TheFatimid Caliphate (/ˈfætɪmɪd/;Arabic:الخلافة الفاطمیّة,romanized: al-Khilāfat al-Fāṭimiyya), also known as theFatimid Empire, was acaliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of theFatimids, anIsma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area ofNorth Africa andWest Asia, it ranged from the westernMediterranean in the west to theRed Sea in the east. The Fatimids traced their ancestry to the Islamic prophetMuhammad's daughterFatima and her husbandAli, the firstShi'a imam. The Fatimids were acknowledged as the rightful imams by different Isma'ili communities as well as by denominations in many other Muslim lands and adjacent regions. Originating during theAbbasid Caliphate, the Fatimids initially conqueredIfriqiya (roughly present-dayTunisia and north-easternAlgeria). They extended their rule across the Mediterranean coast and ultimately madeEgypt the center of the caliphate. At its height, the caliphate included—in addition to Egypt—varying areas of theMaghreb,Sicily, theLevant, and theHejaz.

Between 902 and 909, the foundation of the Fatimid state was realized under the leadership ofda'i (missionary)Abu Abdallah, whose conquest ofAghlabid Ifriqiya with the help ofKutama forces paved the way for the establishment of the Caliphate. After the conquest,Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah was retrieved fromSijilmasa and then accepted as the Imam of the movement, becoming the first Caliph and founder of the dynasty in 909. In 921, the city ofal-Mahdiyya was established as the capital. In 948, they shifted their capital toal-Mansuriyya, nearKairouan. In 969, during the reign ofal-Mu'izz, theyconquered Egypt, and in 973, the caliphate was moved to the newly founded Fatimid capital ofCairo. Egypt became the political, cultural, and religious centre of the empire and it developed a new and "indigenous Arabic culture". After its initial conquests, the caliphate often allowed a degree ofreligious tolerance towards non-Shi'a sects of Islam, as well as to Jews and Christians. However, its leaders made little headway in persuading the Egyptian population to adopt its religious beliefs. (Full article...)

Selected articles

Image 1
Thenavy of theFatimid Caliphate was one of the most developed early Muslim navies and a major force in the central and eastern Mediterranean in the 10th–12th centuries. As with the dynasty it served, its history is in two phases. The first wasc. 909 to 969, when the Fatimids were based in Ifriqiya (modernTunisia); the second lasted until theend of the dynasty in 1171, when they were based inEgypt. During the first period, the navy was employed mainly against theByzantine Empire inSicily andsouthern Italy, where it enjoyed mixed success. It was also in the initially unsuccessful attempts to conquer Egypt from theAbbasids and brief clashes with theUmayyad Caliphate of Córdoba.

During the first decades after the eventualFatimid conquest of Egypt in 969, the main naval enemy remained the Byzantines, but the war was fought mostly on land over control ofSyria, and naval operations were limited to maintaining Fatimid control over the coastal cities of theLevant. Warfare with the Byzantines ended after 1000 with a series of truces, and the navy became once more important with the arrival of theCrusaders in theHoly Land in the late 1090s. (Full article...)
Image 2
TheKutama (Berber:Ikutamen;Arabic:كتامة) were aBerber tribe in northernAlgeria classified among the Berber confederation of theBavares. The Kutama are attested much earlier, in the formKoidamousii by the Greek geographerPtolemy.

