Fatimid Railway to Palestine
In the year 357 AH, Abu al-Misk Kafur al-Ikhshidi died, an event that would change the region. The Fatimids had been eagerly awaiting this news because Kafur was a strong ruler, a shrewd politician, a clever military leader, and a prince beloved by both the people and the military commanders. This made al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah say, "We will not enter Egypt while the Black Stone is in it." Abu al-Fawaris ibn al-Ikhshid took over the rule of the Ikhshidids, during whose reign there was a great decline and severe economic collapse. High prices, famines, and diseases spread, and death increased among the people. The people of Egypt became increasingly angry with the Ikhshidids, and news of this situation reached al-Mu'izz al-Din al-Fatimi, so he immediately took advantage of the opportunity by sending a Fatimid army headed by the commander Jawhar al-Siqilli. The Egyptians offered little resistance to the Fatimid conquest due to these circumstances, and they welcomed the arrival of new rulers in place of the Ikhshidids, especially after a speech delivered by Jawhar al-Siqilli on behalf of Mu'izz al-Din al-Fatimi upon his entry into Egypt. In this speech, he made numerous promises, including renewing the coinage to prevent counterfeiting, reducing the heavy taxes imposed by the Ikhshidids, and protecting the Egyptians from the Qarmatians who ruled Damascus and Palestine.
After the Fatimids consolidated their power in Egypt, their conflict shifted to the Qarmatian state in the east. The Qarmatians, with Buyid support, invaded Egypt several times, nearly reaching Cairo, but Jawhar al-Siqilli successfully repelled their attacks. In the following years, the Fatimids gradually expanded at the expense of the Qarmatians and other states in the region. They seized control of the Levant in 363 AH (973 CE) from al-Husayn ibn Ahmad al-Qarmati, the Qarmatian ruler, and annexed it as far north as Aleppo after defeating the Hamdanid dynasty. They also conquered the Hejaz after defeating its Sharifian rulers, thus extending the Fatimid state from Morocco to the borders of Iraq.
The Fatimid coinage in Palestine began in 359 AH during the reign of Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah. Fatimid coins in Palestine are considered rare and consistently fetch exceptional prices at international auctions. These are some examples.
