governments in the area, Fatimid advancement in state offices was based more on merit than on heredity, bribes, and devious machinations. Members of other branches of Islam, like the Sunnis, were just as likely to be appointed to government posts as Shiites. Tolerance was extended even to non-Muslims, like Christians and Jews who occupied high levels in government based solely on ability.

Related Topics:
Office - Merit - Heredity - Bribe - Sunni - Christian - Jew - Government

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The empire continued to grow and flourish until Caliph Al-Hakim whose reign began auspiciously with the building of the great mosque between Bab Al-Futuh and Bab An-Nasr gates in Cairo (the Al-Hakim Mosque). Breaking with tradition, he mingled with the people to feel the pulse of his subjects. Gradually, however, he grew more insane until he executed anyone he didn't like and promulgated arbitrary regulations, like outlawing the manufacture of women's shoes or prohibiting working during the day and sleeping at night. In 1009, Hakim destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, then under Fatimid control, and persecuted the Christians and other dhimmis in Palestine. His death is shrouded in mystery but some declared that he was divine and had ascended to a spiritual realm. Believers in this tradition became known as the Druze who still exist in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel.

Related Topics:
Al-Hakim - Bab Al-Futuh - Bab An-Nasr - Al-Hakim Mosque - Druze - Lebanon - Syria - Jordan - Israel

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After about 1060 Fatimid territory shrunk until it consisted only of Egypt. On the death of the last Fatimid caliph in 1171, Saladin joined Egypt to the Abbasid Caliphate and Egypt returned to the Sunni branch of Islam, bringing the Fatimid dynasty to an end. Saladin founded the Ayyubid dynasty.

Related Topics:
1060 - Saladin - Abbasid - Sunni - Ayyubid dynasty

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