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Abū Manṣūr Ismāʿīl ibn al-Ḥāfiẓ ( ar, أبو منصور إسماعيل بن الحافظ, February 1133 – April 1154), better known by his
regnal name A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ac ...
al-Ẓāfir bi-Aʿdāʾ Allāh (, ) or al-Ẓāfir bi-Amr Allāh (, ), was the twelfth
Fatimid caliph This is a list of an Arab dynasty, the Shi'ite caliphs of the Fatimid dynasty (909–1171). The Shi'ite caliphs were also regarded at the same time as the imams of the Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam. Family tree of Fatimid caliphs ...
, reigning in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
from 1149 to 1154, and the 22nd
imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
of the
Hafizi Hafizi Isma'ilism ( ar, حافظية, Ḥāfiẓiyya or , ) was a branch of Musta'li Isma'ilism that emerged as a result of a split in 1132. The Hafizis accepted the Fatimid caliph Abd al-Majid al-Hafiz li-Din Allah () and his successors as imams ...
Ismaili Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...
sect.


Life

The future al-Zafir was born on 23 February 1133, as the fifth son of the eleventh
Fatimid The Fatimid Caliphate was an Ismaili Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The Fatimids, a dy ...
imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
-
caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
,
al-Hafiz li-Din Allah Abūʾl-Maymūn ʿAbd al-Majīd ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Mustanṣir, better known by his regnal name as al-Ḥāfiẓ li-Dīn Allāh ( ar, الحافظ لدين الله, , Keeper of God's Religion), was the eleventh Fatimid caliph, ruling over Egyp ...
(). As all his older brothers predeceased their father, al-Zafir was appointed heir-apparent.


Accession and the vizierate of Ibn Masal

Al-Zafir was proclaimed caliph immediately after his father's death, on 10 October 1149. By this time, the Fatimid dynasty was in decline. The official sect of
Isma'ilism Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...
had lost its appeal and was weakened by disputes and schisms, and the dynasty's legitimacy was increasingly challenged by a
Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
resurgence in Egypt. The Fatimid caliphs themselves had become virtual puppets in the hands of their
viziers A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...
, whose power was such that chroniclers often attributed to them the royal title of
sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
. Al-Zafir's father had tried to curtail the power of his viziers, and for the last decade of his reign, did not appoint anyone to that office, instead relying on high-ranking clerks as ''ad hoc'' directors of government affairs. The accession of al-Zafir undid these efforts.
Salim ibn Masal Najm al-Din Abu'l-Fath Salim/Sulayman ibn Muhammad al-Lukki al-Maghribi ( ar, ﻧﺠﻢ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﺍﺑﻮ ﺍﻟﻔﺘﺢ ﺳﻠﻴﻢ/ﺴﻠﻴﻤﺎﻥ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻜﻲ, Najm al-Dīn Abu’l-Fatḥ Salīm/Sulaymān ibn ...
, who had served as al-Hafiz' leading minister since 1139/40, ensured al-Zafir's quick accession. In return, the underage caliph, more interested in the pleasures of the palace than governing, appointed Ibn Masal to the vacant vizierate, with full and plenipotentiary powers. To calm the rival military factions of the Turks and Black Africans, who were clashing in the streets of
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, a generous
donative The ''donativum'' (plural ''donativa'') was a gift of money by the Roman emperors to the soldiers of the Roman legions or to the Praetorian Guard. The English translation is ''donative''. The purpose of the ''donativa'' varied. Some were expres ...
was distributed and promises were made to look after them. The situation was brought under control in November, when Ibn Masal, executed the faction leaders. Ibn Masal lasted between 40 and 50 days in office, being overthrown by the governor of
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
,
Ibn al-Sallar Abu'l-Hasan Ali al-Adil ibn al-Sallar or al-Salar ( ar, أبو ﺍﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺩﻝ ﺍﺑﻦ ﺍﻟﺴﻠﺎﺭ, Abu’l-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-ʿĀdil ibn al-Sallār; died 3 April 1154), usually known simply as Ibn al-Sal r, ...
, who had entertained hopes of becoming vizier himself. Following the appointment of Ibn Masal, together with his stepson
Abbas ibn Abi al-Futuh Abbas may refer to: People * Abbas (name), list of people with the name, including: **Abbas ibn Ali, Popularly known as Hazrat-e-Abbas (brother of Imam Hussayn) **Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of Muhammad ** Mahmoud Abbas (born 1935), Palest ...
, Ibn al-Sallar marched on Cairo to seize the vizierate. When al-Zafir learned of Ibn Sallar's intentions, he called upon assistance from the grandees of the realm in support of Ibn Masal, but they proved unwilling to. In the end, the Caliph provided Ibn Masal with funds to raise an army for action against Ibn al-Sallar. Ibn Masal assembled a force of
Lawata The Laguatan (Lawata, Lawati) was a Zenata Berber clan that inhabited the Cyrenaica area during the Roman period. They have been described as primarily raiders and nomadic, but others consider them a settled group who also raided. The Laguatan eme ...
Berbers, of Black Africans, of
Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
Arabs and of native Egyptians, but despite a first success in the field, he was soon forced to leave Cairo in December 1149 for Upper Egypt, to recruit more men, while Ibn al-Sallar took over the city.


