SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The present thesis is a political study of the reign of al-Hakim Bi Amr Allah the sixth Fatimid Imam-Caliph who ruled between 386-411/996-1021. It consists of a note on the sources and seven chapters. The first chapter is a biographical review of al-Hakim's person. It introduces a history of his birth, childhood, succession to the Caliphate, his education and private life and it examines the contradiction in the sources concerning his character. Chapter II discusses the problems which al-Hakim inherited from the previous rule and examines their impact on the political life of his State. Chapter III introduces the administration of the internal affairs of the State. It examines the struggle for power between the Imam-Caliph and his Wasita and its results on the internal policies of the Imam-Caliph. It also discusses the economic, social, legal and architectural reforms which he introduced throughout his reign. The progress of the Ismaili Daiwa and the problem of Ahl al-Dhimma are also examined in this chapter. Chapter IV is devoted to the external policy of al-Hakim. It studies his policies concerning the maintenance of his suzerainty over the provinces of Damascus, Hijaz and Tripoli and his endeavour to extend it over Aleppo and other parts of the Muslim world. His policy towards the Byzantine and Abbasid Empires is also discussed in this chapter. Chapter V examines the rebellions and uprisings which al-Hakim faced and discusses his methods in dealing with them. Chapter VI introduces the split in the Ismaili Daiwa which resulted in the creation of the Druz Sect. It also examines the causes behind such an important event. Chapter VII is concerned with the death or "disappearance" of al-Hakim and discusses the stories and myths surrounding it.