Fatimides

The Fâtimides (Arab: rear Al-fātimiyyūn RTL الفاطميون) is a Shiite Arabic dynasty who established their authority in North Africa with Ikdjane, Petite Kabylie, Wilaya of Sétif in the East Algérie N between 909 and 1171 and founded a dissenting Califat Abbassides of Baghdad.

History of the dynasty fâtimide

The founder `Ubayd Allâh Al-Mahdî was an Imam Chiite Ismaéliens come from Syria which was claimed descending from the prophet Mahomet by his daughter Fâtima az-Zahrâ', and his son-in-law `Alî ibn Abî Tâlib, the fourth caliph reversed by the Omeyyades. Its nickname means “that which is guided by God”. The sunnites refute the fact that this dynasty goes down from Muhammad. Thus, the historians Sunnite S did not call them Fâtimides but “ `Ubaydiyya ”.

“Ubayd Allâh Al-Mahdî which had settled at the beginning with Kairouan, managed to join many partisans at the Berbères and to extend its authority on most of the the Maghreb, Morocco with the Libya. Sufficient powerful to dispute the authority of the Caliph of Baghdad, it chooses another capital by basing the town of Mahdiyya on a peninsula of the the Tunisian Sahel it proclaimed itself caliph in 909. This was to encourage besides the emir Cordoue to make in the same way in 929, establishing a caliphate omeyyade in Spain.

The Fâtimide S conquered the Egypt in 969, thanks to the general Jawhar Al-Siqillî, on order of the caliph Al-Driven `izz. The general entered to Al-Fustât the July 7th 969, in a disorganized country and in prey with the famine. They will found, close to this city a new capital which it named Al-Qâhira (Cairo), which means “the Victorious one”. They continued to extend their conquests until the Syria and managed to be established with Malta and in Sicily, and to temporarily put a foot in southernmost Italy. Become quoted imperial, with the Two-Palates and the mosque Al-Azhar. Cairo is surrounded by a limestone rampart, at the end of XIe century, by the Byzantine architects. One century, undermined afterwards by the plague and inflation, the empire fâtimide crumbles under the blows of the kingdom Franc of Jerusalem.

With the difference in the other Moslem authorities, Fâtimides accepted in their administration, not on criteria of tribal, ethnic membership or even nun, but mainly on the merit and competence. The members of other obediences of the Islam were allowed with high positions, and this tolerance was even wide with the Juifs and the Chrétiens which of it were able. There remained in Egypt, so an important minority Copte, of Christian religion which could open out.

The empire continued to thrive to the caliph Al-Hâkim whose reign started with completion in Cairo of the large mosque between Al-Bâb Al-Futuh and Al-Bâb year-Nasr (the Al-Hâkim mosque), started under the reign of its predecessor, Al-Aziz Billâh. Contrary to the tradition, it mixed with the people for better appreciating the feelings of them. One owes him the foundation of the Maison of Wisdom , Dâr Al-Hikma , or Dâr Al `ilm , in which the study of hellenistic sciences will be favoured. Lawyers, doctors, astronomers, mathematicians attend his important library.

The only exception to the policy of religious tolerance of Fâtimides was under the Al-Hâkim reign. This last is very badly depicts in the sunnites sources (Ibn Al-Athîr, Ibn Khallikân, Ibn Al-Sayrafî…) often like a dictator and a tyrant what returns the study of its very difficult reign. P.K. Hitti in The Origins off Druze People and Religions , takes a critical attitude with respect to these sources which it finds too negative to be entirely true.

According to the historian Al-Maqrîzî (Mr. 1442), the economic life and social had worsened at that time. The dâ `Aldine I ismaélien Hamid Kirmânî (Mr. 1021), in her treaty Al-risâlat Al-wâ `iza , described this critical period where a great famine prevailed of 999 with 1005. According to P.J. Vatikiotis, several of the hostile measurements taken temporarily by Al-Hâkim could be explained by the historical context, in which several members of the population were extremely disturbed by the increasing prosperity of the Ahl Al-Kitâb (Jewish and Christian) and their disproportionate power in the State. Al-Hâkim wanted to probably thwart the Byzantine Empire, which threatened Scandinavian Syria. In 1009 (Hégire 400), Al-Hâkim will order the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The rigid attitude of Al-Hâkim taken temporarily with respect to the women made following an intrigue of palate assembled mainly by his/her sister Sitt Al-Mulk. According to Al-Maqrîzî, by confiscating the property of the women, Al-Hâkim wished to restrict her mother and her sister who, deprived of money, could not foment new intrigues. If one considers all the period fâtimide as a whole, one must stress that the Moslems, Jews, and the Christians lived peacefully and worked together for the wellbeing of the Empire in all Ifrîqiyyâ.

