The Fatimids, the Kabyles who founded Cairo
A dynasty of Kabyle kings originally from Bejaia in Algeria, which they made their capital, created by Ubaydallah el-Mahdi, who proclaimed himself Caliph when he took Kairouan in Tunisia in 910, this dynasty extended its authority over the whole of the Maghreb, and even Sicily. The capital was transferred to Mahdia in Tunisia when Kairouan was taken.
The Fatimids reigned in North Africa, particularly in Egypt, where they founded Cairo in 969, but also, as is less well known, in Palestine. They became the most important power in the Muslim world. Their reign (909-1171) had a considerable cultural and artistic influence.
A few centuries after the reigns of the Kabyle pharaohs Sheshonq (Chechanq) I, Osorkon I and Sheshonq II, pharaoh of the XXIInd dynasty who reigned in Tanis or Djanet – in Egypt, not in Algeria – the Fatimids contributed greatly to the prestige of the Berbers throughout North Africa.
Illustrations: Fragment of an Egyptian mural with a man drinking wine, 10th century.
Egyptian bracelet with the protective eye of Horus: a model similar to this one was found in the tomb of Osorkon I.
I am translating and publishing an article originally written in French and published by the “orientale.fr” website, not to highlight a little-known history of the Kabyle people, but to ask myself, and to you the readers, about the title of the article. To be precise, about the Fatimids. Who were the Fatimids really?
The fable of Islam tells us that this “dynasty” was named after the daughter of the prophet Mohammed, Fatima. But we know that this prophet is not real. He is a fantasy character. Consequently, a character of fantasy, which moreover is created to mock, cannot have historical descendants. So the North African Fatimids have absolutely no connection with the fable of the religion said to have been born in a desert. The question is, where did the name “Fatimids” actually come from?
I don’t have an answer, so I hope that readers will join me in thinking about the origin of the word “Fatimids”.
The cup of wine.
Clearly there was a clear evolution, or disruption, of this religion that was to become Islam.
The Islam of the 6th century did not resemble that of the 10ᵉ century, and that of the 10th century had nothing in common with the belief of the 14th century. In fact, everything only froze with the use of the printing press. Whoever possesses this technology is the one who shaped, made the choice, of Islamic texts.
After that, it’s easy to make people believe in the existence of old Korans. Just as people are led to believe in the existence of Mecca in the Hejaz desert.