Doctrinal impact on the function of funerary architecture in Fatimid Egypt

Abstract EN

The arriva] of the Fatimid conquerors to Egypt was a turning point which brought forth a radical impact on both political and religious sides of life.

Coming from quite a different doctrinal background, the Fatimids had a predominating aim to spread their beliefs between the Egyptian populace.

Perhaps one of their workable tactics to diffuse the shT‘1 doctrine was the introduction of mausoleums {mashads), devoted to the burial of their Fatimid imams-who claimed the ultimate descent from “al- IJusayn Ibn ‘All Ibn AbT Talib”.

Although Islam has strict traditions against fiinerary architecture, the Fatimid mashads did the trick; they were, and still are, highly venerated by the SunnT populace of Egypt.

This research is an attempt to reach a better understanding of the influence of the Shiite doctrine on the fimction of funerary architecture in Fatimid Egypt, while shedding light on women’s vital role in achieving this objective.