Al-Hâkim will disappear the February 13rd 1021, at the time of a night walk on the Mukattan mount, after being distant from two riders to which it had given the order to await it. Five days after one found his lacerated clothing of stabs. He would have been assassinated at the instigation of his sister Sittt Al-Muk or is assassinated by an unknown.

The Druzes, which nowadays remain in Lebanon, in Syria, in Jordan and Palestine, believe in a screening ( ghayba ) of Al-Hâkim which remained famous for the divine character that some of its partisans allotted to him and who became the center of the faith Druze.

Two Persan already had in 1017 marked that Al-Hâkim was the manifestation of divine intellect. Its disappearance recessed the belief and thus was born the religion from the Druzes. For them, Al-Hâkim is the Messiah ( Mahdî ) which one awaits the return.

Starting from 1060, the territory of Fâtimides was reduced until more not including/understanding but Egypt. To died of the last caliph fâtimide Al-Adîd, on September 13rd 1171, Saladin will annex the caliphate with that of Baghdad, thus returning it to the Sunnisme.

Culture under the dynasty fâtimide

The arrival of the dynasty fâtimide, is marked by an important cultural revival. Fâtimides carried a great interest to the books, the Bibliothèque S and the Littérature. They had installed a large library inside even of their palate, where they accommodated many writers, historians, lawyers, scientists and poets, who came to document themselves to write works of literature, of history, legal sciences or collections. True patrons, they thus maintained a great number of intellectuals, writers or poets, to whom they allotted important money sums and made many gifts.

One of the most known poets of this time was called Ibn Hâni' Al-Andalusî (Mr. 973), which lived under the reign of the caliph Al-Driven `izz. He was famous to make very picturesque descriptions, like for his art of the praises, which he expressed in hagiographies, not very faithful to reality. Another poet whose history retained the name, Emara Al-Yamane, lived at the time of the caliph Al-Fâ' iz, which reigned of 1154 with 1160. He spoke in praise of the caliph, like that of his minister Al-Sâlih Talâ' I `Ibn Ruzzîk. The grammairien `Uthmân Ibn Al-Wazzin (Mr. 957), `Ali Ibn Muhammad Al-Ayadi (Mr. 976), or Muhammad Ibn Ja `far Al-Kazzaz Tamîmî (Mr. 956), are some of the outstanding figures of this literature fâtimide.

Art fâtimide

List caliphs Fâtimides

Dynasty

Ahmed wire of Mohamed wire of Ismail wire of Djaafar wire of Mohamed wire of Ali wire of Hussein wire of Ali husband of Fatima girl of the prophet Mahomet - El-Hussein. - El-Mahdi says Oubaydallah El-Mahdi caliph of North Africa (Algeria + Ifriqiya (Tunisia)) 909-934. It is Shiite. - El-Qaim says Mohamed Abu El-Qaim caliph of North Africa 934-946. - El-Mansour says Ismail El-Mansur caliph of North Africa 946-953. - El-Muizz says Maadd El-Muizz Lidinillah caliph of North Africa 953-972, sultan of Egypt 969-972, then caliph d' Egypte (North Africa + Egypt) 972-975, king of Damas 969-975. - Obda. - Rachida. - El-Aziz says Nizar El-Aziz Billah caliph d' Egypte and king de Damas 975-996. - El-Hakim says Mansour El-Hakim Bamrillah caliph d' Egypte and king de Damas 996-1021, king of Alep 1004-1021 disappears. - El-Zahir caliph d' Egypte says Ali El-Zahir El-Daker caliph d' Egypte and king de Damas 1021-1036, king d' Alep 1021-1024. - El-Moustansir says Maadd El-Moustansir caliph d' Egypte 1036-1094, king de Damas 1036-1079, king d' Alep 1038-1041 and 1057-1060. - Nizar died in 1095. Descent: The Nizarides, the Aghakhanides. - Ahmed El-Moustali caliph d' Egypte 1094-1101. - Mansour El-Amir Kamillah caliph d' Egypte 1101-1130. - El-Tayib. Descent: The Tayibides. - Mohamed. - El-Hafiz says Abd El-Madjid El-Hafiz Lidinillah caliph d' Egypte 1130-1149. - Ismail El-Zafir Bamrellah caliph d' Egypte 1149-1154. In 1152 it loses North Africa. - Isa El-Faiz caliph d' Egypte 1154-1158. - Youssouf. - Abdallah El-Adid Lidinillah caliph d' Egypte 1158-1171 abdicates. Saladin puts an end to the Califat. - Dawud. - El-Hassan. - Khalik. - Kabril. - Souleïman. - Abou Tourab. - Haydara.

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