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Fatimid Cosmopolitanism
History, Material Culture, Politics and Religion
Gregory Bilotto (Anthology Editor) , Farhad Daftary (Anthology Editor) , Shainool Jiwa (Anthology Editor)
- Open Access
Fatimid Cosmopolitanism
History, Material Culture, Politics and Religion
Gregory Bilotto (Anthology Editor) , Farhad Daftary (Anthology Editor) , Shainool Jiwa (Anthology Editor)
- Open Access
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Description
I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies has published the following work as open access.
The Fatimid caliphs (297–567/909–1171), who were also the Ismaili Imams, reigned over a vast state stretching from North Africa (including Egypt) to Sicily, Syria and the Hijaz. Under Fatimid patronage, the arts and sciences flourished alongside Ismaili thought and literature.
An extensive trade network was centred on their capital, Cairo, facilitating cosmopolitan exchange across their caliphate, the Mediterranean and other lands. This led to innovation in the production of decorative arts, monumental building programmes, international commerce and significant intellectual exchange.
The original research of 22 scholars is here organised into four sections on aspects of Fatimid cosmopolitanism, covering religion and statecraft, the Fatimid legacy reconsidered, ceremony and symbolism and art and archaeology.
Contributors to this volume include Ali Asgar Hussamuddin Alibhai, Khalil Andani, Dina Ishak Bakhoum, Daniel Beben, Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Gregory Bilotto, Anna Contadini, Delia Cortese, Farhad Daftary, Valérie Gonzalez, Shainool Jiwa, Hasan al-Khoee, Juan de Lara, Ayala Lester, Bernard O'Kane, Marcus Pilz, Stéphane Pradines, Jennifer A. Pruitt, Yossef Rapoport, Paula Sanders, Avinoam Shalem, Yasser Tabbaa, Jamel A. Velji and Paul E. Walker.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Islamic Publications Ltd.
Table of Contents
Preface by Gregory Bilotto
List of Abbreviations
I. Fatimid Religion and Statecraft
1. Ismaili Neoplatonism: The Cosmopolitan Legacy of the Fatimid Ismaili Da?wa
Khalil Andani
2. Who was Nasir-i Khusraw's Patron in Yumgan? Notes on the Political Vectors of the Late Fatimid Da?wa
Daniel Beben
3. The Reign of the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah: Historiographical Considerations
Shainool Jiwa
4. The Fatimid Kitab al-Majalis wa'l-musayarat as Responsa to Internal Controversy and External Propaganda
Hasan al-Khoee
5. (Re)-making time, (Re)-making place: Some Considerations on Early Fatimid Ta?wil and Sacred Space
Jamel A. Velji
6. Fatimid Public Pronouncements: Messages from a Shi?i Dynasty to a Cosmopolitan Empire
Paul E. Walker
II. The Fatimid Legacy Reconsidered
1. The Modern Rediscovery of the Fatimid Artistic and Architectural Legacy in Egypt
Dina Ishak Bakhoum
2. A Dynasty for All Seasons: The Fatimids in Modern and Contemporary Cosmopolitanism Discourses
Delia Cortese
3. Wladimir Ivanow and Fatimid Studies
Farhad Daftary
4. The Untold Problem of Ibn al-Haytham's Scientific Legacy in Islamic Art History
Valerie Gonzalez
5. The Fatimids and the Indian Ocean: Evidence from the Book of Curiosities
Yossef Rapoport
III. Fatimid Ceremony and Symbolism
1. The Fatimid Crescent: Understanding a Complex Religio-Political Cosmos through Lunar Symbolism
Ali Asgar Alibhai
2. The Power of Six – Astral, Solomonic and Imami Imagery in Fatimid Art
Bernard O'Kane
3. The Cosmopolitan Ecosystem of the Festival Costumes of 515/1122
Paula Sanders
4. Back to Black Background: The Rediscovery of Black Background and the Aesthetic of Darkness – A Global Visual Spectacle during the Fatimid Age
Avinoam Shalem
5. 'Displaying the Hidden: Fatimid Public Texts in Floriated Kufic' Fatimid Cosmopolitanism: History, Material Culture, Politics and Religion
Yasser Tabbaa
IV. Art and Archeology
1. A Fatimid Mermaid
Doris Behrens-Abouseif and Juan de Lara
2. 'The Work is Blessed, Unique': The Fatimid Silver Casket of Sadaqa b. Yusuf
Anna Contadini
3. Fatimid Jewellery Hoards from Palestine in the Light of the Cairo Geniza Documents
Ayala Lester
4. The Fatimid Rock Crystal Ewers – Innovation or Variation? A Historical and Iconographical Investigation
Marcus Pilz
5. Seventeen Years of Archeological Excavations in Cairo: The Ismaili capital city and Fustat during the Fatimid period
Stephane Pradines
6. Reassessing Fatimid Figuralism: Ettinghausen, Grabar and a Medieval Lustre Workshop[e1]
Jennifer A. Pruit
Select Bibliography
Credits
Index
Product details
| Published | Sep 04 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Paperback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 496 |
| ISBN | 9780755657780 |
| Imprint | I.B. Tauris |
| Illustrations | 80 b&w images |
| Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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