320 E G Y 
to ftiffer him for the future to interfere in the affairs of 
government. From that time he ruled without the aflifi¬ 
ance of a vizier: and he eftablifhed an equilibrium be¬ 
tween the Chriftian and Mahometan religions, by employ¬ 
ing able and upright men of both perfuafions. But the 
contefi: which was begun under Hafed, by the afpirers to 
the office of vizier, was, to the great detriment of the au¬ 
thority of the caliphs, continued during the reign of Du- 
fer, or Dhafer, and his fucceffors, A. D. 1151, and may be 
confidered as a principal caufe of the' revolution which 
was afterwards effected in Egypt. Dhafer was murdered 
by Abbas his vizier; who, in the morning after the mur¬ 
der, repaired to the palace of the caliph, and after many 
pretended enquiries refpedling Dhafer, accufed two of 
his brothers, and fome other relations, as principals or 
accomplices in the murder, and commanded them to be 
put to death. 
Fayez, or Alfayez, who fucceeded his father, A. D. 
1154, was (truck with horror and dread at the fight of his 
tincles and relatives, whom the vizier had unjuftly con¬ 
demned to death. The clamour and difcontent of the 
people, occafioned by the perfidious condudt of Abbas, 
loon became univerfal throughout the kingdom; and the 
vizier and his fon privately conveyed themfelves and their 
wealth into Syria, attended by a confiderable body of 
troops. The filter of the late caliph, however, applied 
to the Franks, or European crufaders, who had juft taken 
Afcalon ; and by means of prefents and promifes engaged 
them to apprehend thofe murderers. Accordingly a body 
of troops was fcnt to intercept them, and a bloody engage¬ 
ment enfued, in which Abbas was (lain, and his fon taken 
prifoner. Nafir was conduced to Cairo, where he ex¬ 
piated, by his fufferings, the crimes and vices of his fa¬ 
ther and himfelf. His right hand was crufhed ; the fiefh 
was torn off his bones with hot pincers ; and in this con¬ 
dition he was fixed to a gibbet till he was dead, when his 
body, was burnt to afhes. Alfayez did not long furvive, 
but died in the eleventh year of his age. 
Previous to this event, the African dynafly of the Zeir- 
ites had ceafed in the perfon of Haffan ben Ali, the la ft 
prince of that houfe; and upon whofe deceafe the Mara- 
but dynafly was founded, A. D. 1060, called by fome 
writers A 1 Moravids. Marabut implies a faint: and this 
dynafly advanced to power from a pretended zeal for re¬ 
ligion. It arofe in Cairoan ; and Yulfuf the fecond prince 
founded Morocco, in the year 1069. He conquered part 
of Spain, and died in 1106. His fon fucceeded to the 
African throne; but being unfuccefsful in war, this fhort- 
lived race was followed by the dynafly of the Elmohads, 
or Unitarians, which originated in Mount Atlas. Tomrut, 
its founder, was followed by his celebrated difciple Ab- 
del-mumin, originally a doftor of theology, but who dif- 
played fuch talents in war, that Ali, above-mentioned, 
after meeting with many defeats, died of a broken heart. 
Abdehmumin, now afpiring to the univerfal fovereignty 
of the Mohammedans in Africa, befieged and took Oran 
and Fez, A. D. 1142. Tasfin, the fon of Ali, hardly re¬ 
tained Morocco, which had been founded by his anceftor; 
and it was now taken by Abdel-mumin from Ifhak his 
fucceffor, the lad of the Marabut dynafly. The fuccefs 
and ambition of this prince led him alfo to endeavour to 
fhake off the Egyptian yoke, and war would have been 
inevitable, had not death unexpedtedly leized him, 
A. D. 1160. 
We now approach the era of the decline and fall of the 
Fatimite dynally in Egypt. A 1 Aded, the lad of thofe 
caliphs, fucceeded. Alfayez, A. D. 1161, at a time when 
the Frank, or European arms, threatened death and def¬ 
lation to the Mohammedan powers in Alia and Africa. 