The Kutama played a pivotal role in establishing theFatimid Caliphate (909–1171), forming the bulk of the Fatimid army which eventually overthrew theAghlabids who controlledIfriqiya, and which then went on to conquerEgypt,Sudan,Hijaz and the southernLevant in 969–975. The Kutama remained one of the mainstays of the Fatimid army until well into the 11th century. (Full article...)
Image 3
Thesiege of Aleppo was a siege of theHamdanid capitalAleppo by the army of theFatimid Caliphate underManjutakin from the spring of 994 to April 995. Manjutakin laid siege to the city over the winter, while the population of Aleppo starved and suffered from disease. In the spring of 995, theemir of Aleppo appealed for help fromByzantine emperorBasil II. The arrival of a Byzantine relief army under the emperor in April 995 compelled the Fatimid forces to give up the siege and retreat south. (Full article...)
Image 4
Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas ibn Ahmad ibn al-Mahdi (Arabic:عبد الرحيم ابن إلياس ابن احمد بن المهدي) was a member of theFatimid dynasty who was namedheir-apparent by thecaliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1013. When al-Hakim was murdered in 1021, he was sidelined in favour of al-Hakim's son,Ali al-Zahir, arrested and imprisoned. He died in captivity, officially by his own hands, or assassinated by the real power behind al-Zahir's throne, the princessSitt al-Mulk. (Full article...)
Image 5
Manjutakin (Arabic:منجوتكين) was a military slave (ghulam) of theFatimid Caliphal-Aziz (r. 975–996). Of Turkic origin, he became one of the leading Fatimid generals under al-Aziz, fighting against theHamdanids and theByzantines inSyria. He rebelled against theBerber-dominated regime of the early years ofal-Hakim (r. 996–1021), but was defeated and died in captivity. (Full article...)
Image 6
Ismailism (Arabic:الإسماعيلية,romanized: al-Ismāʿīliyya) is a branch ofShia Islam. The Isma'ili (/ˌɪzmɑːˈɪliː/) get their name from their acceptance of ImamIsma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) toJa'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from theTwelver Shia, who acceptMusa al-Kazim, the younger brother of Isma'il, as thetrue Imām.

After the death ofMuhammad ibn Isma'il in the 8th century CE, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known today, with an explicit concentration on the deeper, esoteric meaning (batin) of the Islamic religion. With the eventual development ofUsulism andAkhbarism into the more literalistic (zahir) oriented, Shia Islam developed into two separate directions: the metaphorical Ismaili,Alevi,Bektashi,Alian, andAlawite groups focusing on themystical path and nature ofGod, along with the "Imam of the Time" representing the manifestation of esoteric truth and intelligible divine reality, with the more literalisticUsuli andAkhbari groups focusing on divine law (sharia) and the deeds and sayings (sunnah) of Muhammad andthe Twelve Imams who were guides and alight to God. (Full article...)
Image 7
Abu Abdallah al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Zakariyya, better known asAbu Abdallah al-Shi'i (Arabic:ابو عبد الله الشيعي,romanized: Abū ʿAbd Allāh ash-Shīʿī), was anIsma'ili missionary (dāʿī) active inYemen andNorth Africa. He was successful in converting and unifying a large part of theKutama Berber tribe, leading them on the conquest ofIfriqiya from 902 to 909 and the overthrowing of theAghlabid dynasty. This ultimately led to the establishment of theFatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya under theImam–caliph Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah. However, Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah quickly fell out with Abu Abdallah and had Abu Abdallah executed on 18 February 911. (Full article...)
Image 8
Nāṣir al-Dawla Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Ḥasan (Arabic:ناصر الدولة أبو علي الحسين بن الحسن), better known by hishonorific epithet asNasir al-Dawla Ibn Hamdan, was a descendant of theHamdanid dynasty who became a general of theFatimid Caliphate, ruing Egypt as ade facto dictator in 1071–1073.

Nasir al-Dawla was a grandson ofAbu Abdallah al-Husayn ibn Nasir al-Dawla, a Hamdanid prince who had fled to theFatimid Caliphate whenMosul had been taken over by theUqaylid dynasty in 990, serving as governor ofTyre. Nasir al-Dawla's father, al-Hasan, served asgovernor ofDamascus in 1041–1048, in succession toAnushtakin al-Dizbari. As al-Husayn was appointed to the same office in 1058 and carried the same honorific of 'Nasir al-Dawla', as his father, the medieval historianIbn al-Qalanisi confused the two, followed by some modern historians as well, who attribute to al-Husayn his father's governorship as well. (Full article...)
Image 9
Abu Ali al-Mansur (Arabic:أبو علي المنصور,romanized: Abū ʿAlī al-Manṣūr; 13 August 985 – 13 February 1021), better known by hisregnal nameal-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (Arabic:الحاكم بأمر الله,romanized: al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh,lit. 'The Ruler by the Order of God'), was the sixthFatimid caliph and 16thIsmaili imam (996–1021). Al-Hakim is an important figure in a number ofShia Ismaili sects, such as the world's 15 millionNizaris and 1–2 millionMusta'lis, in addition to 2 millionDruze.

