CALIPHS OF AFRICA. 39 



same admirable order which was formerly main- 

 tained among- all classes by the terror of meeting 

 that redoubted caliph as he wandered the streets of 

 his capit-al in disguise. 



CHAPTER 11. 



CALIPHS OF AFRICA, EGYPT, AND SPAIN. 



The Aglabites or Caliphs of Cairoan — Military Exploits of the 

 Western Arabs — Reduction of Crete — Conquest of Sicily — 

 Ijivasion of Italy — Pillage of Rome — Siege of Gaeta — Naval 

 ^'ictory of the Christians — Subjugation of Corsica and Sardi- 

 nia by 'the Saracens — Expukion of the Aglabites — Moorish 

 Kinrrdom of Timbuctoo — D}Tjasty of the Fatimites in Egypt 

 — Their Subversion by Saladm, Founder of the Ayubites— 

 Ps nasty of the Ommiades in Spain founded by Abdalrahman 

 —Their Power and Magnificence — Extinction of the Caliph- 

 ate— 'Conquest of Granada by Ferdinand — Wealth and Popu- 

 lation of the Moorish capitals — The Government, Arms, and 

 3'Iilitary Tactics of the Arabs — Revenue, Trade, and .Marine 

 ^f Spain under the Saracens — Reduction of Sicily by the 

 Normans, and final Overthrow of the IMohammedan power in 

 Europe. 



Varioi's dynasties of Arab princes rose and succes- 

 sively ruled in Africa and Eg^'pt. In the year of 

 Christianity 797, Ibrahim ibn Aglab had been sent, 

 b)'- the Caliph Haroun al Raschid, governor into the 

 western parts of Africa. Fifteen years after, en- 

 •couraged b}^ the rebellious state of the IMoslem em- 

 pire at the accession of Almamoun, he assumed to 

 himself an almost absolute power in that country, 

 •and conquered a large extent of territory, over which 

 he and his descendants ruled as sovereign princes, 

 under the name of the Aglabites, for more than a cen- 

 tmy. This new empire, whose capital was Cairoan, 

 included the ancient kingdoms of Maurit ia and 