Vizierate of Ibn al-Sallar

Al-Zafir was unreconciled to the new situation, and conspired to have Ibn al-Sallar killed. In retaliation, in January 1150 Ibn al-Sallar gathered the caliphal guard (), an elite corps of cadets comprising the sons of high dignitaries and officials, and executed most of them, sending the rest to serve on the empire's frontiers. After that, he executed the chief supervisor of the government departments (), Abu'l-Karam Muhammad ibn Ma'sum al-Tinnisi. After securing Cairo, an army under his stepson Abbas, along with
Tala'i ibn Ruzzik Tala'i ibn Ruzzik ( ar, طلائع ﺑﻦ ﺭﺯﻳﻚ, Ṭalāʾīʿ ibn Ruzzīk, with his full titles and surnames ''Abū'l-Gharāt Fāris al-Muslimīn al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ Ṭalāʾīʿ ibn Ruzzīk al-Ghassānī al-Armanī'') was a military co ...
, was sent to confront Ibn Masal and his ally, Badr ibn Rafi. The two armies met in battle at Dalas in the province of Bahnasa on 19 February 1150, in which Ibn Masal was defeated and killed. Abbas brought his severed head back to Cairo as a token of victory. Unsurprisingly, the relationship between caliph and vizier remained extremely hostile: according to
Usama ibn Munqidh Majd ad-Dīn Usāma ibn Murshid ibn ʿAlī ibn Munqidh al-Kināni al-Kalbī (also Usamah, Ousama, etc.; ar, مجد الدّين اُسامة ابن مُرشد ابن على ابن مُنقذ الكنانى الكلبى) (4 July 1095 – 17 Nove ...
, the two despised each other, with the Caliph conspiring to kill Ibn al-Sallar, and the latter seeking to depose the Caliph. The mutual hatred of both men was only kept in check by the grave external threats faced by the empire from the Crusader
Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establishe ...
. Ibn al-Sallar's vizierate was dominated by the war with the Crusader principalities of the
Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
. After the Crusaders sacked the Mediterranean port town of al-Farama in October/November 1150, Ibn al-Sallar organized a large-scale naval expedition that raided the Levant coast, attacking the ports of
Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
,
Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...
,
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, and
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
to devastating effect. The raid, though successful, was a hollow victory, as the Fatimids failed to follow it up; it also cost the enormous sum of 300,000
gold dinar The gold dinar ( ar, ﺩﻳﻨﺎﺭ ذهبي) is an Islamic medieval gold coin first issued in AH 77 (696–697 CE) by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The weight of the dinar is 1 mithqal (). The word ''dinar'' comes from the La ...
s, so that the treasury had to curtail expenses, such as the free distribution of clothing in Cairo. It also failed to elicit any response from the Muslim rulers of Syria,
Nur al-Din Zengi Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Zengī (; February 1118 – 15 May 1174), commonly known as Nur ad-Din (lit. "Light of the Faith" in Arabic), was a member of the Zengid dynasty, which ruled the Syrian province (''Shām'') of the Seljuk Empire. He reign ...
of
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and
Mujir al-Din Abaq Mujīr ad-Dīn ʿAbd al-Dawla Abu Saʿīd Ābaq ibn Jamāl ad-Dīn Muhammad (died 1169) was the governor of Damascus from 1140 to 1154. He was the eldest son of Jamal ad-Din Muhammad and the last Burid ruler of the Emirate of Damascus. Name His ...
of
Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...
, who were preoccupied with their own rivalries. In contrast, in early 1153 the Crusaders launched an attack on the Fatimid outpost of Ascalon. In March 1153, Ibn al-Sallar sent reinforcements to the city under his stepson Abbas and Usama ibn Munqidh. According to the historian
al-Maqrizi Al-Maqrīzī or Maḳrīzī (Arabic: ), whose full name was Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-'Abbās Aḥmad ibn 'Alī ibn 'Abd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad al-Maqrīzī (Arabic: ) (1364–1442) was a medieval Egyptian Arab historian during the Mamluk era, kn ...
, this mission displeased Abbas, who would much rather have continued to spend his time savouring the pleasures of Cairo. His ambition inflamed by Usama, who suggested that he could become sultan of Egypt if only he so desired, Abbas decided to kill his stepfather. The plot was hatched with the agreement of the Caliph. Abbas sent his son Nasr, a favourite of the Caliph, back to in Cairo to stay with his grandmother in the palace of Ibn al-Sallar, ostensibly to spare him from the dangers of war. During the night Nasr entered the chamber of Ibn al-Sallar and murdered him in his sleep. He then sent a message by
carrier pigeon The homing pigeon, also called the mail pigeon or messenger pigeon, is a variety of domestic pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'') derived from the wild rock dove, selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distan ...
to his father, who quickly returned to Cairo to claim the vizierate for himself (9 April), showing Ibn al-Sallar's severed head to the populace assembled before the Bab al-Dhahab gate. Abandoned to its fate, Ascalon, the last Fatimid outpost in the Levant, fell to the Crusaders in August 1153.