Histories of al-Hakim can prove controversial, as diverse views of his life and legacy exist. Historian Paul Walker writes "Ultimately, both views of him, the mad and despotic tyrant (like Germanic and Roman despots) irrationally given to killing those around him on a whim, and the ideal supreme ruler, divinely ordained and chosen, whose every action was just and righteous, were to persist, the one among his enemies and those who rebelled against him, and the other in the hearts of true believers, who, while perhaps perplexed by events, nonetheless remained avidly loyal to him to the end." Appraisals of the more controversial accounts of al-Hakim's life and rule have earned him such monikers as "theNero of Egypt", and "the Mad Caliph". (Full article...)
Image 10
Shawar ibn Mujir al-Sa'di (Arabic:شاور بن مجير السعدي,romanized: Shāwar ibn Mujīr al-Saʿdī; died 18 January 1169) was anArabde facto ruler ofFatimid Egypt, as itsvizier, from December 1162 until his assassination in 1169 by theKurdish generalShirkuh, the uncle of the futureAyyubid leaderSaladin, with whom he was engaged in a three-way power struggle against theCrusader Amalric I of Jerusalem. Shawar was notorious for continually switching alliances, allying first with one side, and then the other, and even ordering the burning of his own capital city,Fustat, just so that the enemy could not have it. (Full article...)
Image 11
Abu Mansur Nizar ibn al-Mustansir (Arabic:أبو منصور نزار بن المستنصر,romanized: Abū Manṣūr Nizār ibn al-Mustanṣir; 1045–1095) was aFatimid prince, and the oldest son of the eighthFatimid caliph and eighteenthIsma'ili imam,al-Mustansir. When his father died in December 1094, the powerfulvizier,al-Afdal Shahanshah, raised Nizar's younger brotheral-Musta'li to the throne inCairo, bypassing the claims of Nizar and other older sons of al-Mustansir. Nizar escaped Cairo, rebelled and seizedAlexandria, where he reigned as caliph with theregnal nameal-Mustafa li-Din Allah (Arabic:المصطفى لدين الله,romanized: al-Muṣṭafā li-Dīn Allāh). In late 1095 he was defeated and taken prisoner to Cairo, where he was executed byimmurement.

During the 12th century, some of Nizar's actual or claimed descendants tried, without success, to seize the throne from the Fatimid caliphs. Many Isma'ilis, especially inPersia, rejected al-Musta'li's imamate and considered Nizar as the rightful imam. As a result, they split off from the Fatimid regime and founded theNizari branch of Isma'ilism, with their own line of imams who claimed descent from Nizar. This line continues to this day in the person of theAga Khan. (Full article...)
Image 12
Abu'l-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Iyadi al-Tunisi (Arabic:علي بن محمد الإيادي,romanized: ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Iyādī; died 976) was a 10th-centuryMaghrebi Arabic poet in the service of theFatimid caliphs al-Qa'im,al-Mansur, andal-Mu'izz.

