The Fatimid Caliphate
Imam al-Mahdi, the founder of the Fatimid Caliphate, claimed to be the true Imam from the line of Imam Ismail and was a very capable statesman indeed. He laid down the foundations of a durable Ismaili state in a predominant Sunni population. This required abilities of a very high order, which undoubtedly he richly possessed. He founded his new capital Mahdiyya (named after his own title al-Mahdi) in the year 304 AH/916 CE and founded his Caliphate on tolerance, and never displayed the fanaticism of a sectarian ruler. Dotted on the southern side of the peninsula in Mahdiyya are the remains of the original Fatimid walls built during the 10th century.
The emergence of the Fatimid Caliphate is a major event in Islamic history. For the first time a large part of the Islamic world had passed under the control of a Shia sect which not only rejected the spiritual claims of the Abbasids, but declared its resolve to replace them by a new Universalist Imamate. To the Fatimids, North Africa was only a base of operations from which to conquer all Islamic lands, as previously the Abbasids had started out from Khurasan in 747 CE. The Fatimids proceeded to put their plans in action with a great speed. Thus, during the reign of Imam al-Mahdi (died 934 CE), and the next two Imams, Imam al-Qaim and Imam al-Mansur, they ruled over considerable parts of North Africa and Sicily, and launched two unsuccessful expeditions against Egypt.
Under Imam al-Muizz (953-975 CE), the Fatimids reached the height of their glory and universal triumph of Ismailis appeared not far distant. The fourth Fatimid Caliph possessed remarkable qualities: he was humane and generous, simple and just, a good administrator, and very tolerant and conciliatory. He was served by one of the greatest generals of the time, Jawhar al-Saqli who in the year 969 CE, at the head of an army claimed to be 100,000 strong conquered Egypt and laid the foundation of a new capital city to be called al-Qahira (the Victorious), which the West has corrupted to Cairo. The great and well-known University of al-Azhar (361 AH/972 CE) was erected in the middle of the city which was to play an important role in advancing the Ismaili dawa.
The Mediterranean Islands such as Crete, Corsica, Malta and Sicily were brought under Fatimid controls which were to play a crucial role in the naval power of the Fatimids. Their direct political power could now be seen far beyond Egypt and North Africa and in fact included important Islamic countries such as Palestine, Syria, Hijaz and Yemen and as far as Sind, thus influencing the entire Islamic world.
Read more about this topic: Isma'il Ibn Jafar