CALIPHS OP AFRICA. 47 



CHAPTER II. 



Caliphs of Africa, Egypt, and Spain. 



The Aglabites or Caliphs of Cairoan Military Exploits of the 

 Western Arabs Reduction of Crete Conquest of Sicily In- 

 vasion of Italy Pillage of Rome Siege of Gaeta Naval Vic- 

 tory of the Christians Subjugation of Corsica and Sardinia by 

 the Saracens Expulsion of the Aglabites Moorish Kingdom 

 of Timbuctoo Dynasty of the Fatimites in Egypt Their Sub- 

 version by Saladin, Founder of the Ayubites Dynasty of the 

 Ommiades in Spain founded by Abdalrahman Their Power and 

 Magnificence Extinction of the Caliphate Conquest of Gra- 

 nada by Ferdinand Wealth and Population of the Moorish Ca- 

 pitals The Government, Arms, and Military Tactics of the 

 Arabs Revenue, Trade, and Marine of Spain under the Sara- 

 cens Reduction of Sicily by the Normans, and final Overthrow 

 of the Mohammedan Power in Europe. 



VARIOUS dynasties of Arab princes rose and succes- 

 sively ruled in Africa and Egypt. In the year of 

 Christianity 797, Ibrahim ibn Aglab had been sent, 

 by the Caliph Haroun al Raschid, governor into the 

 western parts of Africa. Fifteen years after, encour- 

 aged by the rebellious state of the Moslem empire at 

 the accession of Almamoun, he assumed to himself an 

 almost absolute power in that country, and conquer- 

 ed 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 century. This 

 new empire, whose capital was Cairoan, included the 

 ancient kingdoms of Mauritania and Massylia, with 

 the republic of Carthage. Several of these caliphs 