His exact origin is unknown. Thenisba "al-Tunisi" has led to suggestions that he was born inTunis, but his othernisba of "al-Iyadi" suggests ties to the Iyad, a clan of the ArabBanu Hilal tribe settled nearMsila. Pro-Shi'ite, he wascourt poet of theIsma'ili Shi'a caliphsal-Qa'im,al-Mansur, andal-Mu'izz. His reputation during his lifetime was considerable, and he was highly regarded by later critics. However, possibly due to his pro-Shi'a partisanship, which may have led to an attempteddamnatio memoriae after theZirid dynasty turned toSunni Islam, or due to shifting literary tastes, none of his works survives in complete form. His work survives mostly in fragments that were appreciated and gathered together by later anthologists for their vivid and evocative language, such as descriptions of theFatimid navy, a galloping horse, or the so-called Lake Palace in the palace city ofMansuriya. The only evidently pro-Shi'a works surviving are aeulogy for al-Mansur, and a moving description of the end of the famous anti-Fatimid rebelAbu Yazid. Al-Iyadi died in 976, probably inCairo, where he had followed the Fatimid court following theFatimid conquest of Egypt in 969. (Full article...)
Image 13
Abu'l Muzaffar Bahram al-Armani al-Hafizi (Arabic:بهرام) was thevizier of theFatimid Caliphate in 1135–1137, under the Caliphal-Hafiz li-Din Allah. (Full article...)
Image 14
Musta'li Isma'ilism (Arabic:المستعلية,romanized: al-Mustaʿliyya) is a branch ofIsma'ilism named for their acceptance ofal-Musta'li as the legitimate ninthFatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father,al-Mustansir Billah (r. 1036–1094/1095). The Nizari the other living branch of Ismailism, led byAga Khan V believe the ninth caliph was al-Musta'li's elder brother,Nizar.

The Musta'li originated in Fatimid-ruledEgypt, later moved its religious center toYemen, and gained a foothold in 11th-centuryWestern India throughmissionaries. (Full article...)
Image 15
Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh (Arabic:أبو القاسم محمد ابن عبد الله; March/April 893 – 17 May 946), better known by hisregnal nameal-Qāʾim (القائم) oral-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh (Arabic:القائم بأمر الله,lit. 'He who carries out God's orders'), was the twelfthIsma'ili Imam and secondcaliph of theFatimid dynasty, ruling inIfriqiya from 934 to 946, succeeding his fatherAbd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (r. 909–934).

Born in March or April 893 in the Syrian town ofSalamiyah, where his father, under the guise of a wealthy merchant, was leading the clandestine Isma'ili missionary network. Al-Qa'im and his father had to flee Salamiyah in 903 to avoidAbbasid persecution under the impact of a pro-Isma'ili revolt in Syria. Aided by sympathizers, the small group found refuge in toRamla inPalestine andFustat inEgypt, before turning west and making for the remote oasis town ofSijilmasa in what is nowMorocco. While there, the Isma'ili missionary (da'i)Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i, who had converted theKutama Berbers, overthrew theAghlabid dynasty ruling inIfriqiya and established theFatimid Caliphate on behalf of al-Mahdi. After al-Mahdi's accession, al-Qa'im was officially made the designated successor and played a significant role during his father's reign as a military commander. He suppressed a Kutama revolt that broke out after the murder of Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i, capturedBarqa, and led two invasions of Egypt, in914–915 and919–921. The Fatimids were able to captureAlexandria and threaten the capital, Fustat, but ultimately failed due to strong Abbasid resistance, logistical challenges, and the indiscipline of their troops. In 927, al-Qa'im led a campaign to suppress theZenata Berbers in what is now centralAlgeria. He secured Fatimid control ofTahert, received the submission of theSanhaja Berbers, and founded the city of al-Muhammadiya (modernMsila) as a stronghold to control the region. (Full article...)
Image 16
Abū al-Qāsim Aḥmad ibn al-Mustanṣir (Arabic:أبو القاسم أحمد بن المستنصر; 15/16 September 1074 – 11/12 December 1101), better known by hisregnal nameal-Mustaʿlī biʾllāh (المستعلي بالله,lit. 'The One Raised Up by God'), was the ninth Fatimid caliph and the 19thimam ofMusta'li Ismailism.

Although not the eldest (and most likely the youngest) of the sons of Caliphal-Mustansir Billah, al-Musta'li became caliph through the machinations of his brother-in-law, thevizier al-Afdal Shahanshah. In response, his oldest brother and most likely candidate for their father's succession,Nizar, rose in revolt inAlexandria but was defeated and executed. This caused a major split in the Isma'ili movement. Many communities, especially inPersia andIraq, split off from the officially sponsored Isma'ili hierarchy and formed their ownNizari movement, holding Nizar and his descendants as the rightful imams. (Full article...)
Image 17
Egypt was repeatedly invaded from 1163 to 1169 by KingAmalric of Jerusalem, who wished to strengthen its position in theLevant by taking advantage of the weakness of theFatimid Caliphate.

