1. Word List
Fatimids Isma‘ilis/“Seveners”
‘Ali ibn Abi Talib imam
Imamis/“Twelvers” Isma‘il
Ja‘far al-Sadiq (d. 765) batiniyya
Muhammad ibn Isma‘il batin (inner
meaning)

2. Word List
shari‘a (Islamic Law)
‘ilm (divinely-inspired knowledge)
taqiyya (dissimulation)
mahdi (fore-ordained leader)
Qarmatians

3. Word List
Timeline
909 ‘Abd Allah takes
Qayrawan. Proclaimed
caliph with title “al-Mahdi.”
Caliphate of al-Mahdi.
951 Fatimids arrange for Black Stone to be
returned to Mecca.
Fatimids consolidate hold on N. Africa.
Berbers
Fatima
Umayyads

4. Map Link: The Fatimids and Buyids:
<
uploads/Maps/Map%20-%20Fatimids%20%26%
20Buyids%201.pdf>

5. Word List
Timeline
al-Azhar
Mosque
hajj (greater
pilgrimage)
Caliphate of
al-Mu‘izz.
969 Jawhar takes Fustat.
Builds al-Qahira (Cairo).
973 Al-Mu‘izz arrives
in Cairo.

6. Map Link: Greater Cairo in the Fatimid Period:
<
ft1w100463/figures/ft1w100463_map1.jpg>

7. Timeline
Caliphate of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.
1000 Al-Hakim murders Barjuwan, takes
control of Fatimid state.
1003 Al-Hakim orders destruction of churches.
1009 Destruction of Church of the Holy
Sepulchre.

8. Timeline
1006 Al-Hakim fights off invasion.
1012 Al-Hakim becomes ascetic.
Al-Darazi preaches that al-Hakim is
God. Dies at hands of Turkish troops. Followers
flee to Syria, becoming the Druze.
1021 Al-Hakim vanishes.
1171 End of Fatimid caliphate.

9. Object List F = Ferret, A = Archnet
Carved wood plank, originally gilt. Wall decoration of West
Fatimid Palace. Cairo. Second half of the 11th c. (F)
Fatimid Palace. Cairo. Second half of the 11th c. (Niall Christie,
Personal Collection: <
HIST2252slides/woodpanel.jpg>.)
Mosque of al-Azhar, Cairo. 10th c. Exterior View (F)
Mosque of al-Azhar, Cairo. 10th c. Plan. (F)
Mosque of al-Azhar, Cairo. 10th c. Exterior view. Courtyard view. (F)
Mosque of al-Azhar, Cairo. 10th c. Interior view. (F)
Mosque of al-Azhar, Cairo. 10th c. Ornamental details. Stucco work. (F)
Mosque of al-Hakim. Cairo. 11th c. (F)
F = Ferret, A = Archnet

10. Object List F = Ferret, A = Archnet
View of courtyard of the Mosque of al-Hakim. (A)
Mihrab of the Mosque of al-Hakim. Cairo. 11th c. (F)
Al-Aqmar mosque, Cairo. 12th c. Exterior view. Façade. Finished 1125.
(F)
Al-Aqmar mosque, Cairo. 12th c. Exterior view. Entrance arch. (F)
Al-Aqmar mosque, Cairo. 12th c. Exterior view. Front façade. Finished
1125. (F)
Al-Aqmar mosque, Cairo. 12th c. Plan. (A)
Al-Aqmar mosque, Cairo. 12th c. View of the prayer hall arcade
from the courtyard. (A)

11. Object List F = Ferret, A = Archnet
Al-Aqmar mosque, Cairo. 12th c. Detail view of keel-shaped arches
bordered with Quranic inscriptions, courtyard façade. (A)
Bab al-Futuh. Exterior view. 11th c. Cairo. (F)
Bab al-Futuh. East tower chamber. (A)
Bab al-Futuh. Detail view of the semi-circular arch and bull head brackets. (A)
Bab al-Nasr. Cairo. (F)
Fatimid tombs at Aswan, Egypt. 11th and 12th c. (F)
Fatimid tomb at Aswan, Egypt. 11th and 12th c. (F)
Cappella Palatina. Palermo, Sicily. Photograph by Dave Ross.
(Niall Christie, Personal Collection: <
nchristi/HIST2252slides/cappellapalatina1.jpg>.)

12. Object List
Cappella Palatina. Palermo, Sicily. Photograph by Dave Ross.
(Niall Christie, Personal Collection: <
nchristi/HIST2252slides/cappellapalatina2.jpg>.)
Ceiling of Cappella Palatina. Palermo, Sicily. Example of Fatimid art.
(F)
Feasting ruler and attendants. Cappella Palatina. Palermo, Sicily. 12th c.
Buddha sheltered by a naga, Angkor period, 12th century, Cambodia
Bronze; 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm). (Metropolitan Museum
of Art: <
Scene at a well from Cappella Palatina: Palermo, Sicily. 12th c. (F)
F = Ferret, A = Archnet

13. Object List
Ceiling painting of Cappella Palatina: Palermo, Sicily. 1140s. (F)
Mantle of Roger II, Norman king of Sicily, made by Muslim artisans
for coronation. 12th c. (F)
Textile - Mugassab used for ‘aba (robe), made for al-Musta‘li.
11-12th c. (F - two slides)
Detail of medallion. Fatimid period, (F)
Acid-back medallion. Fatimid period, (F)
Same ‘aba - dorsal motif with inscription. (F)
Jewelery: pendants. 11th c. (F)
F = Ferret, A = Archnet

14. Object List Rock crystal ewer. Fatimid caliph al-‘Aziz. 975-96. (F)
Rock crystal ewer th c. (mounting is European, 17th c). (F)
Rock crystal ewer. 11th c, with Venetian silver mount from the 13th c.
(F)
Rock crystal bottle. 13th c. (F)
Rock crystal bottle with gilt silver mount cm h. 10th c. Egypt. (F)
Rock crystal bottle, bevel cut cm. 11th c. Egypt. (F)
Rock crystal pendant (silver mounting is 18th c. German). (F)
F = Ferret, A = Archnet

15. Object List Glass bowl with dark blue ibexes. 10th c. (F)
Spherical bottle, glass with bird design. 10.4cm. Early 11th c. (F)
Cameo (raised-relief) glass fragment, Fatimid period, (F)
Earthenware dish with lustre decoration. 11th c. (F)
Lustreware; cock fight; Fatimid period ( ). (F)
Lustreware wrestling scene. 11th c. (F)
Grammar treatise fragment, Fatimid period, (F)
F = Ferret, A = Archnet

16. Object List
Folio from the “Blue Qur’an,” second half of 9th–mid–10th century.
Tunisia, probably Qairawan. Gold and silver on indigo–dyed
parchment; 11 15/16 x 15 13/16 in. (Metropolitan
Museum of Art: <
Ivory frame with hunting and celebration scenes. Egypt, 11th-12th c.
(Niall Christie, Personal Collection:
<
Ivory horn with figural decoration. Southern Italy or Sicily, 11th-12th c.
<
F = Ferret, A = Archnet

17. Object List
Ivory casket with figural decoration. Southern Italy or Sicily, 11th-12th c.
(Niall Christie, Personal Collection:
<
Wooden prayer tablet, bearing the “Throne Verse” (Qur’an 2: 255).
Egypt, c (Niall Christie, Personal Collection:
<
F = Ferret, A = Archnet