A major IsmailiShiitedynasty, theFatimidsfounded their owncaliphateThe 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 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 theFatimidswas 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 FatimidcaliphIn Arabic khal蘋fa, the head of the Muslim community. See caliphate., al-Azid (555-67/1160-71), lay dying in Cairo. TheFatimidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Ismaili caliphs in North Africa (from 909) and later in Egypt (9731171) More, who traced their ancestry to the Prophets daughterFatimaand her husband Ali b. Abi Talib, the firstShiiteimamIn general usage, a leader of prayers or religious leader. The Shi’i restrict the term to their spiritual leaders descended from 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib and the Prophet’s daughter, Fatima., were also acknowledged as the rightful imams by different Ismaili communities, but also in many other Muslim lands, including Persia and the adjacent regions (see Daftary, 1990, pp. 144-273, 615-59; Canard, Fatimids, pp. 850-62). TheFatimidshad 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 entitledFortresses of the Intellectwas produced to honour Dr. Daftary by a number of his colleagues and peers.