The invasions began as part of a succession crisis in the caliphate, which began to crumble under the pressure of Muslim Syria ruled by theZengids and the ChristianCrusader states. While one side called for help from the emir of Syria,Nur ad-Din Zengi, the other called for Crusader assistance. As the war progressed, however, it became a war of conquest. A number of Syrian campaigns into Egypt were stopped short of total victory by the aggressive campaigning of King Amalric. Even so, the Crusaders generally speaking did not have things go their way, despite several sackings. A combinedByzantine–Crusader siege ofDamietta failed in 1169, the same year thatSaladin took power in Egypt as vizier. In 1171, Saladin became sultan of Egypt and the crusaders thereafter turned their attention to the defence of their kingdom, which, despite being surrounded by Syria and Egypt,held for another 16 years. Later crusades tried to support the Kingdom of Jerusalem by targeting the danger that was Egypt, but to no avail. (Full article...)
Image 18
TheOrder of Assassins (Arabic:حَشّاشِین,romanized: Ḥashshāshīyīn;Persian:حشاشين,romanized: Ḥaššāšīn) were aNizari Isma'ili order that existed between 1090 and 1275 AD, founded byHasan al-Sabbah.

During that time, they lived in the mountains ofPersia and theLevant, and held a strict subterfuge policy throughout theMiddle East, posing a substantial strategic threat toFatimid,Abbasid, andSeljuk authority, and killing severalChristian leaders. Over the course of nearly 200 years, they killed hundreds who were considered enemies of theNizari Isma'ili state. The modern termassassination is believed to stem from the tactics used by the Assassins. (Full article...)
Image 19
TheBattle of Apamea was fought on 19 July 998 between the forces of theByzantine Empire and theFatimid Caliphate. The battle was part of a series of military confrontations between the two powers over control of northernSyria and theHamdanid emirate ofAleppo, which in turn were part of the larger series of regional conflicts known as theArab–Byzantine wars. The Byzantine regional commander,Damian Dalassenos, had been besiegingApamea, until the arrival of the Fatimid relief army fromDamascus, underJaysh ibn Samsama. In the subsequent battle, the Byzantines were initially victorious, but a lone Kurdish rider managed to kill Dalassenos, throwing the Byzantine army into panic. The fleeing Byzantines were then pursued, with much loss of life, by the Fatimid troops. This defeat forced the Byzantine emperorBasil II to personally campaign in the region the next year, and was followed in 1001 by the conclusion of a ten-year truce between the two states.

The Arab–Byzantine wars were a series of wars between a number ofMuslim-Arab dynasties and theByzantine Empire from the 7th to the 11th century. Conflict started during the initialMuslim conquests, under the expansionistRashidun andUmayyad caliphs, in the 7th century and continued by their successors until the mid-11th century. (Full article...)
Image 20
TheHouse of Knowledge (Arabic:دار العلم,romanized: Dār al-ʿIlm) was an ancientuniversity built by theFatimid Caliphate inCairo in 1004 CE. Originally a library, the House of Knowledge was converted to a state university by the Fatimid Imam-Caliphal-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in the same year.

