A Short History of Hamdanid and Fatimid Dynasties

Hamdanid and Fatimid dynasties, the pioneers of Shiite governments in the Islamic world, both established their rule in the last years of the third century AH. One of them rose from one of the islands beyond Mesopotamia; from the Arabian Peninsula, extending its territory to the Mediterranean Sea. They were devotees whose life was spent on horseback, turning into guardians of the Islam borders, Shiites who became famous for their love of the Prophet and his family. They were Muslims who believed in twelve Imams and avoided clashing with other believers. They were the heroes of warlike men who never thought of overthrowing the Sunni caliphate; Hamdanids of Taghlabidescent. The other was an Alavi man, appearing in the far west, supported by African barbarians, and he drew his sword and established a great kingdom. He opened the lands from India to Sicily, from the Levant to the African desert; Arabs and Berbers, Turks and Kurds, Zengids and Romans, everyone rushed to him. Jews and Christians, Sunnis and Shiites, Muslims and infidels came under his command. He called Sunni leaders of Baghdad and Cordoba to fight. He reconciled the Mediterranean Christian believers and confronted the Crusaders. He trained missionaries and sent them far and near to spread the Ismaili religion. He nurtured thinkers and established deep-seated ideas and institutions and customs that lasted more than two centuries; Fatimid dynasty.