An Investigation of the Conflicts and Interactions of the Egyptian Fatimid Caliphate with the Byzantine Government in the Levant (4th and 5th Centuries AH)

From the mid-fourth century AH, with the rise of the Fatimids in Egypt and the expansion of their influence in the Levant, the interaction with the Byzantine Empire became a serious issue in the foreign relations of the Fatimid caliphs. The present descriptive and analytical study, therefore, addresses the conflicts and interactions of the Egyptian Fatimid caliphate with the Byzantine government in the Levant in the fourth and fifth centuries AH and analyzes the factors effective in them. The results show that the Fatimids, after settling in Egypt and in line with goals such as expanding their territory and countering Byzantine expansionism, dominated the Levant. Throughout the years of Fatimid rule in the region, they succeeded in combating Byzantine ambitions with a policy based on dialogue and war. This duality of interaction and confrontation put the Fatimids in a position to use their military and diplomatic capabilities to curb the expansionist policies of the Byzantine government, to gain political legitimacy, and to expand their territory. As a result, the Fatimids' basic strategy in this regard was based on the two axes of interaction or conflict and in compliance with the preservation of borders, defense of Islamic lands and the consolidation of their authority over the Levant.