Editing Fatimid Caliphate (section)

== Capital cities ==
[[File:Porte_Grande_Mosquée_El_Mehdi_Mahdia.JPG|thumb|Entrance portal of the [[Great Mosque of Mahdiya|Great Mosque of Mahdia]] (10th century)]]

=== Al-Mahdiyya ===
Al-Mahdiyya, the first capital of the Fatimid dynasty, was established by its first caliph, Abdullah al-Mahdi (297–322 AH/909–934 CE) in 300 AH/912–913 CE. The caliph had been residing in nearby Raqqada but chose this new and more strategic location in which to establish his dynasty. The city of al-Mahdiyya is located on a narrow peninsula along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, east of Kairouan and just south of the Gulf of Hammamet, in modern-day Tunisia. The primary concern in the city's construction and locale was defense. With its peninsular topography and the construction of a wall 8.3 m thick, the city became impenetrable by land. This strategic location, together with a navy that the Fatimids had inherited from the conquered Aghlabids, made the city of al-Mahdiyya a strong military base where Abdullah al-Mahdi consolidated power and planted the seeds of the Fatimid caliphate for two generations. The city included two royal palaces—one for the caliph and one for his son and successor al-Qa'im—as well as a mosque, many administrative buildings, and an arsenal.<ref>Talbi, M., "al-Mahdiyya", in: ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', 2nd ed., edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. {{ISBN?}} {{page?|date=September 2024}}</ref>

=== Al-Mansuriyya ===
{{Main|Mansouria, Tunisia}}
Al-Mansuriyya (also known as Ṣabra al-Mansuriyya<ref name=":7" />) was established between 334 and 336 AH (945 and 948 CE) by the third Fatimid caliph al-Mansur (334–41 AH/946–53 CE) in a settlement known as Ṣabra, located on the outskirts of Kairouan in modern-day Tunisia. The new capital was established in commemoration of the victory of al-Mansur over the Kharijite rebel Aba Yazid at Ṣabra.<ref name=":9" /> Construction of the city was not quite finished when al-Mansur died in 953, but his son and successor, al-Mu'izz, finished it and completed the city's mosque that same year.<ref name=":7" /> Like Baghdad, the plan of the city of Al-Mansuriyya is round, with the caliphal palace at its center. Due to a plentiful water source, the city grew and expanded a great deal under al-Mansur. Archaeological evidence suggests that there were more than 300 [[hammam]]s built during this period in the city as well as numerous palaces.<ref name=":9" /> When al-Mansur's successor, al-Mu'izz, moved the caliphate to Cairo he left his deputy, Buluggin ibn Ziri, as regent of Ifriqiya, marking the beginning of the city's Zirid period. In 1014–15 the Zirid ruler Badis ibn al-Mansur ordered merchants and artisans of Kairouan to be transferred to al-Mansuriyya, which may have helped provoke a revolt in 1016 which damaged the city. In 1057, under pressure from the Banu Hilal invasions, the Zirids abandoned al-Mansuriyya for Mahdiyya and the city was devastated. Unlike Kairouan, it remained in ruins afterwards and was never revived. The site was pillaged over time. Modern archeological excavations here began in 1921.<ref name=":9">Talbi, M., "Ṣabra or al-Manṣūriyya", in: ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', 2nd ed., Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. {{ISBN?}} {{page?|date=September 2024}}</ref>

=== Cairo ===
Cairo was established by the fourth Fatimid caliph, al-Mu'izz, in 359 AH/970 CE and remained the capital of the Fatimid caliphate for the duration of the dynasty. The city was officially named ''al-Qahirah al-Mu'izziyya'', which can be translated as the "Victorious City of al-Mu'izz", known afterward simply as ''al-Qahira'' and giving us the modern English name "Cairo".{{Sfn|Brett|2017|p=80}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jiwa |first=Shainool |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=89SLDwAAQBAJ&dq=cairo+al-mu%27izziya+al-qahira&pg=PT108 |title=The Fatimids: 1 – The Rise of a Muslim Empire |publisher=I.B. Tauris (in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies) |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-78672-174-7 |language=en}}</ref> Cairo can thus be considered the capital of Fatimid cultural production. Though the original Fatimid palace complex, including administrative buildings and royal residents, no longer exists, modern scholars can glean a good idea of the original structure based on the Mamluk-era account of al-Maqrizi. Perhaps the most important of Fatimid monuments outside the palace complex is the mosque of al-Azhar (359–61 AH/970–72 CE) which still stands today, though the building was significantly expanded and modified in later periods. Likewise, the important Fatimid mosque of al-Hakim, built from 380 to 403 AH/990–1012 CE under two Fatimid caliphs, was significantly rebuilt and renovated in the 1980s. Cairo remained the capital for, including al-Mu'izz, eleven generations of caliphs, after which the Fatimid Caliphate finally fell to Ayyubid forces in 567 AH/1171 CE.<ref>Rogers, J.M., J.M. Rogers and J. Jomier, "al-Ḳāhira", in: ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', 2nd ed., Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. {{ISBN?}} {{page?|date=September 2024}}</ref>{{Sfn|O'Kane|2016}}