Fatimid Caliphate

The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty that ruled a caliphate from 909 CE to 1171 CE, spanning a large area of North Africa and West Asia. Tracing their ancestry to the Islamic prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatima, the Fatimids began in Ifriqiya, overthrowing the Aghlabids. They extended their rule across the Mediterranean coast, eventually making Egypt the center of the caliphate. Its capitals included al-Mahdiyya, al-Mansuriyya, and finally Cairo from 973 CE. At its height, the caliphate encompassed varying areas of the Maghreb, Sicily, the Levant, and the Hejaz, and often allowed religious tolerance towards non-Shi'a sects.