The Founder of Cairo: The Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mu'izz and his Era

The reign of the founder of Cairo, the fourth Fatimid Imam—caliph al-Mu'izz li—Din Allah (341—365/953—975), marks a watershed in the transformation of the Fatimid state from a regional North African dynasty to an expansive Mediterranean empire. It was also under al- Mu'izz that articulations of the supreme authority of the Fatimid Ismaili imamate were written and disseminated across various regions of Fatimid influence. The writings of Idris 'Imad al-Din (d. 872/1468) provide a distinctive ...