This study explores the distinctive features of Fatimid ideology and propaganda, as demonstrated in the largest and most notable mosque of this era, built in Cairo during the Fatimid period (909-1171 AD). It specifically examines the numerous Quranic inscriptions decorating various parts of the mosque. These inscriptions are scrutinized in light of Arabic theosophic writings from the same period. This study also highlights the mosque's significance as a primary medium for Fatimid propaganda (da’wa), aimed at disseminating Fatimid religious ideology throughout the Islamic world. A substantial part of this work is dedicated to the figure of Imam al- akim, who played a key role in the completion of the mosque bearing his name and was revered as a divine representative on Earth.
Analyses Fatimid ideology through the inscriptions of al- akim mosque.
Arvustused
This book deals with a fascinating topic, namely the messages conveyed by the structure of the mosque associated with the sixth Fimid Imam-Caliph, al-kim bi-Amr Allh and in particular by the Qurnic verses adorning both the exterior and the interior. Richly illustrated, it has the potential of making a significant and original contribution to Islamic history and thought, Islamic art and architecture and Qurnic studies. -- Camilla Adang, Tel Aviv University Housni Alkhateeb Shehadas coverage of the subject is comprehensive both in terms of material and references. His approach to the inscriptions found inside and outside the mosque is innovative. No similar monograph has been devoted to this topic. -- Frédéric Bauden, University of Liège
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Early Fatimid Period and al-kim bi-Amr Allh
2. The Dawa Apparatus and the Dissemination of Fatimid Religious Tenets
during al-kims Reign
3. The Mosque of al-kim bi-Amr Allh
4. The Mosque's Inscriptions: Some General Remarks
5. The Inscriptions of the Mirb Area, the Central Dome and Central Passage
6. The Inscriptions in the First Aisle (Riwq) on Both Sides of the Mirb
Area, Including the Two Lateral Domes
7. The Inscriptions in the Other Riwqs (25) to the Right of the Central
Passage
8. The Inscriptions in the Other Riwqs (25) to the Left of the Central
Passage
9. The External Inscriptions of the Mosque of al-kim
Conclusions
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
Housni Alkhateeb Shehada, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer at The Academic College Levinsky-Wingate, Tel Aviv, and Bezalel, Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. His academic activities and interests concern classical Arabic and modern literature; Islamic history with particular attention to the treatment of animals; history of art, particularly Islamic art and architecture, and contemporary Palestinian art (including curations of exhibitions and their catalogues). He has also published two books of Arabic poetry.
