E G Y P T. 



379 



History, known as the hero of the Arabian Tales ; but in the 

 S ^~V"""*' great variety of his vast engagements, Egypt, as a dis- 

 tant province, attracted little of his attention, though he 

 visited many of his dominions sometimes in disguise, 

 and sometimes openly. The disorders of that country, 

 and other distant possessions, called for his interposi- 

 tion ; and he invested Ibrahim, the son of Aglab, with 

 the powers of governor and lieutenant over his domi- 

 nions in Africa upon the shores of the Mediterranean ; 

 and Ibrahim found means to render himself indepen- 

 dent. Thus he established the dynasty of the Agla- 

 bites, the seat of whose government was at Cairwan. 



During the reign of Al Rashid, there was nothing 

 remarkable in the state of Eg\ pt, excepting a general 

 feebleness of the government, which happened, as we 

 have already observed, in all the remote provinces ; but 

 in the reign of his successor Almansur, the Ommiades 

 of Spain attempted to regain the possession of Egypt. 

 But the caliph of Bagdad invested Abdallah Bertaher 

 with a high commission for repelling the invaders, and 

 restoring Egypt to order. Yet the Ommiades were 

 scarcely dispersed, when the Greeks of Constantinople 

 arrived in Egypt with a numerous fleet. Alarmed by 

 this powerful armament, Ahmed Ben Tholan, a Turkish 

 commander, was sent into Egypt to defend the country, 

 and reduce the inhabitants to order. When he had 

 settled the disturbances in that country, he led a power- 

 ful army into the East, and reduced under his own 

 power several cities and provinces of the caliph. His 

 son and successor enlarged his dominions from the fall- 

 ing empire of the caliph of Bagdad, until he returned 

 to Egypt in possession of dominions which extended 

 from the streams of the Euphrates to the confines of 

 Nubia. Hut the power of the Tholonides was not of 

 long duration, and Egypt again was added to the em- 

 pire of Bagdad. 



The Faii- The Aglabites, in Africa, ceased to reign, and a dy- 

 BIM**. nasty succeeded, whose princes were denominated Fa- 



timites ; because thi-y professed themselves the descen- 

 dants of Fatima, the wife of Ali, and daughter of the 

 prophet. This new race of princes aspired to the do- 

 minions which the Aglabites possessed in Egypt ; but 

 the caliph of Bagdad defended his Egyptian posses- 

 sions, and put the Fatimites to flight. At this period, 

 Ikshid, the governor of ligvrrt. laid rlaim t the title 

 of an iiutejwrnilent prince ; tor the feeble and distracted 

 caliph of Bagdad was not able to restrain his preten- 

 sions ; and the government of Egypt continued for a 

 while under the Ikshidites. Upon the death of the 

 conqueror who gave name to this dynasty, Egypt was 

 governed in succession by his two sons, who were both 

 under age ; but the kingdom was under the regency of 

 Cafur, an old and faithful servant. Upon the death of 

 both the young princes, Cafur was himself seated upon 

 the throne ; but his reign was of short duration, for he 

 soon paid the debt of nature.. 



A. D. 969. The Fatimite caliph, who reigned in Africa, never 

 ceased to harass Egypt, and got full possession of the 

 kingdom, now that the Ikshidite dynasty was ended. 

 Moez Lediniblah transferred his government from Cair- 

 wan, now Cyrene, in Barbary, to a city which his victo- 

 rious general Jawhar had built in Egypt. This city was 

 called Cahara, or the City of Mars, and is now the Grand 

 Cairo of Egypt. Though former princes had reigned with 

 professions of independence on the b.inks of the Nile, 

 yet still the caliph of Bagdad, in the capacity of Imam, 

 or chief priest of the Mahommedans, had been men- 

 tioned in the mosques and prayers of Egypt ; but the 

 new caliph of the Fatimke race interdicted this mark 



of honour, and claimed for himself the legitimate sue- Hi?;". .-. 

 cession to all the honours of Mahommed. An intricate v "" p "Y"~ r 

 series of claims and disputes took place between the 

 caliphs of Bagdad and Egypt ; and if the former had 

 not been far in the decline of power, the latter must 

 inevitably have been overthrown. 



But Hakem Bamrillah maintained his authority in Bamrillah. 

 Egypt, and delivered himself from the power and 

 threatenings of the caliph of Bagdad ; nevertheless, he 

 did not continue in honour, for the agitation and diffi- 

 cult circumstances of his kingdom seemed to have af- 

 fected his mind. The incoherency of his conduct ap- 

 peared in various instances, and at length he claimed 

 divine honours. It is supposed that he was led into 

 this folly, in imitation of Darar, an extravagant fanatic, 

 who was put to death. But his followers were not ex- 

 tinct; and the caliph, running counter to every Ma- 

 hommedan practice and institution, the fasts, festivals, 

 and pilgrimages, were forbidden ; and when it was ap- 

 prehended, that even the worship of God would have 

 been set aside, Hakem was assassinated, and the former 

 order of things restored. 



Hakem's son, Daher, succeeded to the caliphate, in D , 

 whose reign nothing important happened ; but in the A D '10*1 

 following caliphate, there was a multitude of occur- 

 rences, which deeply affected the interests both of Bag- 

 dad and Egypt. No sooner had the son of Daher as- 

 cended the throne, than he assumed the name of Mos- 

 tanser Billah, and his cares were directed toward his 

 possessions in the East. But the principal anxieties of 

 his government, proceeded from the feebleness and dis- 

 orders of Bagdad. The Turks, who had lately assem- 

 bled about the throne of the eastern caliph, had also en- 

 croached considerably on his power ; and Nassasiri, 

 one of those slaves who had risen to power in the go- 

 vernment of Bagdad, having met with opposition in 

 some of his extravagant claims, fled into Egypt, to re- 

 ceive the assistance of Mostanser. This application 

 was attended with success ; for the caliph of Egypt 

 entertained a hope that he might seize upon Bagdad, 

 and overthrow his rival caliph. 



Nassasiri having conducted his victorious troops to 

 the very gates of Bagdad, the caliph Alcayem solicited 

 and obtained the assistance of Togrul Bey, a Turk- 

 ish warrior and chief of the Seljucides. In the mean 

 time, Nassasiri entered Bagdad, proclaimed the caliph 

 of Egypt sovereign of the city, and treated with great 

 severity the emir Alomra, as well as other persons of 

 distinction. But Togrul Bey approached the city, re- 

 stored the caliph, and Nassasiri was put to cleath. 

 Thus were the hopes of Mostanser Billah not only frus- 

 trated with respect to Bagdad, but, upon his reverse of 

 fortune, his Syrian provinces revolted, and he was di- 

 vested of every foreign possession. To his foreign dis- 

 appointments, famine and pestilence were added; and 

 the whole was followed by an invasion of Egypt by 

 \.i-i raldoulah, a Turkish general, who had taken re- 

 fuge and found protection at the- court of Cairo. The 

 cliph was unexpectedly besieged in his palace, and, 

 being altogether unprepared for such an attack, he wag 

 compelled to purchase his safety at an extravagant 

 price. After seeing himself disgraced, and his country 

 plundered, he was relieved from his afflictions, and clo- 

 sed his eyes from the sorrows of his kingdom. 



Abulcasem, surnamed Almostali Billah, was seated on Abiilcascm. 

 the Egyptian throne. But the affairs of Egypt embra- A. D. 1096 

 ced at this time little more than domestic quarrels, 

 with some feeble excursions into Syria and Palestine. 

 Caliph succeeded caliph in common succession ; but 



