Abstract:

Historically, Egypt has been the target for many invading powers due to its prosperity and location. Since they were founded, The Fatimids, who had established a Shiite state in North Africa, aimed at conquering Egypt, which they saw as a gateway to the Islamic world, in order to spread their sect. The conquest of Egypt by the Fatimids was carried out by Jawhar as-Sıqıllî, who was originally a Sicilian slave during the Muiz-Lidînillah period and rose to the rank of vizierate with his intelligence. Thus, the Fatimid domination, which would last more than two hundred years, began in Egypt, which was to be the new administrative center for the Fatimids. Jawhar, who was the absolute ruler of Egypt until the emergence of Caliphate, took some actions to perpetuate the Fatimid domination and to spread the Ismaili sect, to which the Fatimids belonged, in Egypt. Jawhar first started the construction of the city of Cairo, which would become the new administrative center for the Fatimids in Egypt. He, then, built al-Azhar, the first Shiite Mosque in Egypt. Jawhar also appointed Maghrib Shiites to learn about state affairs placing them with Sunnis at state levels. Through reorganizing the tax system, he contributed to increase the revenues, and took a series of measurements to minimize the effects of the drought that had afflicted Egypt for a long time.

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