A major Isma鈥榠li聽Shi鈥榠te聽dynasty, the聽Fatimids聽founded their own聽caliphateThe Muslim political institution or state centred around the caliph, which came to an end, historically, in 1924 with the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire., in rivalry with the 鈥AbbasidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Sunni caliphs that ruled in Baghdad (750-1258)., and ruled over different parts of the Islamic world, from North Africa and Sicily to Palestine and Syria. Established in 297/909 in Tunisia, the seat of the聽Fatimids聽was later transferred to Egypt in 362/973.
Following a succession dispute in 1094, one line of the Cairo based dynasty was finally overthrown by Salah-al-Din (Saladin) in 567/1171, when the fourteenth and last Fatimid聽caliphIn Arabic khal墨fa, the head of the Muslim community. See caliphate., al-鈥楢zid (555-67/1160-71), lay dying in Cairo. The聽FatimidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Ismaili caliphs in North Africa (from 909) and later in Egypt (973鈥1171) More, who traced their ancestry to the Prophet鈥檚 daughter聽Fatima聽and her husband 鈥楢li b. Abi Talib, the first聽Shi鈥榠te聽imamIn general usage, a leader of prayers or religious leader. The Shi’i restrict the term to their spiritual leaders descended from 士Al墨 b. Ab墨 峁乴ib and the Prophet’s daughter, Fatima., were also acknowledged as the rightful imams by different Isma鈥榠li communities, but also in many other Muslim lands, including Persia and the adjacent regions (see Daftary, 1990, pp. 144-273, 615-59; Canard, 鈥淔atimids,鈥 pp. 850-62). The聽Fatimids聽had diverse political relations with Persia and the major dynasties ruling there, which provide the focus of the present article.
Authors
Dr Farhad Daftary
Co-Director and Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications
An authority in Shi’i studies, with special reference to its Ismaili tradition, Dr. Daftary has published and lectured widely in these fields of Islamic studies. In 2011 a Festschrift entitled聽Fortresses of the Intellect聽was produced to honour Dr. Daftary by a number of his colleagues and peers.