Murder and aftermath

Ibn al-Sallar had been generally resented due to his greed and cruelty, but had apparently favoured the Sunni cause in Egypt, and was likely behind the appointment of a Sunni chief . As a result, his Sunni supporters appealed the al-Zafir for the punishment of Ibn Mandiqh, whom they held responsible for the murder. Ibn Mandiqh, afraid for his life, turned to Abbas, inciting him against al-Zafir with the rumour of a sexual relationship between al-Zafir and Nasr; Ibn Munqidh in his own memoirs claims that the Caliph wanted to use Nasr to eliminate Abbas, but was informed of the plot by Nasr. Abbas became enraged, and persuaded his son to assassinate the caliph. Nasr invited al-Zafir to spend the night together at the vizieral palace of Dar al-Ma'mun. On arrival, the Caliph and his small escort were killed, with their bodies thrown into a pit close by. This was on 1 or 15 April 1154. On the next day, Abbas rode to the palace gates, ostensibly looking for al-Zafir. A search ensued, but eventually the truth became known when a servant of the caliph's escort, who had managed to hide and escape the massacre of the previous night, informed the palace. While the palace women began mourning, Abbas and his own escort forced their way into the palace and installed himself in the grand audience chamber. When al-Zafir's two younger brothers, Jibril and Yusuf, demanded that Nasr be questioned on the whereabouts of the Caliph, Abbas ordered them executed, and announced to the public that they had confessed to being responsible for the Caliph's murder. In his stead, al-Zafir's five-year old son, Isa, was proclaimed caliph as
al-Fa'iz bi-Nasr Allah Abūʾl-Qāsim ʿĪsā ibn al-Ẓāfir ( ar, أبو القاسم عيسى بن الظافر; 1149–1160), better known by his regnal name al-Fāʾiz bi-Naṣr Allāh (), was the thirteenth and penultimate Fatimid caliph, reigning in Egypt from 1 ...
. The young caliph was so shocked by the sight of the bloody corpses of his uncles and the acclamations of the court officials, that he became insane.


Legacy

Al-Zafir's rule marks the beginning of the end for the Fatimid state: from then on the caliphs were underage youths, sidelined and mere puppets at the hands of the strongmen who vied for the vizierate. The power struggle between generals and viziers dominated the last decades of the Fatimid state, until its
takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to t ...
by
Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...
in 1171. In 1148/49, al-Zafir built a mosque in Cairo, near the
Bab Zuwayla Bab Zuweila or Bab Zuwayla ( ar, باب زويلة) is one of three remaining gates in the city wall of the Old Cairo, Old City of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. It was also known as Bawabbat al-Mitwali during the Ottoman Egypt, Ottoman period. It i ...
gate, and attached several properties as a n endowment towards its upkeep. The Zafiri Mosque also served for teaching the Islamic law, and a group of jurists () were attached to it for the purpose.


See also

*
List of rulers of Egypt Lists of rulers of Egypt: * List of pharaohs (c. 3100 BC – 30 BC) ** List of Satraps of the 27th Dynasty (525–404 BC) ** List of Satraps of the 31st Dynasty (343–332 BC) * List of governors of Roman Egypt (30 BC – 639 AD) * List of rul ...


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zafir 1133 births 1154 deaths 12th-century Fatimid caliphs 12th-century murdered monarchs Egyptian Ismailis Hafizi imams LGBT Muslims