Fatimid Caliphate, 1167

Please note: this is a special application committee.  Applications will be due September 24.

Courteney Smith, Director

Class Year: 2013

Concentration: History and Literature

Hometown: Boston, MA

Favorite Country Visited: Prague, Czech Republic

Favorite Food: Anything with Pesto

Favorite Mun Moment: Being a delegate in the Russian Mafia

Why did you select this topic: The Crusades have always been one of my favorite periods of history to study, but it’s usually done from the European point of view. This committee will look at the time of the Crusades from an Arab point of view, which I think is really important. I’m also hoping it means I get to play with a sword.

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Committee Description

The Arab Fatimid Caliph rules over Egypt, a kingdom of unparralled wealth plagued by unparalled dangers. The Caliphate has long since lost its primacy over the Mediterranean, but remains a major power of the Middle East: the civilized world. The Advisory Cabinet to the Caliph Al-Adid is in power at a critical point in the history of the Fatimid Caliphate— never have internal struggles reached such a climax, never have the threats posed by sometimes friendly, sometimes lethal neighbors been so immediate. Immensely wealthy but militarily impotent, Fatimid Egypt commands the strategic Red Sea and is a tempting target for conquest. The Advisory Cabinet, made up of religious, academic, military, and political leaders, will guide the vizier Shawar towards the preservation of Fatimid Egypt: at least for as long as it suits their purposes.

The major threats are posed by the Syrian Nur-al-Din, the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem under Amalric, the Sas- sanid Turks, the fading but great Abbasid Empire, and even Crusaders from Europe. Having already suffered through one invasion by Shirkuh, Nur-al-Din’s greatest general, and Amalric himself, Egypt’s leaders must balance these two deadly vipers and use them against one another. As the Cabinet struggles to balance these many uncertain alliances, ideological struggles within the state among the ruling Shias, the powerful Sunnis in Alexandria, and the partly Christian bureaucracy may pose an even deadlier hazard. All groups are frustrated with the ineffective and corrupt nature of the government and may prove restless if changes are not made to control the masses.

Will this year mark the sunrise of the new and vibrant Fatimid Caliphate or the bloody sunset of the old? Will Egypt fall to occupy a position as vassal state to some foreign power or rise to lead the Mediterranean and the Muslim world?

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For More Information on the Fatimid Caliphate, visit these resources:

Between Revolution and State: The Path to Fatimid Statehood Reading Overview