Egypt was rent with internal diffentions, owing to the 
perfonal imbecility of the caliph Aded, and the intrigues 
and ambition of two favourite viziers, Shawurand Darg- 
ham. A 1 Aded withdrew from the bufy world, and 
committed the abfolute direction of the government to 
Shawur; but in a Ihon time, by the aid of party and 
2 
P T. 
cabal, Dargham found means to fupplant Shawur, and 
affumed the reins of government, and the command of 
the army, without fullering his colleague to exercife the 
fmalleft authority. Finding no redrefs from the fupine 
and inactive caliph, Shawur reforted to the Turkifh ful- 
tan of Damafcus, named Nur-el-din, or Noureddin, pro- 
mifing him one-third of the whole revenue of Egypt, pro¬ 
vided he would furnifh an army to reinffate him in the 
government of that country. Noureddin, who had long 
thirfled for the fubjugation of Egypt, without hefitation 
complied with the requell. Shirakuk, called Syracon, or 
Shiracou, by the Chriflian writers, and his nephew Sa- 
lah-el-din, or Salaain, were fent with a powerful army to 
reinllate Shawur ; but after fucceeding in the defeat of 
his opponent, the bafe and ungenerous Shiracou feized 
on the government of Noureddin, obtained an order from 
the weak and fenfelefs Aded for the decapitation of 
Shawur, with the gift of the robe and firman of vizir for 
liimfelf. For a while the Turk was content with the of¬ 
fice he had gained at the expence of the blood of the un¬ 
fortunate Shawur ; but the fall of the Fatitnites was the 
principal objedt in view, which was at length accom- 
plifned by a mere meffage and a word. The caliphs had 
been degraded by their own weaknefc, and by the tyranny 
and opprefiion of their viziers ; their fubjedts blulhed at 
the monftrous frauds of the magillracy, and were ripe for 
revolt. Noureddin, therefore, affumed the fupreme au¬ 
thority in the perfon of his general Shiracou, and com¬ 
manded the names of Abubeker, Omar, and Othman, of 
the Abbaifide dynafly, to be folemnly refiored, and the 
caliph Mofthadi of Bagdad, to be acknowledged in the 
public prayers of the Egyptians, as the true fucceffors of 
Mahomet, inftcad of the Ions of Ali. The laft of his race, 
the caliph Aded, furvived this political treafon only ten 
days, expiring in happy ignorance of his fate, on the 1,3th 
of September 1171 ; and in him terminated the dynafly of 
the Fatimites, and the caliphate of Egypt and Syria, af¬ 
ter it had prefided over the Mohammedan provinces of 
Africa two hundred and feventy-one years. 
The empire of the caliphs had been for a confiderable 
time on the decline. A.fter becoming the greatell mO- 
narchs in the world, their mutual jealoufies, animufities, 
and party views, fplit them into three fadtions, which 
defolated Arabia, and fpilt more of its native blood, 
than was loll in all the languinary contelts of the Holy 
War. In this vifible reparation of parties, they were to 
be diltinguiIhed by the colour of their turbans and ftand- 
ards: the green was confecrated to the Fatimites; the 
Oinmiades were difiingtiifhed by the white ; and the black, 
as mod adverfe, was chofen by the AbbalTides. From 
the Indus to the Euphrates, the whole country was con- 
vulfed by the quarrel of thefe factions; which had feated 
themfelves in Damafcus, Egypt, Bagdad, Cairoan, Cor¬ 
dova, and Mehedie. In the tenth century, the three ca¬ 
liphs who reigned at Bagdad, Cairoan, and Cordova, ex¬ 
communicated each other, and entered into a mutual vow 
of eternal difcord ; the effedt of exceffive luxury, lull, 
and unbounded profperity. In the city of Bagdad, amidft 
the riches of the eaft, the AbbalTides foon difdained the 
ab (line nee and frugality of the firfi caliphs, and alpired 
to emulate the magnificence of the Perfian kings. After 
his wars and buildings, Alnianfor left behind him in gold 
and filver about thirty millions llerling; and this trea- 
fure was exhaufted in a few years by the vices or virtues 
of his children. His fon Ma-hadi, in a Angle pilgrimage 
to Mecca, expended (ix millions of dinars of gold. A 
pious and charitable motive may fandlify the foundation 
of cifterns and caravanferas, which he difiributed along 
a meafured road of feven hundred miles; but his train 
of camels, laden with ice, could ferve only to aftonifii 
the natives of Arabia, and to refrefii the fruits and li¬ 
quors of the royal banquet. The courtiers would furely 
praife the liberality of his grandfon Almamon, who gave 
away four-fifths of the income of a province,, a fum of 
two millions four hundred thoufand gold dinars, before 