In keeping with the Islamic tradition of knowledge, the Fatimids collected books on a variety of subjects and their libraries attracted the attention of scholars from around the world. al-Hakim was a great patron of learning and provided paper, pens, ink and inkstands without charge to all those who wished to study there. (Full article...)
Image 21
TheGreat Palaces of the Fatimid Caliphs (orGreat Fatimid Palaces, among other name variants) were a vast and lavish palace complex built in the late 10th century inCairo,Egypt, to house theFatimid caliphs, their households, and the administration of their state. There were two main palace complexes, the Eastern and the Western Palace. They were located in the center of the walled city of Cairo around the area still known today asBayn al-Qasrayn ("Between the Two Palaces"). (Full article...)
Image 22
Abu'l-Qāsim al-Ḥasan ibn Faraj ibn Ḥawshab ibn Zādān al-Najjār al-Kūfī (Arabic:أبو القاسم الحسن ابن فرج بن حوشب زاذان النجار الكوفي; died 31 December 914), better known simply asIbn Ḥawshab, or by hishonorific ofManṣūr al-Yaman (Arabic:منصور اليمن,lit. 'Conqueror of Yemen'), was a seniorIsma'ili missionary (dāʿī) from the environs ofKufa. In cooperation withAli ibn al-Fadl al-Jayshani, he established the Isma'ili creed inYemen and conquered much of that country in the 890s and 900s in the name of the Isma'iliimam,Abdallah al-Mahdi, who at the time was still in hiding. After al-Mahdi proclaimed himself publicly inIfriqiya in 909 and established theFatimid Caliphate, Ibn al-Fadl turned against him and forced Ibn Hawshab to a subordinate position. Ibn Hawshab's life is known from an autobiography he wrote, while later Isma'ili tradition ascribes two theological treatises to him. (Full article...)
Image 23
Abu Mansur Nizar ibn al-Mustansir (Arabic:أبو منصور نزار بن المستنصر,romanized: Abū Manṣūr Nizār ibn al-Mustanṣir; 1045–1095) was aFatimid prince, and the oldest son of the eighthFatimid caliph and eighteenthIsma'ili imam,al-Mustansir. When his father died in December 1094, the powerfulvizier,al-Afdal Shahanshah, raised Nizar's younger brotheral-Musta'li to the throne inCairo, bypassing the claims of Nizar and other older sons of al-Mustansir. Nizar escaped Cairo, rebelled and seizedAlexandria, where he reigned as caliph with theregnal nameal-Mustafa li-Din Allah (Arabic:المصطفى لدين الله,romanized: al-Muṣṭafā li-Dīn Allāh). In late 1095 he was defeated and taken prisoner to Cairo, where he was executed byimmurement.

During the 12th century, some of Nizar's actual or claimed descendants tried, without success, to seize the throne from the Fatimid caliphs. Many Isma'ilis, especially inPersia, rejected al-Musta'li's imamate and considered Nizar as the rightful imam. As a result, they split off from the Fatimid regime and founded theNizari branch of Isma'ilism, with their own line of imams who claimed descent from Nizar. This line continues to this day in the person of theAga Khan. (Full article...)
Image 24
Tayyibi Isma'ilism (Arabic:الطيبية,romanized: al-Ṭayyibiyya) is the only surviving sect of theMusta'li branch ofIsma'ilism, the other being the extinctHafizi branch. Followers of Tayyibi Isma'ilism are found in various Bohra communities:Dawoodi,Sulaymani, andAlavi.

The Tayyibi originally split from theFatimid Caliphate-supportingHafizi branch by supporting the right ofat-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim to theImamate. (Full article...)
Image 25
Cairo is thecapital andlargest city ofEgypt and theCairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of thelargest urban agglomeration in Africa,the Arab world, andthe Middle East. TheGreater Cairo metropolitan area isone of the largest in the world by population with over 22.1 million people.

The area that would become Cairo was part ofancient Egypt, as theGiza pyramid complex and the ancient cities ofMemphis andHeliopolis are near-by. Located near theNile Delta, the predecessor settlement wasFustat following theMuslim conquest of Egypt in 641 next to an existing ancientRoman fortress,Babylon. Subsequently, Cairo was founded by theFatimid dynasty in 969. It later superseded Fustat as the main urban centre during theAyyubid andMamluk periods (12th–16th centuries). (Full article...)

Did you know...

