Al-Hakim Mosque: Religion and Propaganda in Fatimid Egypt

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.

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-Ḥākim, who played a key role in the completion of the mosque bearing his name and was revered as a divine representative on Earth.

The book Analyses Fatimid ideology through the inscriptions of al-Ḥākim mosque:

• Uses Arabic primary sources to propose a new approach to inscriptions located in mosques
• Juxtaposes these inscriptions with Fatimid ideology
• Analyses the importance of Mosque inscriptions in Fatimid religious propaganda
• Examines the relation between the figure of the ruler and the mosque named after him
• Accompanied by illustrative photos of the mosque and its inscriptions

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Early Fatimid Period and al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh
2. The Daʿwa Apparatus and the Dissemination of Fatimid Religious Tenets during al-Ḥākim’s Reign
3. The Mosque of al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh
4. The Mosque’s Inscriptions: Some General Remarks
5. The Inscriptions of the Miḥrāb Area, the Central Dome and Central Passage
6. The Inscriptions in the First Aisle (Riwāq) on Both Sides of the Miḥrāb Area, Including the Two Lateral Domes
7. The Inscriptions in the Other Riwāqs (2–5) to the Right of the Central Passage
8. The Inscriptions in the Other Riwāqs (2–5) to the Left of the Central Passage
9. The External Inscriptions of the Mosque of al-Ḥākim

Bibliographic Information

Title: Al-Hakim Mosque: Religion and Propaganda in Fatimid Egypt

Author (s): Housni Alkhateeb Shehada

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

 Language: English

Length: 304Pages

ISBN: 9781399538732

Pub. Date: June 30, 2025

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