Abdallah, the heir to the throne of…

Abdallah, the heir to the throne of the Fatimids, had died before his father Ma'ad al-Muizz Li-Deenillah.

Therefore, his brother Abu l-Mansur Nizar al-Aziz had acceded to the Caliphate with the help of Jawhar as-Siqilli.

The Fatimid Empire under Al-Aziz stretches as far as Palestine and Syria.

Mecca and Medina also acknowledge the suzerainty of the Fatimids.

The reign of Al-Aziz is primarily significant for the strengthening of Fatimid power in Egypt and Syria, which had then only very recently been conquered (969).

Al-'Aziz  in 975,  had taken control of Baniyas in an attempt to subdue the anti-Fatimid agitation of the Sunni Mahammad b. Ahmad al-Nablusi and his followers.

The Bedouin Tayyi' tribe in 982 had been defeated in Palestine and in 983 finally subjugated at Damascus.

Al-Aziz now seeks to extend his power to northern Syria, focusing his attention on the Hamdanids of Aleppo.

The fact that they are under the suzerainty of Constantinople has resulted in the outbreak of war with this great power.

Another notable development during al-Aziz's reign is the introduction of foreign slave armies.

When the Berber troops from the Maghreb continued to be successful in the wars against the Qarmatians in Syria, Al-Aziz had begun setting up units comprised of Turkish slave soldiers, or Mamluks.

Through the expansion of the bureaucracy (in which many Jews and Christians have acquired important posts) the foundations have been laid for the immense power of the succeeding Caliphs.

His appointment of a Jewish governor over Syria, however, had led to grumbling by his Muslim subjects, who had claimed they were being pushed out of important posts.

As a result, Al-Aziz had ordered his Christian and Jewish officials to employ more Muslims in their offices.

The Egyptian economy has also been nurtured, and tax revenue thereby increased, through the expansion of streets and canals and the establishment of a stable currency.

The general economic well-being is also apparent in an elaborate building program.

The reign of Al-Aziz is also culturally significant.

The al-Azhar University in Cairo, founded by his grand Vizir Yaqub ibn Killis, will one day become the most important center of learning in the Islamic world.

Also, a library with two hundred thousand volumes has been established in Cairo.

Al-‘Azīz in 996 begins a trip to visit Syria (which is held by the Fatimids only by force of arms and is under pressure from both Greeks and Turks).

The Caliph falls ill at the beginning of the trip at Bilbeis and lays in sickbed for several days.

He suffers from "stone with pains in the bowels."

When he feels that his end is nearing, he charges Qadi Muhammad ibn an-Nu‘man and General Abū Muhammad al-Hasan ibn ‘Ammar to take care of his eleven-year-old son al-Ḥākim, who on October 13, 996, succeeds his father as the first Fatimid ruler to be born in Egypt.

Al-Ḥākim is sworn in by Barjawan, a "white eunuch whom al-‘Azīz had appointed as Ustad 'tutor'."

This successful transfer of power is a demonstration of the stability of the Fatimid dynasty, because it had been unclear whether Al-Ḥākim would inherit his father's position.

Al-Ḥākim's father had intended the eunuch Barjawan to act as regent until he was old enough to rule by himself.

Ibn ‘Ammar (the leader of the Katama party) and the Qadi Muhammad ibn Nu‘man are to assist in the guardianship of the new caliph.

Ibn ‘Ammar instead immediately seizes the office of wasīta ("chief minister") from ‘Īsa ibn Nestorius.

The office of sifāra "secretary of state" is at this time also combined within the office of chief minster

Ibn ‘Ammar now takes the title of Amīn ad-Dawla "the one trusted in the empire".

This is the first time that the term "empire" is associated with the Fatimid state.