... that the lastFatimid caliph,al-Adid, came to the throne as a child, was dominated by hisviziers, and died a few days afterSaladin abolished the Fatimid regime?
... that the members ofan abortive conspiracy to restore theFatimid Caliphate were said to have asked theOrder of Assassins for assistance in eliminatingSaladin?
... thatAbd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas,heir apparent of theFatimid Caliphate, was arrested after the caliph's death and died in captivity under unclear circumstances?
... that medieval Muslim historians blamedal-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah for the loss of much ofPalestine to thecrusaders but, in reality, he played no role in theFatimid government during that period?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the Fatimid Caliphate that you can't find the answer to?

Consider asking it at theWikipedia reference desk or at thetalk page ofWikiProject Islam.

If you are interested in reading more about the Fatimid caliphate, some up-to-date summary books and encyclopedia articles are:

Brett, Michael (2017).The Fatimid Empire. The Edinburgh History of the Islamic Empires. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.ISBN 978-0-7486-4076-8.
Daftary, Farhad (1999)."Fatimids". InYarshater, Ehsan (ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. IX/4: Fārs II–Fauna III. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 423–426.ISBN 978-0-933273-32-0.
Halm, Heinz (2014)."Fāṭimids". In Fleet, Kate;Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John;Rowson, Everett (eds.).Encyclopaedia of Islam (3rd ed.). Brill Online.ISSN 1873-9830.
Sanders, Paula (1998)."The Fāṭimid state, 969–1171". In Petry, Carl F. (ed.).The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1: Islamic Egypt, 640–1517. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 151–174.ISBN 0-521-47137-0.
Walker, Paul E. (1998)."The Ismā'īlī Da'wa and the Fātimid caliphate". In Petry, Carl F. (ed.).The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1: Islamic Egypt, 640–1517. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 120–150.ISBN 0-521-47137-0.
Walker, Paul E. (2018)."Fāṭimids". InMadelung, Wilferd;Daftary, Farhad (eds.).Encyclopaedia Islamica Online. Brill Online.ISSN 1875-9831.

Selected images

Image 1Enthroned kingAl-Mu'izz li-Din Allah.Majma` al-tavarikh (1425). (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 2TheAl-Hakim Mosque in Cairo, commissioned byal-Aziz in 990 and completed byal-Hakim in 1013 (later renovated in the 1980s by theDawoodi Bohra) (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 3The original Fatimid-periodmihrab inside theal-Azhar Mosque (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 4Men hunting, on ivory panel, 11th century (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 5Fatimidgold dinar minted during the reign ofal-Mustansir Billah (1036–1094) (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 6Al-Salih Tala'i Mosque in Cairo, built byTala'i ibn Ruzzik in 1160 and originally intended to house the head ofHusayn (the head ended up being interred instead at the present-dayal-Hussein Mosque) (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 7Image of two standing soldiers. 11th century, Fatimid period, fromFustat nearCairo. Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo, inv. no. 13703. Attribution to the Fatimid period is sometimes questioned. (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 8Map of Abu Abdallah's campaigns and battles during the overthrow of the Aghlabids (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 9Bab al-Futuh, one of the gates of Cairo dating fromBadr al-Jamali's reconstruction of the city walls (1987) (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 10Al-Juyushi Mosque, Cairo, overlooking the city from theMuqattam Hills (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 11Cover page of theLeningrad Codex, a manuscript of theHebrew Bible copied in Cairo/Fustat in the early 11th century (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 12Fragments ofmosaic pavement from the palace ofal-Qa'im inal-Mahdiyya (Mahdia), on display at theMahdia Museum (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 13Al-Azhar Mosque inCairo, built by the Fatimids between 970 and 972 (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 14Side chapel in theHanging Church inOld Cairo, includingfrescoes (partly visible behind the screen here) dating from the late 12th or 13th century, before the church's later renovation (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 15Architectural fragment from a bathhouse inal-Fustat, 11th century CE (pre-1168 CE). Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo, 12880. (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 16Lustreware Plate with Bird Motif, 11th century. Archaeological digs have found many kilns and ceramic fragments inal-Fustat, and it was likely an important production location for Islamic ceramics during the Fatimid period. (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 17Entrance portal of theGreat Mosque of Mahdia (10th century) (fromFatimid Caliphate)
Image 18Fatimid ewer, 10th century CE (fromFatimid Caliphate)

