Editing Eunuch (section)

====Fatimid Caliphate====
{{further|Slavery in the Fatimid Caliphate}}
In the [[Isma'ilism|Isma'ili]] [[Fatimid Caliphate]] (909–1171 CE), eunuchs played major roles in the politics of the caliphate's court within the institution of [[slavery in the Fatimid Caliphate]]. These eunuchs were normally purchased from slave auctions and typically came from a variety of Arab and non-Arab minority ethnic groups. In some cases, they were purchased from various noble families in the empire, which would then connect those families to the caliph. Generally, though, foreign slaves were preferred, described as the "ideal servants".<ref>El Cheikh, N. M. (2017). Guarding the harem, protecting the state: Eunuchs in a fourth/tenth-century Abbasid court. In Celibate and Childless Men in Power (pp. 65–78). Routledge.</ref>

Once enslaved, eunuchs were often placed into positions of significant power in one of four areas: the service of the male members of the court; the service of the [[Fatimid harem]], or female members of the court; administrative and clerical positions; and military service.<ref>Gul, R., Zafar, N., & Naznin, S. (2021). Legal and Social Status of Eunuchs Islam and Pakistan. sjesr, 4(2), 515–523.</ref> For example, during the Fatimid occupation of Cairo, Egyptian eunuchs controlled military garrisons (''shurta'') and marketplaces (''hisba''), two positions beneath only the city magistrate in power. However, the most influential Fatimid eunuchs were the ones in direct service to the caliph and the royal household as chamberlains, treasurers, governors, and attendants.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Höfert |editor-first1=A. |editor-last2=Mesley |editor-first2=M. M. |editor-last3=Tolino |editor-first3=S |title=Celibate and Childless Men in Power: Ruling Eunuchs and Bishops in the Pre-Modern World |date=15 August 2017 |publisher=Routledge |edition=1st |isbn=9781315566658|language=English}}</ref> Their direct proximity to the caliph and his household afforded them a great amount of political sway. One eunuch, [[Jawdhar]], became ''[[hujja]]'' to Imam-Caliph [[al-Qa'im (Fatimid caliph)|al-Qa'im]], a sacred role in Shia Islam entrusted with the imam's choice of successor upon his death.<ref>Marmon, S. E. (1995). Eunuchs and sacred boundaries in Islamic society. Oxford University Press on Demand.</ref>

There were several other eunuchs of high regard in Fatimid history, mainly being [[Rifq|Abu'l-Fadi Rifq al-Khadim]] and [[Barjawan|Abu'l-Futuh Barjawan al-Ustadh]].<ref>Tolino, S. (2017). Eunuchs in the Fatimid empire: Ambiguities, gender and sacredness. In Celibate and Childless Men in Power (pp. 246–267). Routledge.</ref> Rifq was an African eunuch general who served as governor of the Damascus until he led an army of 30,000 men in a campaign to expand Fatimid control northeast to the city of Aleppo, Syria. He was noted for being able to unite a diverse group of Africans, Arabs, Bedouins, Berbers, and Turks into one coherent fighting force which was able to successfully combat the [[Mirdasid dynasty|Mirdasids]], [[Bedouin]]s, and Byzantines.

Barjawan was a European eunuch during late Fatimid rule who gained power through his military and political savvy which brought peace between them and the Byzantine empire. Moreover, he squashed revolts in the Libya and the Levant. Given his reputation and power in the court and military he took the reins of the caliphate from his then student [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]]; then ruled as the de facto Regent 997 CE. His usurpation of power from the caliph resulted in his assassination in 1000 CE on the orders of al-Hakim.

Since imams during this period ruled over a majority non-Shi'a population, the court eunuchs served an important informal role as ambassadors of the caliph, promoting loyalty and devotion to the Shi'a sect and the imam-caliph himself. The multicultural, multilingual eunuchs were able to connect to the commoners through shared cultural ground.