The Fatimids 2: The Rule from Egypt(World of Islam)

One of the most prosperous and influential dynasties of the Muslim world, the Fatimids (909–1171) were distinguished by their Imam-caliphs, who asserted religious as well as political authority in direct descent from the family of the Prophet. Their conquest of Egypt in 969 marked the inception of a burgeoning Mediterranean empire. From there, they refined their systems of administration, judiciary, and governance, instilling principles of inclusion which contributed to stability during their caliphate. Fatimid Cairo flourished as a vibrant cultural and intellectual centre through patronage of the arts, architecture, and scholarship. This book continues the story of the Fatimids from their newly founded capital of Cairo. Introducing the figures who moulded the empire, Shainool Jiwa charts the Fatimids’ expansion, the reasons behind their ultimate fall by the hand of Saladin, and the legacy that continues with the living Ismaili communities today. This lively and engaging work, including maps and colour images, draws on a broad range of primary sources to lead readers through two centuries that witnessed the triumphs and trials of the only sustained Shi’i caliphate to rule across the medieval Islamic world.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Chapter One: The Arrival of the Fatimids in Egypt Chapter Two: The Cosmopolitanism of Empire Chapter Three: The Pillars of Justice and Law Chapter Four: Public Life and Learning in Cairo Chapter Five: The Empire of the Seas Chapter Six: Fluctuations of Fatimid Rule Chapter Seven: The Heirs of Empire Conclusion: Glimpses of the Fatimid Legacy

About the Author :
Shainool Jiwa is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, UK and has lectured and published on Fatimid Studies for over three decades. She has published The Fatimids 1: The Rise of a Muslim Empire (2018) and co-edited The Shi‘i World: Pathways in Tradition and Modernity (2015) and The Fatimid Caliphate: Diversity of Traditions (2017) as well as translating key medieval Arabic texts relating to Fatimid history. She holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Review :
Pithy, comprehensive and clearly expressed, this book brings together diverse strands of Fatimid cultural, religious and political history in a cohesive account. Books that speak to both general readers and experts are rare in academia. In achieving this feat with erudition and aplomb, Jiwa’s book is an invaluable addition to the library of Fatimid studies. Having founded Cairo in 969, the Fatimids inaugurated an age marked by tolerance as well as brilliance in artistic and learning patronage. Dealing with the vicissitudes of the Fatimids and their empire, this book covers a lot of ground in a succinct, accessible way without compromising on academic rigour. This is an accessible volume from a leading scholar in the field of Fatimid studies. Based on primary sources research and including images and maps that will help readers understand the two centuries of Fatimid presence in Egypt, alongside The Fatimids 1. The Rise of a Muslim Empire, it forms a two-volume complete history of the only sustained Mediterranean Shi‘i caliphate The book was difficult to put down … The author has woven a clear yet complex tapestry of fascinating human stories drawing upon political and religious, as well as cultural history, that engagingly reveal the quality and range of the intellectual and artistic patronage extended by these rulers in creating the cultural wonder that was the Fatimid Empire. A book with a strictly scientific approach and methodology, very erudite and rich in details, but at the same time fully readable by the general public.