Subcategories

Select [►] to view subcategories

Fatimid Caliphate

Culture of the Fatimid Caliphate

Government of the Fatimid Caliphate

History of the Fatimid Caliphate

People from the Fatimid Caliphate

Religion in the Fatimid Caliphate

Subtopics

Fatimid Caliphate topics

Imam-Caliphs

History

Foundation and rise (909–973)	Conquest of Aghlabid Ifriqiya Establishment 1st Sicilian revolt 1st invasion of Egypt 2nd invasion of Egypt 2nd Sicilian revolt Rebellion ofAbu Yazid (943–947) Conquest of Morocco Conquest of Egypt
Apogee and crisis (973–1073)	Expansion into Syria Alexandretta 1st and2nd Qarmatian invasions Struggle withAlptakin Aleppo Apamea Uprisings ofMuffarij b. Daghfal Bedouin alliance uprising Revolt ofAbu Rakwa Hilalian invasion of Ifriqiya al-Basasiri's conquest ofBaghdad Loss of Aleppo Mustansirite Hardship
Recovery and downfall (1073–1171)	Dictatorship ofBadr al-Jamali Revolt ofNizar Musta'li–Nizari schism First Crusade Siege of Ascalon Regime ofKutayfat and accession ofal-Hafiz Hafizi–Tayyibi schism Crusader invasions of Egypt End of the Fatimid Caliphate Battle of the Blacks Conspiracy against Saladin

Government

Viziers and regents	Jawdhar Ya'qub ibn Killis Ibn Ammar Barjawan Sitt al-Mulk Ali ibn Ahmad al-Jarjara'i Abu Muhammad al-Yazuri Rasad Nasir al-Dawla Ibn Hamdan Badr al-Jamali al-Afdal Shahanshah Kutayfat Hasan ibn al-Hafiz Bahram al-Armani Ridwan ibn Walakhshi al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi al-Adil ibn al-Sallar Abbas ibn Abi al-Futuh Tala'i ibn Ruzzik Ruzzik ibn Tala'i Shawar Dirgham Shirkuh Saladin
Vassal dynasties	Kalbids (Sicily) Zirids andHammadids (Ifriqiya) Sharifs of Mecca Sharifs of Medina Jarrahids (Palestine) Mirdasids (Aleppo) Sulayhids,Hamdanids, andZurayids (Yemen) Banu Kanz (Nubia) Lodi (Multan)
Officials,governors andgenerals	Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Baghdadi Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi Jawhar Bakjur Manjutakin Anushtakin al-Dizbari al-Basasiri Qadi al-Fadil
Military	Fatimid army Kutama Ghilman Fatimid navy
Economy	Coinage

Isma'ilism

Doctrines	Imamate Hujja Esotericism Batin andZahir
Branches and offshoots	Qarmatians Druze Hamza ibn Ali Nizari Assassins Musta'li Tayyibi Hafizi
Missionaries and theologians	Hamdan Qarmat Ibn Hawshab Ali ibn al-Fadl al-Jayshani Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi Abu Hatim al-Razi Abu Tammam Ja'far ibn Mansur al-Yaman al-Qadi al-Nu'man Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Naysaburi Abu'l-Fawaris Ahmad ibn Ya'qub Abdallah al-Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani
Anti-Fatimid movement	Akhu Muhsin Baghdad Manifesto

Culture

Art andarchitecture	Mahdiya Great Mosque of Mahdiya Skifa Kahla Mansuriya Cairo Al-Hakim Mosque Aqmar Mosque Bab al-Futuh Bab al-Nasr Bab Zuweila Fatimid Great Palaces Juyushi Mosque Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya Portable mihrab Al-Salih Tala'i Mosque Minbar of the Ibrahimi Mosque Shrine of Husayn's Head
Literature and learning	Ali ibn Muhammad al-Iyadi al-Qadi al-Nu'man Muhammad ibn Hani al-Andalusi al-Azdi al-Musabbihi al-Azhar University House of Knowledge